http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/What's really happening in the world of bordeaux wine, from www.newbordeaux.com Follow me on Twitter @newbordeauxen-UKhttp://backend.userland.com/rss092http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/66/0b12c01d833717aafd0df4fc0240c1_160x200.jpg <p>In the interest of doing what I say on the tin, I thought it would be useful to highlight how Bordeaux fared during the Wine Future conference in Rioja.</p> <p>For a start, there were very few Bordelais winemakers there. Among the non-speakers, I saw Jean Charles Cazes, and reportedly Bernard Magrez was there, although I didn’t see him personally (would love to hear what he took away from the two days though; if anyone can squeeze something useful out of this, it has to be Magrez; definitely one Twitter feed I would like to subscribe to). There was also a Pessac Leognan chateau (can’t remember which one – money well spent there, sorry about that guys) in the lunchtime tasting. I asked one of the delegates why there were so few people from Bordeaux, and they replied, ‘Perhaps they are jealous of Rioja having had the idea to hold the conference?’.</p> <p>On the stage, there was one main Bordeaux speaker; Mathieu Chardronnier from CVBG Dourthe, who represented the new generation of Bordeaux (he is in his early 30s) and was speaking about the crisis. Then Paul Pontallier of Chateau Margaux spoke on the second day, but just in the round table at the closing ceremony. This seemed entirely fair – no one country was represented more than that (okay, perhaps the US got the most, with Bob Parker, Ryan Opaz, Gary Vayn-er-chuck (thanks Gavin at Bauduc for the spelling, very helpful!), Kevin Zraly and Mel Dick, and I’m probably forgetting others) and it was clever to have one person from the old guard and one from the new.</p> <p>What did Mathieu have to say? His speech was generally well received (although he felt it was mis-represented in some media outlets afterwards – nicely illustrating Gary’s point about telling our own stories).</p> <p>A few highlights: ‘Bordeaux classified wines are the Champs Elysee of Bordeaux, but also the Silicon Valley – the Hermes, but also the Google.’ He very much drew a line between the grand crus and the rest of Bordeaux in terms of the crisis – although didn’t pretend that things are rosy for anyone, talking about the exchange rate leading many sellers around the world to liquidate their stocks, and how ‘many in Bordeaux are literally fighting for their survival because were already in a crisis before the global financial issues’, and that excessive regulations have long made France uncompetitive. </p> <p>But the interesting part was how he saw the future – far more ‘vertical integration’ in terms of negociants becoming producers, and producers becoming negociants (or at the very least becoming their own sales team). Dourthe are a good example of this – they are a major, Top 10 negociant house, but have an increasingly big portfolio of their own estates, and with 500 hectares are now one of the most significant vineyard owners in the region.</p> <p>He talked about other good quality, emerging producers such as the Despagne Family ( blog.despagne.fr ) and Michel Lynch (cheating a little, as this is the branded wine end of JM Cazes and Lynch Bages <a href="http://www.michellynch.com">www.michellynch.com</a> ), and saw the way out of the crisis as vineyard-driven through quality - seeing the future of Bordeaux as belonging to premium and super premium wines. This might be tough to take for many of the small producers in little-known appellations, but it’s very likely to be true – he rightly said it is very tough for Bordeaux to be competitive at $5 because climate and cost structure don’t allow it, but it is easy for them to be competitive at $20, when buyers are looking for quality wines of character. He also pointed out that Bordeaux was badly in need of undisputed leaders in this category.</p> <p>Jean Charles Cazes confirmed many of these thoughts for me afterwards, and suggested that, particularly with the withdrawal of Southern Wine & Spirits and Diageo from the en primeur market, sensible Bordeaux chateaux, even classified growths, were having to relook at the way they work with negociants and merchants in the US, and take more of a direct role themselves.