Wine: 2013 Chateau Rauzan-Segla 2nd Growth Grand Cru Bordeaux

[Mike Buckley]

In the official classification of 1855 of red Bordeaux wines still maintained today, Chateau Rauzan-Segla (at the time Chateau Rauzan) was determined to be a second growth grand cru. There are only 14 second growth wines behind four first growth wines at the time (now five of them). About 70 years earlier when Thomas Jefferson was the first American connoisseur of wine and had replaced Benjamin Franklin as America's ambassador to France, he also rated the winery behind only the four top-tier wineries.

I am on a mission over many years to collect and eventually drink all 14 of the second growth grand cru red Bordeaux wines (mostly because my wife understandably refuses to allow me to pay the exorbitant cost of the first growth wines). This is my third wine of the second growths, though I have not yet drunk any of them.

EDIT: A close-up photo of the bottle's foil has been added later in the thread.

Setup
I chose to make a monochrome image because everything in the subjects is black-and-white except the gold tones in the bottle's foil and in the label's third and fourth lines of text.

The background and tabletop are a single sheet of gold semi-glossy presentation board. That color and sheen were chosen because they complement the foil and the two lines of text mentioned above. Though the tabletop is not included in the scene, the transition between it and the background creates appealing tonal variety in the scene. A small continuous-light lamp to the right of the camera and pointed further away from the scene allows only a little light to directly fall on it. A manilla envelope handheld immediately in front of the lamp redirects warm light onto the scene. A white reflector on the left side adds a reflection to that side of the bottle and to the front and rear of the wineglass. Those reflections add interest to the scene and help define the shape of the two subjects. That reflector also brightens the left side of the label.

[Wavelength]

Very nice

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[John 2]

Nicely lit Mike. Is it a composite? If so, it's very well done. I ask only because you have managed to light the wine glass so that it merges into the BG slightly but achieve more definition and contrast in the bottle.

[bnnrcn]

I have no time to read the explanation but I will read it later Mike. I just want to say that it looks perfect ! Great composition and lighting and I love the toning

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

Is it a composite?...I ask only because you have managed to light the wine glass so that it merges into the BG slightly but achieve more definition and contrast in the bottle.

It's not a composite. I wonder if the characteristic you mention has less to do with the lighting and more to do with the depth of field; the left and right sides of the label are slightly out of focus and, of course, everything further to the rear is gradually more and more out of focus.

[Mike Buckley]

This is the foil on the same bottle of wine.

Setup
The tabletop is fabric laced with metallic threads. A small continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffusion sock is on the top right side and a white reflector is on the left side.

[LePetomane]

Beautiful, as always.

[johngunkler]

This is the foil on the same bottle of wine.

Setup
The tabletop is fabric laced with metallic threads. A small continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffusion sock is on the top right side and a white reflector is on the left side.

Really nice. Now cut that foil and drink the wine. It will be a treat, I promise.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Paul and John!

John: Considering that you relatively recently began participating here, you may not know that I regularly make photos of wine as a means of combining my wine and photography hobbies. You apparently enjoy wine also, so I look forward to your posts if you're inclined to join in on the fun.

[bnnrcn]

Sorry for the belated comment Mike, but I have just seen the image . Very nice

This is the foil on the same bottle of wine.

Setup
The tabletop is fabric laced with metallic threads. A small continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffusion sock is on the top right side and a white reflector is on the left side.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Binnur! I sort of sneaked in that second image, so it's understandable that you didn't notice it.