Day Seven, Second Stop: Lunch at Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

On December 17, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

We were looking forward to visiting Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, because a friend of ours, Nicolas Glumineau, is the new General Manager and Winemaker. We have gotten to know Nicolas over a six-year period from a Bordeaux dinner that is held every year in Seattle, where he represented Chateau Montrose. In late 2012, Nicolas left Chateau Montrose, where he was Technical Director, to run Pichon Lalande. Clearly, it is a great opportunity for him – but not without its challenges.

Nicolas Glumineau and Christina Watt at Chateau Pichon Lalande.

Upon arrival, we were surprised to see just how much work they had done on the construction project. They were in the process of building an entirely new state-of-the-art vat room, barrel room and winemaking facility, and harvest was looming large, just as they were putting the finishing touches on things. In fact, we had planned our trip thinking that we would be touring during harvest, but it was turning out to be a very late season this year.

The work in progress, with harvest coming any minute... — The work in progress, with harvest coming any minute…

We had to laugh as Nicolas toured us around, when we marveled at his luck with the timing of the harvest, he simply replied, “it was in the contract!” The new vat room is an impressive site – in fact, I found it to be easily on par with Cos d’Estournel, which everyone throughout the region raved about as being a technical marvel. It was clear that Pichon Lalande had decided to reinvest a huge amount of money into their winemaking facility, to join the ranks of the elite few Chateaux in Bordeaux that combine the world’s best technology, with the traditional wine making practices and expertise. The build-out has been estimated at roughly $21 million – I cannot wait to taste the future wines that will be made at Pichon Lalande.

As we walked through the construction site, we stood in a gallery off to the side of the vat room that overlooked not only the vineyards below, but looked down on Chateau Latour. Not a bad view for the planned events that will take place in the space in the future.

An upstairs view of the vat room. We failed to get pictures of the view out the windows from here, but it was impressive.

Nicolas was a very charming host, and we couldn’t have appreciated the time he spent with us any more if we tried. In the midst of what was clearly a very busy time for him, he took the time to welcome us with a wonderful lunch, spirited conversation about the region and some really spectacular wines.

For lunch we enjoyed:

2010 Pichon Lalande – Dark blackberry fruit on the nose. In the mouth, deep dark velvety blackberry fruit fills every millimeter of your mouth. The wine has excellent acidity and very fine tannins that lead to a beautifully long sweet dark fruit finish that doesn’t want to end. All I can say is, wow! This wine has so much going on, I cannot wait to see how it evolves over the decades to come. In ten years, once the secondary characteristics start to show, the complexity of this wine is going to be a really show-stopper. Pichon Lalande has knocked it out of the park with their 2010 Grand Vin and I have no doubt that it will still be drinking well 40-50 years from now. This is definitely a wine to look for.

2003 Pichon Lalande – A warm, dark fruit nose. In the mouth, it tastes like a warm deep dark blackberry fruit pie, with just a hint of alcohol. Decent acidity and mostly resolved fine tannins are making this wine drink well now, with a nice long dark fruit finish. This wine will not age like the 2010, but it is a pleasure to drink now and over the next decade or so.

1996 Pichon Lalande – This is a deep dark red color with a garnet rim. The nose of spicy red and black fruit just soars from the glass, you could smell it just sitting on the table in front of you. In the mouth, the sweet red and black fruit flavors are very complex with baking spices, tobacco, cedar and a slight green pepper note. The wine has very good acidity keeping everything lively in the mouth, but at the same time is very smooth. The very fine tannins are mostly resolved and the wine has a very long complex spicy/sweet dark fruit finish. The 1996 is an absolutely beautiful wine today and will continue to age gracefully for the next two decades. As stunning as the 1996 Pichon Lalande is though, I think it will be ultimately surpassed by the 2010. If I had to describe the wines of Pichon Lalande with one word, it would be elegance.

Time flew by at lunch – before we knew it, it was time to head out the door to Chateau Palmer. The food, wine and company was so good, we were loathe to leave, though we knew that the show was far from over for Nicolas, who still had much more work to do! We know that Nicolas will do great things at Pichon Lalande and we hope to come back to visit him again soon.