</p> <p>Then there was the round-table at the end of the whole thing, and Bordeaux inevitably came into play again, in answer to the question can the best of Spain compete with Bordeaux in terms of prestige and demand? The answer (from Jorge Ordoñez, an influential importer of Spanish wines in the US) talked about the Vega Sicilia auction in Hong Kong last week <a href="http://finewine.finewinepress.com/journal/?p=2243">http://finewine.finewinepress.com/journal/?p=2243</a> , as proof that yes they can compete, and brought up a lively exchange that I will recreate here (as best as my notes can allow): </p> <p>BOB PARKER: I am against all forms of government intervention, but I do wish that the word speculation would be banned from use in association with the word wine. To believe that you are producing a wine for speculators, or that is going to increase in value, is wrong. You should be thinking of producing a wine that people will drink, not speculate upon, and the whole idea of speculation is relevant for less than 1% of wine lovers. Even though my scores are used for the worst possible scenarios, speculation for me is a dirty word.</p> <p>JORGE ORDONEZ I agree, and I also know the reason behind Vega Sicilia’s auction at Christies was for prestige and awareness of the product, not speculation as such. More and more consumers in Asia buy these wines at auction, and then drink them immediately. So Hong Kong is becoming a major centre of auctions, and the wines are being consumed, not traded. But I agree with Bob that it is not a good thing for the wine trade.</p> <p>JANCIS ROBINSON, turning to PAUL PONTALLIER – isn’t it sad sometimes, as someone making one of the great Bordeaux, isn’t it sad that some of this wine will be traded rather than drunk? </p> <p>PONTALLIER Certainly we don’t feel very happy about it. The bad news is that there is nothing you can do against it. The good news is that when we make it, we don’t pay attention to that. We still make wine for people that enjoy them – now, in 20, 30 and 40 years time. Speculation has affected the market in terms of price, but not affected the quality, and perhaps even pushed up the quality. But honestly don’t think that anyone in Bordeaux makes wine for the speculators. We make it for the wine lovers who will open the bottle and enjoy it’ (!!exclamation marks entirely my own).</p> <p>Another part of the ‘round-table’ can be seen here (answers to the question about the leading challenges facing the panellists at the moment)<br> <a href="http://catavino.net/event/wine-future-conference-brief-overview-of-day-2-la-rioja-spain/">http://catavino.net/event/wine-future-conference-brief-overview-of-day-2-la-rioja-spain/</a></p> <p>I don't think they have yet decided where Wine Future 2010 is going to be held... can Bordeaux step up and meet the challenge??</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/how-does-bordeaux-fit-into-the-future-of-wine-7414059/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/how-does-bordeaux-fit-into-the-future-of-wine-7414059/Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:50:42 +0100 <p>I've been back from the Wine Future conference in Rioja for a few days now, and have been hearing from a number of other attendees who agree that it was fascinating in parts, but patchy, with speakers dividing into those who stayed on point and talked about the future (the clue was in the title guys), and those who just talked about themselves, and their own organisations.</p> <p>One of the most interesting things for me was how fun and useful it was to use Twitter during the two days - to comment on talks, to locate people, and to track the general mood of the conference. 'If this is the future of wine, I'm changing industries...'. said Decanter correspondent and MW student Rebecca Gibb on her twitter feed (@rebeccagibb) on the first day.</p> <p>She definitely had a point that things got off to a shaky start - we were treated on the first day to Spain's leading wine writer telling us he was going to make his writing more succint in the most rambling speech of the day, and Mel Dick of Southern Wine & Spirits telling us that a Florida wine festival had benefited from sunshine and blue seas.</p> <p>Thank god for Gary Vaynerchuck of WineTV tv.winelibrary.com, who livened things up by assuring the assembled wine producers that they had been shamefully negligent for ignoring their consumers and allowing third parties (stand up wine writers) to tell their stories for them. He was a showman, and enormously entertaining to watch (Robert Parker said on his forum afterwards that Vaynerchuck has a career in motivational speaking ahead of him that is going to net him millions).</p> <p>The highlight on the first day was - inevitably - the Robert Parker tasting, attended by 530 people, the biggest wine tasting to date in Europe apparently. I'm afraid I wasn't one of these 530, so can only give feedback that I have heard from others - one Bordeaux producer who said, 'it confirmed that Bob has a very different palate from me', and one journalist who was asked not to write about the event. That needed a moment to process - what do you mean don't write about the event? Apart from the fact that there were (apparently) five Flip cameras in the room, and numerous tweets going out throughout... what exactly would Parker have to be afraid of about someone writing about the tasting? And although I missed it, I was lucky enough to try the 1945 Marques de Riscal a few days later - the wine that finished the Parker tasting, and was still amazingly vibrant and youthful.