Day Seven, First Stop: Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron

On December 16, 2013February 21, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron in Pauillac was our first stop this morning and very highly anticipated. We had driven by the estate a few times at this point, and it is by far one of the most spectacular Chateaux in the region. We even stopped on the way back to our hotel one night after dinner to take pictures.

The captivating chateau. — The captivating Chateau Pichon Baron.

Pichon Baron was one of a small group of Bordeaux wines that is responsible for making me fall in love with the wines of Bordeaux. Pichon Baron has been one of my long time favorites from Bordeaux, starting with their 1988 vintage. Both the 1989 and 1990 wines from Pichon Baron are drinking very well at this point, with the 1989 even still being a little young in my opinion. The wines from Pichon Baron are big, powerful Cabernet-dominant wines with big meaty fruit flavors. The wines of Pichon Baron are not known for being feminine or delicate, but with age you will get a lot of delicate secondary flavors to go with the big masculine fruit. I have always loved the wines of Pichon Baron and it is not by chance that we have more Pichon Baron in the cellar than any other producer in Bordeaux.

The barrel room sits beneath this structure - and the water! — The barrel room sits beneath this structure – and the water!

Our guide explained to us that Pichon Baron was once part of a larger estate, owned by Pierre de Rauzan, along with Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, the estate directly across the street. In 1850 the estate was divided into the two current Pichon estates. In 1987 the estate was purchased by French insurance company AXA. The property is currently managed by Englishman Christian Seely.

When we were in the barrel room, we saw something we had only heard about but hadn’t seen yet. There were workers that were fining the wine in the barrels, which consists of adding egg whites in order to facilitate the removal of particles of matter from the wine. We also saw they were cleaning empty barrels to prepare them for wine by burning sulfur in them – not a smell you want to spend a whole lot of time around, we assure you.

Bob and Christina Watt in the barrel room.

The laborious process of fining the wines.

The wax and seal. Would’ve made a nice souvenir…

Here are the wines we tried in their tasting room:

2008 Pibran – Fruity nose, red and black fruit in the mouth, decent acid, medium-light in body and medium fruit finish. A nice inexpensive Bordeaux red wine.

2008 Les Tourelles de Longueville – Nice nose of sweet dark fruit, well rounded in the mouth with dark red bing cherries, good acidity, nice medium-fine tannin and a medium-long dark fruit finish. This is a very nice second wine that is drinking well now but will age very well over the next decade.

2008 Pichon Baron – Beautiful spicy sweet dark fruit nose. In the mouth, very dark sweet blackberries with a hint of dark bing cherries combined with baking spices, very good acidity keeping everything lively. Full bodied and lots of sweet fine tannins leading to a very nice black current and spicy blackberry long finish. This is an absolutely beautiful wine that is starting to show some nice complexity, but is still a baby. The 2008 Pichon Baron should start drinking well in another five years, but will age for two decades without even trying. The prices for both the 2009 and 2010 Pichon Baron are significantly higher than the 2008 and for good reason, but the 2008 is a relative bargain by comparison of quality/price. The 2008 Pichon Baron is a wine to look out for and I am very glad that I have it resting in my cellar.

It was a beautiful day, and we snapped a few more photos outside, before heading just across the street for a tour and lunch at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande…

Day Six, Final Stop: Domaine de Chevalier

On December 11, 2013February 19, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

I was very much looking forward to visiting this next estate. At this point, Christina was probably getting tired of hearing me talk about how great their wines are – especially their whites.

Domaine de Chevalier was ranked as a Grand Cru Classe for both red and white wine in the classification of Graves wine in 1953 and 1959. The Chateau is owned by the Bernard Family and is run by Olivier Bernard, whose family bought the estate in 1983 and totally renovated it. The particular site for the estate is unusual in Bordeaux, in that it is surrounded by pine forests, which makes this site cooler than most of the surrounding areas. This coolness in the vineyard, while more prone to damaging frost, gives the red and white wines a crisp freshness to their character.