</p> <p>So, highlights of the conference?<br> Robert Joseph's excellent talk on the future of branding. He expects there to be:<br> - fewer and fewer wineries because of lack of routes to market, and few appellations because there will be no reason for them to exist.<br> - clearer distinctions between beverage wines and fine wines<br> - Wine will no longer automatically come in bottles with corks - or even screwcaps. 'Wine is everything from Blossom Hill to Vega Sicilia. Why do they all need corkscrews, glasses, corks... and please tell me why anyone needs to drink rose with a cork?'<br> - Education will have its place, but rather than focus so much on that, why not make wine easier to understand??</p> <p>And from various speakers, but most eloquently Ryan Opaz of the brilliant <a href="http://catavino.net/">http://catavino.net/</a> and Gary Vaynerchuck, the rise of social media as a game-changing way of doing business. And how lazy and dangerous it is for brand owners and wineries to leave their story in the hands of others, instead of telling their own stories though facebook, twitter and their own websites.</p> <p>Ryan again emphasised how education might not always be as clear-cut as it can seem to the wine industry: 'The problem is retailers, importers, and the press were all trying to sell the same package of BS that you need to “know wine” to love wine. It’s the teach first drink later model, which I believe leads too often to consumers afraid that they might do something wrong, and as a result they end up simply buying based on price and what the label looks like. Why, because they are the only things not trying to tell them that they aren’t smart enough to enjoy wine'</p> <p>(this point, by the way, was emphasised so clearly by the wine educators who disappointingly gave the worst 'block' of talks of the whole two days).</p> <p>Read the whole of his excellent speech here:<br> <a href="http://catavino.net/event/ryans-speech-at-winefuture-conference-in-logrono-spain/">http://catavino.net/event/ryans-speech-at-winefuture-conference-in-logrono-spain/</a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/wine-future-what-will-it-look-like-7410769/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/19/wine-future-what-will-it-look-like-7410769/Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:11:40 +0100 <p>Halfway through the tasting, it suddenly sunk in just how great this was. It’s not every day that you have all five first growths – Margaux, Haut Brion, Mouton, Lafite then Latour – lined up in five glasses in front of you, and with two further glasses to the right, one with Cheval Blanc and one with Ausone. All 2006s, all ready to be tasted in one flight. </p> <p>During en primeur every year, the first growths do everything they can to avoid you ever getting them lined up against one another like this, insisting you visit each chateau in person, and for the rest of the year, it is only professionals and seriously-well heeled wine lovers who get the chance to taste them together. If we were recreating this tasting at home, and buying all seven of these bottles, it would cost around 4,500 euros... </p> <p>This wasn’t just a frivolous exercise by the way (god no!), but was a test, nearly three weeks after Max Bordeaux/Wine Gallery (they really should choose one name) opened to see how the wines were holding up in the Enomatic machines. The tasting was with owner Stanislas and PR director Lorraine Carrigan, and we were trying 2.5cl samples of every wine they have in the machines – nearly 40 in total, all in the 2004 and 2006 vintages. The storage Stanislas uses keeps the wines at 16 degrees, and the humidity at 60%. The machines also have the reds at 16 degrees, and the whites at 9 degrees. In theory, the Enomatic technique should keep the wine fresh for three weeks... so did it work?</p> <p>We started up in Saint Estephe, and worked our way down geographically... and along the way, became more and more aware that this was not just a useful test of the machines, but a wonderful way to make the individual personalities of these wines really become clear. Again thinking about the primeurs, we are used to trying appellations all at one time, but less used to having Leoville next to Angelus, or Cos next to La Conseillante. </p> <p>1) Cos d’Estournel 2004 – Not a bad place to start. I think it tasted more evolved than a comparable 2004 not out of the machine would taste (this bottle was unchanged since opening), with ever so slight oxidation, and ageing characteristics, but that worked to its favour, as it is open, silky and enormously seductive.<br> 2) Montrose 2006 – Not changed for the three weeks again, but this was ‘at the limit’, gets promptly changed to a new bottle (which we mean to taste again at the end, but somehow it gets lost in the profusion of exciting samples...)<br> 3) Pontet Canet 2006 – Third bottle that they have got through in three weeks, as it’s been a popular choice (I tried it also on the first night. This together with Smith Haut Lafitte and Lynch Bages have been most sampled). It stands up enormously well, wonderfully weighty mouth-feel, with purity of fruit.<br> 4) Lynch Bages 2006 – Still very good condition, the tannins are tighter than Pontet Canet, this feels more of a classic Pauillac, masculine, confident, with weight and power.<br> 5) Pichon Comtesse 2004 – There is a smokier edge to this wine than the other Pauillacs here, it’s also more subtle than the other two, silky and gorgeous ripe damson fruits. This has been changed twice, so the bottle is still very fresh – definitely something you would want to be drinking today over a good lunch.<br> 6) Pichon Comtesse 2006 – Tighter tannins, stylistically feels more ‘Pauillac’, still that lovely sweet smoky edge, and some animal notes. Needs time.<br> 7) Pichon Baron 2006 – Has been in the machine for three weeks, and another one, as with Montrose, that is ‘on the limit’. Doesn’t feel fair to judge, although we all notice that the core of the wine is still good, the machine seems to have affected the nose, and the finish.<br> 8) Pichon Baron 2004 – Much more successful, the Cabernet has opened up, evolved nicely, still powerful but with a soft edge, delicious.<br> 9) Lynch Bages 2004 – Again the evolution is very successful, giving a soft edge to the powerful tannins, and just gently opening up the hard knit black fruits.<br> 10) Pontet Canet 2004 – This feels far younger than the other two 2004s just tasted, still real power and density, and rich liquorice seams in the wine. All three have the original bottles.<br> 11) Ch d’Armailhac 2006 – the first of the trio of ‘other wines’ of Mouton and Lafite. Found the same thing as the Pichon – strange on the nose, and the finish a bit difficult, but the main core of the wine is still delicious. This bottle was immediately changed.<br> 12) Clerc Milon 2006 – Tight tannins, plenty of liquorice and cabernet. The ‘Enomatic’ nose cleared within a few seconds, and the wine tasted great.<br> 13) Duhart Milon 2006 – Again, this tasted great, very smooth tannins, plenty of coffee and chocolate, with very elegant expression of Cabernet.<br> 14) Margaux 2006 – When we decided to do this tasting geographically, it was inevitable that we would have the first growths in the middle. But it worked, as we’d had some wines to open up our palates, but were still fresh. Sadly, this was the last measure in the bottle, and did seem to have been affected by the Enomatic machine. It has a wonderful rich fruit core, but didn’t have the usual length of a Margaux.<br> 15) Haut Brion 2006 – Absolutely gorgeous. Rich, textured, beautiful wine. Everyone started smiling at about this point, wetting their lips in anticipation of the rest of this particular flight...<br> 16) Mouton 20006 – this got one of the highest Parker scores of the year, and based on this tasting, it is easy to see why. Just bursting with personality, swaggeringly confident but very refined, with pure expression of ripe Cabernet.<br> 17) Lafite 2006 – Nose is more closed, this is more masculine, just as you would imagine. Think this almost benefits from the gentle oxidation of the machine... it is rich, but open on the palate, and gives a hint of what it will become.<br> 18) Latour 2006 – this is so elegant, the Cabernet Sauvignon is restrained and the tannins are unmistakably there, but their expression is almost delicate, not at all intrusive.<br> 19) Haut Brion 2004 – Rich, textured, really a beautiful wine.<br> 20) Cheval Blanc 2006 – Okay, over to the Right Bank, and a wonderful richness that comes in from the Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A collective ‘wow’ around the table.<br> 21) Ausone 2006 – My favourite of the Magnificent Seven... such incredible freshness at the end of the palate, it’s all so precise and perfectly aligned – you get the richness of the fruit at first, and then it picks you up gently right at the end with an almost minty caress.<br> 22) Angelus 2006 – Must toastier than the ‘first growths’, more modern in style, but delicious, and does certainly hold its own.<br> 23) Figeac 2006 – Nicely opening, very flattering wine, rich red fruits and a good tannic structure. There is the slight reduction at first, we are starting to think this is an effect of the machine – but it passes very quickly.<br> 24) Vieux Chateau Certan 2004 – Has the slightly strange machine taste at first, with some reduction evident, but almost immediately disappears, and left with the lovely refined and satisfying taste of this wine.<br> 25) L’Evangile 2006 – Bottle issues with this one.