One of Olivier’s sons, Adrien, works mainly in Shanghai, China, promoting their wines throughout Asia for 7 months of the year. We were fortunate enough to catch Adrien while he was back in Bordeaux, so he gave us the tour of the estate that afternoon. They had just dipped a toe into harvest that morning, and were constantly assessing the state of the grapes at this point.

The grapes at near harvest. The estate had begun to pick some fruit that morning.

Domaine de Chevalier is a beautiful limestone estate that was rebuilt and expanded once the Bernard family purchased it. The main vat room is a big circular room with the stainless steel vats along the outside wall and a large oculus window in the center of the domed ceiling. The estate uses both concrete and stainless steel vats that are wider than they are tall, this is to increase the amount of contact the juice has with the skins that float up to the top, which is called the cap. All of the different vineyard lots from the estate are vinified separately. The estate is also experimenting with fermenting in a very large wooden egg (approx. 8 feet tall including stand), which commanded attention as we toured.

The occulus vat room with a window at the top. — The stainless steel vat room with a window at the top.

The egg. A bad picture, but hopefully a good experiment for the estate.

Domaine de Chevalier uses less new French oak than most Chateau in Bordeaux. The estate ages their red wine in 50% new French oak barrels for approximately 18 months depending on the vintage. The white wine is aged on its lees in 30% new French oak barrels, also for approximately 18 months, depending on the vintage and sugar levels. The estate uses Stephane Derenoncourt and Denis Dubourdieu as consulting oenologists.

2007 Domaine de Chevalier (Rouge) – Very floral red fruit and spice on the nose, in the mouth sweet red and black fruit, bright acids, good minerality and fine tannins, medium-full bodied, long sweet fruit finish. A very nice traditional Bordeaux style wine.

2012 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc – Very bright and floral white orchard fruit, with a touch of stony minerality on the nose. In the mouth, sweet white peach and melon, bright acidity and some stony pebbles, with a nice long melon and lemony mineral finish. This is a beautiful 2012 white Bordeaux.

An old cellar room, converted into an event space.

Adrien uncovering a few treasures in the cellar. — Adrien pointed out a few treasures in the cellar while he told us about a recent party at the estate.

Domaine de Chevalier makes some very nice red and white wines that age very well. The estate produces about 100,000 bottles of red wine and 18,000 bottles of white wine. Even though the estate produces more red than white wine, they are probably best known for their dry white wine. The estate produces one of the best dry white wines in all of Bordeaux, which will age for decades. Both the red and white wines from Domaine de Chevalier are wines to look out for. They are really nice Bordeaux wines that are still very reasonably price for the quality that you get in the bottle. I very much look forward to drinking more of their red and white wines in the future.

Day Six, Second Stop: Chateau Pape-Clement

On December 10, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn France3 Comments

We appeared to be on a theme for the day, with scheduled visits to Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Pape-Clement and Chateau Domaine de Chevalier, all of which are well known for producing excellent whites in addition to their reds.

Chateau Pape Clement in Pessac was named after one of it’s previous owners, Pope Clement V. The story goes that Bertrand de Goth was appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299. With this appointment, he received the Pessac vineyard as a gift, formerly known as the “de La Mothe” vineyard. In 1305 the Cardinals elected Bertrand de Goth as their new Pope and he adopted the name Pope Clement V. From 1305 to 1309 Pope Clement V continued to managed his vineyard, but when his papal duties became too much, he donated the property to the Archbishop of Bordeaux, Arnaud de Canteloup. While Pape Clement was under the management of the Archbishop, modernism and technical progress made it a pioneering estate. Chateau Pape Clement is known to be one the first estates to plant the vines in rows, versus having the vines scattered around the property. The estate of Pape Clement was purchased in 1858 by Jean-Baptiste Clerc, a Bordeaux wine merchant, who also built the Chateau on the property. In the 1980’s, an entrepreneur by the name of Bernard Magrez took over the Chateau and built the international reputation for the Grand Cru Classe, Chateau Pape Clement.

Chateau Pape Clement has 57 hectares of red grape vines (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot) and 3 hectares of white grape vines (45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle). The destemming of the grapes is done entirely by hand, berry by berry, which is very labor intensive. At Pape Clement, the red wines are fermented in traditional large wooden vats and aged in French oak barrels (70-100% new) for 18-20 months. The white wines are fermented entirely in French oak barrels for 12 months.

The influence of the church was seen throughout the estate.

The cellar was interesting in that it was done in the style of a chapel, and actually had a small chapel inside it. There was also a fairly new structure on the property, a beautiful glass reception hall, that Christina was completely captivated by.

These would be fun to crack open... — These would be fun to crack open…

A fairly new structure on the estate. Once again, Christina was ready to plan a party.

The wines we tasted were:

2009 Clos Haut Peyraguet – a combination of ripe melon and lemon with lots of spices and good acidity. Full bodied and a very long fruit filled finish.

2007 Pape Clement – Beautiful spicy black fruit filled nose. Full bodied sweet dark fruit in the mouth, good acidity and fine tannins on the long finish. This is a beautiful wine that is starting to drink well and is already showing some secondary characteristics. The 2007 Pape Clement will be a great wine to drink, while you wait for the 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010 to mature.

2010 Fombrauge (from Saint-Emilion – made from Sauvignon blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris) – Very clean, fresh white fruit and spices, very good acid keeping everything lively. Medium bodied, with white peach, ripe pear and a hint of pineapple on the long fresh finish. This is an absolutely beautiful summer white to be drinking overlooking the vineyards, and we went through a couple bottles of it on our trip.

Before our final stop of the day, we stopped to check into our next hotel, the beautiful les Sources de Caudalie. We can’t wait to tell you more about it…

Day Six, First Stop: Chateau Haut Brion

On December 7, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn France3 Comments

We tore out of our beautiful apartment on Monday morning and wound our way through town to our first destination. I was very much looking forward to visiting this Chateau, and was actually surprised to find it nestled just on the outskirts of town.

Bob and Christina Watt at Chateau Haut Brion.

Out of all the First Growth Chateaux in Bordeaux, the wines of Chateau Haut Brion in Pessac-Leognan are some of my favorites. I feel the wines of Ch. Haut Brion are more singular and unique in style than the other First Growths, it is also more geographically separated than the others as well.

We were first greeted by our wonderful hostess, Barbara, and we started things off with a short film about the history of the Chateau. Chateau Haut Brion is the oldest of the First Growths from the 1855 classification and the vineyards were fully planted a century before the other First Growths. Jean de Pontac married Jeanne de Bellon in 1525, from which part of the land of Haut Brion was brought in as a dowry. Jean de Pontac bought the title to the Domaine of Haut Brion in 1533 and built the stone Chateau in 1549. There is even evidence that the first vines planted around the property of Haut Brion date back to the first century A.D. Chateau Haut Brion and neighboring Chateau La Mission Haut Brion are both owned by the Dillon family. Clarence Dillon, an American financier, first purchased Ch. Haut Brion in 1935. Today, Prince Robert of Luxembourg is President of Domaine Clarence Dillon and the fourth generation of the Dillon family to manage this First Growth Estate.

The beautiful estate. — A building on the estate.

After the film, Barbara gave us a tour around the Chateau. Haut Brion makes great Bordeaux wines by combining the use of modern technology with their traditional winemaking. Haut Brion uses large stainless steel vats that are split into two compartments each (one above and one below), so they can ferment two separate grape lots in one large cylindrical vat. Three generations of the Delmas family have been making the wines for the estate in turn since 1923, with Jean-Phillipe Delmas as the General Manager today. Haut Brion is also one of the very few Chateaux that has their own fulltime cooper making French oak barrels. This Monday morning the cooper was already hard at work making barrels and the smell of French oak filled the air.

We walked around the property a bit on the way to our tasting, it was just beautiful. The second we set foot in the orangery, Christina exclaimed that she wished she could throw a party there. I’m certain that it has housed many a distinguished event.

I can't remember what this room was original - I think perhaps a cellar room, but it looks like it could host a killer party now. — The former orangery is used today as a tasting room and looks like it could host a great party now.

Bordeaux 2013 188 — Another view of the room.

If only... — The smallest bottles are regular 750ml bottles. I think the larger bottles would look good in my cellar!