<br> 26) La Lagune 2006 – No problem with the storage, a good wine. (sorry, but you try following the last ten wines...)<br> 27) Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2006 (2 euros) – One of the most popular since the opening three weeks ago, modern in style, good smoky taste, a very accomplished Pessac.<br> 28) Ch Haut Bailly 2006 (3 euros) – Tight fruit, still very young, but very accomplished.<br> 29) Haut Bailly 2004 - – a favourite, silky, soft, does take a moment for the ‘machine’ taste to disappear completely (this one has not been changed since opening) but it doesn’t take nlong.<br> 30) Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 2006 – Another wine to elicit a sigh of appreciation from all three tasters. Amazing depth of flavour, rich black fruits, great concentration<br> 31) Ducru Beaucaillou 20006. (5 euros) Tight tannins, good black fruits<br> 32) La Conseillante 2006 – Lovely fruit, fresh and vibrant, very good. I tasted this on the opening night also, the bottle has been changed one since, and the taste is very consistent – the machine clearly has done a good job here.<br> 33) Ch Palmer 2006 – Not a bad one to end on... 8 euros for the 2.5cl sample, superlative wine, sikly tannins, rich deep fruits.</p> <p>We then switched to two white wines; Chateau Carbonnieux 2006 and Domaine de Chevalier 2006. The first was all cut grass and classic sauvignon flavours, fruity, crisp and light. The second had more obvious ageing potential, with rich Semillon and a floral nose.</p> <p>And finally, two little known Sauternes, Ch Riessec 2004 and Chateau Yquem 2004. The Rieussec was full of marmalade, rich and luxurious. It is again one of the most popular bottles in the shop (and the Yquem not far behind, not surprisingly as it is only 10 euros for the 2.5cl glass). The Yquem had more of a floral nose, and more obvious seam of freshness running through it, unbelievable balance between sweet and sour, just a gorgeous wine.</p> <p>What did we learn about the machines? That three weeks is maybe a bit optimistic, but there seems to be no degradation after two. And that as the level of wine goes down in the bottle, so the evolution speeds up. We questioned whether alcohol levels, or even grape variety, would make a difference to how long the wines last. This surely comes into play, as the sweet wines were still bursting with flavour after the three weeks, and Stanislas seemed pretty confident that they would easily outlast all others (just as they do in our fridges at home)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/13/tasting-the-first-growths-7365349/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/13/tasting-the-first-growths-7365349/Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:34:30 +0100 <p>As Christmas book season starts to gear up, I thought I'd share a beautiful book that was launched at the CIVB last week. Called 'Grand Cru Classes, Top Chefs of the World', it matches menus created by chefs such as Eric Briffard of Le Cinq in Paris, Joel Robuchon (of Joel Robuchon) and Andre Chiang of Jaan Par Andre in Singapore, with all 87 classified chateaux in the Medoc (plus Haut Brion) and Sauternes. The 'Meilleur Sommeliers du Monde' such as Olivier Poussier and Andreas Larsson then comment on the matches.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/gccbookcover/4071310" title="GCCbookcover"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/310/4071310_fc699b74cc_s.png" alt="GCCbookcover"></a></p> <p>This is not a book to pop in the post as a stocking filler - it costs 65 euros, and is 372 pages, hard-backed and 24 x 31cm - but it's well put together, with a full page of good information of each chateau, followed by a full page of recipe and comments from the chefs and sommeliers on the wines.</p> <p>Some of my favourites include:<br> Wok-fried Wagyu Beef Cubes with Morel Mushrooms, from Chan Yan Tak lf Lung King Heen in Hong Kong. This is matched with a Gruaud Larose (they don't give the exact vintage, I guess to make it easier for readers to have a hope of recreating the effect). </p> <p>A deceptively simple Pears, Beans and Bacon from Nils Kendel of Dieter Muller in Germany, with Brane Cantenac. This seems to rest of making an intricate stock using cumin, caraway seeds, veal stock and coriander seeds, and a savoury mousse with a few tablesspoons of Riesling, and serving with fresh green and white beans, and a crispy bacon cube. Sounds gorgeous.</p> <p>Pichon Longueville, gets a roast Bresse pigeon from Michel Roux, Chateau Kirwan an English saddle of Lamb from Neil Perry of Rockpool in Sydney. Yquem has an unbelievably tasty looking passionfruit and Tahitian Vanilla souffle from Dominique Ansel and Daniel Boulud of Daniel in New York, and the picture below is a crispy seared foie gras and star fruit, in a sweet and sour broth, ffrom Chris Salands of Mozaic in Bali, to accompany Chateau Lamothe Guignard.