It was a little early to start the serious tasting, but we were up for the challenge. We were able to taste the 2007 vintages of La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion. Here are my notes:

2007 La Mission Haut Brion – Absolutely beautiful floral nose of red/black fruits and spices, very delicate. In the mouth the wine is medium-full bodied with a core of black fruit flavors complicated with baking spices. There is very good acidity with fine tannins following through to a very nice long sweet fruit filled finish. It is almost like lace in the way that it is very detailed and delicate. This is a beautiful wine that is all about the subtle details.

2007 Haut Brion – Bigger, darker black fruit nose with huge spice. Full bodied ripe blackberry fruit combined with loads of baking spices, gravel and burning embers. The wine has very good acidity, extremely fine but noticeable tannins and a beautifully long spicy fruit finish. This is an absolutely gorgeous wine that is drinking well now, but will age gracefully over the next decade or even two. The 2007 Haut Brion will be a great wine to drink while you are waiting for the 2000, 2005 and 2006 vintages to come to maturity.

Next up, Chateau Pape-Clement…

Day Four: Exploring Bordeaux City

On November 27, 2013December 9, 2013 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

On our only full day in Bordeaux City, we started out by attending Mass at the pretty Notre Dame Cathedral just off the main plaza.

We then headed to lunch at La Brasserie Bordelaise. The restaurant specialized in charcuterie and all sorts of amazing grilled meats – we found ourselves wishing we had a restaurant like it at home. We were seated in the front part of the restaurant, but later discovered that there was a whole huge back section with private rooms. Clearly, the restaurant must do well in the evenings.

Bordeaux 2013 158 — Restaurant La Brasserie Bordelaise.

Christina is a huge fan of Lillet, so she was enchanted by the display of this entire restaurant with window displays of Lillet bottles that we came across as we wandered through the city.

The whole restaurant was decked out like this - unfortunately it wasn't open and the other pictures didn't do it justice. — The whole restaurant was decked out like this – unfortunately it wasn’t open and the other pictures didn’t do it justice.

The fountains and monuments were beautiful. There was a very unusual fountain with mists of water that shot out of the ground at regular intervals. It was warm enough that people were simply sitting on the ground being sprayed by the fountain.

Misty fountain (probably not it's official name). — Misty fountain (probably not it’s official name).

Bordeaux 2013 2738 — Beautiful monument.

The river was lined with these stately buildings. — The river bank was lined with these stately buildings.

Christina about to start shopping... — Christina about to start shopping…

At some point, Christina decided she really needed to shop – the close proximity to all the stores was killing her. But it may have killed her even more to realize that 90 percent of the stores were closed on Sunday, though I was happy that it didn’t kill the wallet!

I had to settle for some window shopping as well – I have to say, there were some beautiful storefront displays. We loved this champagne shop – sadly, we ran in exactly at closing time, so couldn’t stay!

An interesting concept - the store, Badie, has a champagne shop on one side of the street, and a wine shop on the other side. Pretty cool. — An interesting concept – the store, Badie, has a champagne shop on one side of the street, and a wine shop on the other side. Pretty cool.

We had dinner that night at the rustic and charming La Tupina, a restaurant that had been recommended by two of our wine friends in Seattle, who claimed we absolutely could not miss the duck fat frites. Suffering from a little palate fatigue, it appears we ordered wines by the glass that were not memorable, because we didn’t take a single note!

The open kitchen where meats were prepped and roasted.

The famous duck fat frites. Greg and Eric, this is for you!

Perhaps it was the effect of having meal after heavy meal, but Christina and I laughed out loud when a small motorbike appeared on the street outside the terrace of the restaurant with a large crate on the back marked “Sushi World,” which the delivery person took to the back kitchen door of the restaurant.

Christina shook her head. “I never figured I’d be saying this while in Bordeaux,” she sighed. “But sushi sounds really, really good right now.”

On the way home, we couldn’t help but notice that the city is as beautiful by night as it is by day. We certainly enjoyed our stay, and very much look forward to returning someday.

A hotel in the main square - can't remember the name now. — The Grand Hotel de Bordeaux in the main square .