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/starfood/4071348" title="starfood"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/348/4071348_78156d8370_s.png" alt="starfood"></a></p> <p>The chefs who get the first growths are Yannic Alleno of Le Meurice (Lafite, squab breast), Eric Briffard of Le Cinq (Latour, shoulder of lamb), Pierre Carrier & Pierre Maillet of Hameau Albert 1er (Margaux, Lamb Saddle), Joel Robuchon (Mouton, caremlised quail) and Alain Passard of L'Arpege (Haut Brion, Challans Duck).</p> <p>Impossible to read this book without getting hungry. Now I just need to set aside a few thousand pounds, and start working my way through it...</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/03/cook-your-way-through-the-1855-wines-7297511/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/11/03/cook-your-way-through-the-1855-wines-7297511/Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:24:48 +0100 <p>Yesterday, I went to a preview lunch of a new series of Wine Dinners organised by the Regent Hotel. These will be held once a month starting on Thursday November 12th, and will be hosted by different chateaux around the region. </p> <p>Happily for me, the first one is going to be a 'Diner d'Exception avec Chateau Palmer', and Thomas Duroux (director of the chateau) was there to talk us through the fascinating collection of wines he had chosen. </p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/palmer/4056330" title="palmer"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/330/4056330_caaeebac36_s.jpeg" alt="palmer"></a></p> <p>The lunch was held in the Pressoir d'Argent ( <a href="http://www.pressoir-argent.com">www.pressoir-argent.com</a> ), the hotel's gastronomic restaurant, which seems to be woefully under-utilised by the Bordelais. I was told a few times before going there that the lunches were too expensive to consider, but they actually start at 33 euros - a little less than the lunch offer at another top Bordeaux restaurant, the Chapon Fin ( <a href="http://www.chapon-fin.com">www.chapon-fin.com</a> ).</p> <p>This dinner will be 150 euros, but that's including everything - a champagne and canape starter, then five courses and coffees. Oh, and these amazing wines.</p> <p>We started with a wine that I had never tried before, and didn't even know existed until very recently. A Chateau Palmer Blanc 2007. This was the first vintage of this wine, made in tiny quantities and not for sale. Three barrels are produced, and they go only to shareholders in the company. This is nothing like other 'icon whites' from major Bordeaux chateaux, because it is bottled at a Vin de Table, and uses a distinctly unusual blend of grapes. The majority, 65% is Muscadelle, from a masal selection from Robert Plageoles in Gaillac, then 25% Sauvignon Gris. The rest is equally divided between Merlot Blanc and a little known grape variety called Lauzet, which grows mainly in Jurancon.</p> <p>Duroux said he, 'wanted to do something different from all the other Medoc white wines,' and 'may commercialise it one day, as soon as I am happy the blend deserves the name Chateau Palmer on the label.'</p> <p>We had this yesterday with the amuse-bouche, a tiny and delicious blend of potatoe, fish soup and rolled monk fish. The wine itself had a sweet almond flavour, layered with apricots, but with a good freshness and length - very interesting.</p> <p>This was followed by another wine that you are unlikely to experience very often - an Historical 19th Century Wine. Apparently Duroux got the idea for this wine when he was in the US, talking to a wine collector, and saw a 19th century bottle labeled 'Lafite Hermitage'. This was a widely-used practise at the time, to boost Bordeaux wines with the stronger Rhone wines (although, as Thomas rightly pointed out, these wines also have a great balance and elegant, smooth tannins). We had this wine with Smoked eel and foie gras, a cremed of chestnuts, truffles, poached in milk. I loved this wine - a 2006, blended with 15% Syrah from the northern Rhone. </p> <p>He didn't tell us which producer, but said he has lots of friends there, and goes to taste each year, selecting just a few key barrels. In totaal, 200 cases of this are made and sold each year. We tried to 2006, but it's not made every year, as 2005 was powerful enough in Bordeaux alone, and adding Hermitage would throw it out of balanc, and he's sure 2009 will be the same. I am looking forward to trying the 2007 one day! In terms of taste, it was wonderfully rich and smooth, very similar to Palmer in any good year, but with some added spice, and sweet, smoky sandalwood.