Tomorrow, on the road again…

Marathon Dinner on Day Three: Le Chapon Fin in Bordeaux City

On November 27, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Our package with our tour company included a dinner at Le Chapon Fin, the very traditional 1 Michellin * restaurant within walking distance of our apartment downtown. Le Chapon Fin is also owned by Sylvie Cazes, the same woman who owned the travel company who was arranging our tours, so it’s no accident that the famed restaurant appeared on our itinerary.

The interior is very unusual, with rockery carved “caves,” a sort of lattice structure around the soaring high ceilings and an overall ambiance that made Christina giggle and declare that it felt like being inside a cross between a jewel box and a “Little Mermaid” movie.

The food, however, was no laughing matter. This very serious meal in Chef Nicolas Frion’s restaurant began at 8:00 pm, and at nearly midnight, with still one more course to tackle, we finally cried “uncle” and they packaged up and sent the final dessert course home with us.

Our sommelier for the evening, Alexander, did a fantastic job of surprising us with one fun discovery and perfect pairing after another. Here’s the wine line-up, and some photos of the fantastic food – we admit – there were a few delicious courses we devoured before realizing we hadn’t snapped a photo – and we truly lost count of how many courses there were! These are not at all the exact food and wine pairings, but you’ll get the picture!

2011 Bell-Air Blanc – white orchard fruits, clean sea air and a hint of gravel, crisp acids on the long fuit filled finish. Great match with the razor clams.

2010 L’Espirit de Chevalier – ripe melon, rounder in the mouth, but with lemon acidity keeping it lively, medium finish.

2007 Luchey Halde – clean bright fruit with zippy acidity, very lively in the mouth with a medium-long lemony finish. Excellent match with the smoked Maigre fish.

2003 Cantemerle – rich red/black cherry fruit, tart acidity but with smooth tannins, long slightly over ripe fruit finish. Tastes like a baked black cherry pie.

2010 Luis Chez – St. Joseph – Big ripe blackberry fruit combined with spices, very good tangy acidity, long ripe fruit filled finish.

2010 Nicholas Rossingnal – Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Fichots (Pinot Noir) – Sweet dark berries and baking spices, very good acid, long sweet black fruit finish.

2002 Doisy Verdrines – Nice ripe honeyed melon and a slight bit of mango, slightly cloyingly sweet, wish it had a little bit more acidity to counter the sugar on the medium finish.

Our apartment by night on the way home from a marathon dinner... — Our apartment by night on the way home from this marathon dinner…

I made Christina stop for a photo of the outside of our apartment at night on the way home – she was a good sport considering how tired we were from two nights in a row of decadent dinners!

Tomorrow, we explore more of Bordeaux…

New Insights in Beautiful Bordeaux City

On November 14, 2013December 9, 2013 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Authored by Christina

On our way from Bages to Bordeaux we made a quick little stop in Labarde for lunch at the amazing Le Gare Gourmande. It’s a restaurant converted from a train depot – tiny, but very well appointed.

For lunch we enjoyed a dish of shredded white fish with tomato confit with crushed potatoes – it was very good, and apparently a popular dish, as we then saw versions of it on other menus, though this was the best one we tried by far. Reminds me of a halibut with tomato confit that I make often at home from the famed Balthazar French cookbook. Not hard to see the connection there.

The very compact kitchen. The menu is very fixed - and very fine. — The very compact kitchen. The menu is very fixed – and very fine.

Oops! We were a little hungry. It was really good!

We arrived in Bordeaux in the early afternoon and located our apartment for the weekend. It was right in the heart of downtown Bordeaux on the rue Esprit des Lois. These accommodations were recommended by our “tour designer” at Bordeaux Saveur. They called it La Villa Grands Cru; it’s the in-city home of a French cheese shop owner – that’s as much as we can say about that. What we CAN say is that is was a beautiful apartment looking right down into the city, and a heavenly place to make our home base from, within walking distance of everything we wanted to see.

The view from our apartment window. - and a view of my favorite kind of souvenir. — The view from our apartment window. – and a view of my favorite kind of souvenir.

I made a beeline for my souvenir at Hermes, just mere blocks away (the store was only open that one afternoon we were in town). We walked and shopped the first afternoon, with the only downside being that the shops actually close fairly early by American standards!

The top four windows are part of our home-away-from-home.

The great kitchen which we were itching to use, but alas, didn't have time! — The great kitchen which we were itching to use, but alas, didn’t have time!

A better view of the view from our apartment with the Opera House on the left.

We were glad to have time to enjoy our beautiful home-away-from-home before dinner. We also got the chance to meet the woman who had been coordinating the trip for us – the absolutely charming Clemence de la Ville. She arrived by bike – seven months pregnant – glowing and gracious. We were delighted to meet her, and at this point, we had a burning question for her.

“So, by chance Clemence, did you tell the estates that we have a blog?” (Honestly, we weren’t sure how much blogging we would wind up doing, or whom we would tell about it at this point, as it was such a new thing for us.)

“Oh yes,” she said, without skipping a beat. “I sent it to all of them and told them that you were wine bloggers and would probably write about them.”

Oh. Mystery solved. You see, for the past day or so, people had started referencing the blog, and I kept telling Bob that it appeared they were giving us press kits when we left – not the usual marketing brochures. After more than 20 years in Public Relations, it felt a little funny to be on the other side of the journalistic table – heck – many of our tours were led by PR people – but I also think that the blog led us to have some really rich and insightful conversations with people that we might not have otherwise had.

The blog was started as a way to put the results of our annual champagne party adventures up, and had been evolving into a way to share our wine experiences and recommendations. I sent it to Clemence originally as background and a bio, really. What then transpired in Bordeaux was a whole new level of storytelling responsibility, and we realized that we were more than up to the occasion, especially since I’ve spent my entire career setting up media tours, which was exactly what this had become! Couple that with Bob’s more than 20 years collecting wine, and we realized that we actually make a pretty good team. We know we have a lot to learn (like how to take better photos and to remember to photograph our food BEFORE we begin to eat it for starters!), but we’re grateful to Clemence for so innocently setting us on this path – we’re having a ball with it so far.

And now you know the rest of the story – and the reason why we feel compelled – and why we are quite enjoying – retelling our trip stories day-by-day, stop-by-stop, glass-by-glass.

Thanks for joining us on the journey!

Speaking of journeys – wait till you hear about our dinner that night…

The Morning of Day Three: Chateau Lynch Bages

On November 13, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

We kicked off the weekend by checking out of our hotel to head into the city of Bordeaux. But first, we headed to Chateau Lynch Bages to take a tour and participate in a blending session.

One of the very first Bordeaux wines that I ever had was a 1985 vintage of Chateau Lynch Bages from Pauillac. I don’t remember the specifics of having that particular wine 22 years ago, but I became hooked on Bordeaux and Lynch Bages from that point on. I have been a long time fan of Lynch Bages and have really enjoyed getting to know Jean-Charles Cazes over the last six years. Chateau Lynch Bages makes big muscular cabernet dominant wines that become elegant with age and are classic Pauillac in style.

The stainless vats. — The stainless steel vats.

The wine style of the Chateau may be very traditional, but it uses state of the art technology (stainless steel vats, optical sorting) to help produce their wines, which is a real asset to ensure consistency. Chateau Lynch Bages is one of the few Chateaux in Bordeaux to have their own bottling machines, as most rent bottling trucks – talk about a crazy business during the crush!

Lynch Bages is one of a few Chateau that has its own bottling equipment.

We also saw where they are producing their whites – the Blanc de Lynch Bages that we had enjoyed at a previous Bordeaux Fete wine dinner in Seattle. It’s a wonderful wine – crisp, floral, bright fruit with juicy acidity and minerality – we bought a bottle on our way out of the Chateau – and happily drank it a few days later, wishing we could get more at home.

The Chateau also houses a small wine museum, where they keep old winemaking equipment as a nod to the not-so-far-off techniques of their winemaking past. They joked that in a pinch, they could also roll out this equipment to help with a harvest should technology ever fail them! The more rustic equipment was juxtaposed with very contemporary art, combining to make it a hip and cool viewing experience.

The wine making and art museum. They say no one has fallen through the floor yet!

While we were at Chateau Lynch Bages, we had the opportunity to take part in a blending session. We were given four wines of a single grape varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot, all from the 2008 vintage and without any oak influence. These were the component parts of the 2008 Chateau Lynch Bages, and it was really interesting to taste them in their “raw” state, pre-blending. Each varietal brings it’s own flavor profile and characteristics, from the mellow Merlot to the more wild Cab Franc.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – Deep red/black sweet dark cherry fruit, dry and very tannic.

2008 Cabernet Franc – Darker black fruit, wild, brambley, slightly sour and more acidic, very tannic.

2008 Merlot – Sweeter red fruit, rounded in the mouth, tannic but not dry.

2008 Petite Verdot – Darkest of the four, wild blackberry and spice, hint of tobacco, powerful, very dry and very tannic.

The four varietals - and the finished product! — The four varietals – and the finished product!

At the end of the blending session, we were given a taste of the 2008 Lynch Bages – the blend was made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petite Verdot, with aging in 75% new French oak barrels. The blend was so much better than any of the individual parts – and it gives you a real appreciation for the subtleties the winemakers are working with. Here’s my review of that wine:

2008 Chateau Lynch Bages – Sweet dark blackberries, with a little bit of red pie cherries, rich spicy fruit flavors that were slightly dry and very tannic on the medium-long finish. This is a very nice wine, but it’s still just a baby.

A few of us were then given the opportunity to try our own blends. I decided to reduce the Cabernet Sauvignon, and pump up the Cabernet Franc, so I made a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Verdot. The results were a very dark wine of sweet black berries that were spicy, rounder in the mouth and with a smoother tannic finish. Who knows how my wine would’ve aged, but you could definitely taste the difference a few small percentages in one direction or another makes – it’s certainly fun to experiment!

Next up, exploring Bordeaux city…

Day Two Dinner: Restaurant Cordeillan Bages – 2 Michelin *

On November 8, 2013January 28, 2014 By Bob WattIn FranceLeave a comment

Somehow, after our day of touring, we managed to grab a little time before dinner at the hotel. But first, we wandered into the little town near the hotel that was constructed as an idyllic village – the little town of Bages.

The darling boulangerie in the town of Bages. — The beautiful boulangerie in the town of Bages.

We loved this clever doorway in Bages. — We loved this clever window in Bages.

The boulangerie there held a delightful assortment of cheeses, wines, pastries and nibbles. But none so amazing (in my wife’s opinion), as the Foie Gras Chips. If they weren’t so fragile, she would’ve smuggled them home in our bags.

We also forgot to mention the great Cafe Lavinal bistro in the heart of the town – we actually ate there the first night we arrived, but truth be told, we were so tired that Christina had to keep waking me up during dinner.

Cafe Lavinal - a classic french bistro. — Cafe Lavinal – a classic french bistro.

Even the gift shop was idyllic - and well stocked. — Even the gift shop was idyllic – and well stocked.

The front of our hotel, a very short walk from the center of town.

A view of the courtyard from our window.

So, technically, on our second full day, but three dinners later, we found ourselves back at our hotel, the Cordeillan Bages, for dinner at their renowned restaurant, run by Chef Jean-Luc Rocha. The moment you entered, you knew it was going to be a serious white-tablecloth dining experience.

Bob reading his favorite book - the restaurant wine list! — Bob reading his favorite book – the restaurant wine list!

We each had a different glass of champagne to start the evening, and then enjoyed a bottle of red from the Barton estates – we thought it fitting, since we had been there that morning.

The 2003 Languoa Barton. — The 2003 Langoa Barton.

2003 Langoa Barton – Sweet dark red/black fruit combined with baking spices and just enough good acidity to keep it all lively. The tannins are mostly resolved and the wine has a nice long spicy fruit filled finish. This is drinking very well right now and over the next decade.

Honestly, at this point, the food all runs together. We had a fixed-course meal, and Christina declared my dish choices the winners, though they were all truly amazing, and the service was impeccable.

The food was not only beautiful – like art on a plate, it tasted just as good as it looked. I’m not ashamed to admit that after the cheese course, we had to call it a night and head straight to bed! Too much to do the next day…!