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/plat_3/4056375" title="Plat 3"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/375/4056375_f862f70ab5_s.jpeg" alt="Plat 3"></a></p> <p>After this, we went on to Chateau Palmer as we know and love her! Firstly a 1999 Palmer with a red snapper (Rouget), with an Iberico chirizo, and a tartare of langoustines. Then an amazing combination of Chatuea Palmer 1995 and 1989, both of which were amazing, with roast Pauillac lamb and wood mushrooms, in this unbelievable caramelised spice sauce (that tasted of christmas, as my neighbour rightly pointed out). This complemented perfectly the gentle spices of the older vintages.</p> <p>Finally, a Gouda Old Dutch Master accompanied an Alter Ego 2005. Thomas suggested young Alter Ego as a good mix with cheese - or the white wine, but unfortunately that's a little harder to get hold of...</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/chateau-palmer-limited-edition-wines-7273582/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/30/chateau-palmer-limited-edition-wines-7273582/Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:12:44 +0100 <p>A new 'interactive tasting bar' opened in the centre of town on Thursday night, very close to the Grand Theatre, that I think is going to fast become an essential destination in Bordeaux.</p> <p>Called the Wine Gallery, it offers visitors the chance to sample many of the region's most famous wines, that would normally cost hundreds of pounds a bottle - so Margaux, Lafite, Latour, Haut Brion, Mouton, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Leoville Les Cas... pretty much everything except Petrus and Le Pin (they assure me at least Petrus is on the way!).</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0053/4035323" title="DSC_0053"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/323/4035323_d2b558ee78_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0053"></a></p> <p>They are kept fresh through six Enomatic tasting machines, using nitrogen gas to preserve against oxidation. I wrote about it for Decanter here:<br> <a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/290905.html">http://www.decanter.com/news/290905.html</a></p> <p>Thirty to forty bottles will be available at any time for tasting in either 2.5cl, 5cl or 7.5cl with prices starting at €2 for a small sample of chateaux such as Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2006, €5 for Chateau La Conseillante 2004, and going up to €38 for Chateau Ausone 2006. </p> <p>All the first growths are available at under €30. </p> <p>There will also be an interactive element - the now standard-issue blog <a href="http://maxbordeaux.blogspot.com/,">http://maxbordeaux.blogspot.com/,</a> twitter (@MaxBordeaux) and facebook acccounts to keep track of Max, a young Bordelais negociant/wine lover who is part of the team behind the venture.</p> <p>Plus there is an music menu that accompanies the wine - you can let the dj (fred beneix of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wine4melomanes">http://www.myspace.com/wine4melomanes</a> ) know what wine you are drinking, and there will be music to accompany. On Thursday, these were:<br> 1-Tow The Line by Nick Drake (2004) with Château Leoville Barton 2004<br> 2-Kind Of Sunshine by Nicola Conte (2004) with Château Pontet Canet 2004<br> 3-Beautiful Babies by Plantlife with Château Palmer 2004<br> 4-Golden by Jill Scott (2004) with Château La Lagune 2004<br> 5-La Ritournelle by Sebastien Tellier (2004) with Château Cos d'Estournel 2004<br> 6-Shallows (A Shade Of Jade) by Laïka (2004) with Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse 2004<br> 7-Warm sound by Zero 7 (2004) with Château Leoville Las Cases 2004<br> 8-Silver & fire by M. Craft (2006) with Château Cheval Blanc 2006<br> 9-The Dreamer by Jose James (2006) with Château Mission Ht Brion 2006<br> 10-Forefathers by Marcina Arnold (2006) with Château La Lagune 2006</p> <p>My pre-paid card on Thursday had 25 euros credit (you can get them in 25, 50 or 75 euros) so I had a Conseillante 2004 (5 euros) and a Pontet Canet 2006 (3 euros) - both in the smallest 2.5cl sample size. I have saved the rest of the credits for the next time, when I plan to top up and go for Ausone!!</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0040/4035365" title="DSC_0040"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/365/4035365_0499711a50_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0040"></a></p> <p>It's open 7 days a week and is open to everyone. The pay-as-you-go card method also means that it can be adapted - there are wines that start from 2 euros.</p> <p>Max Bordeaux/The Wine Gallery, 14 cours de l'Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux. <a href="http://maxbordeaux.com/">http://maxbordeaux.com/</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/24/first-growths-on-tap-in-bordeaux-7233904/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/24/first-growths-on-tap-in-bordeaux-7233904/Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:16:05 +0200 <p>Last week saw the second edition of the Prix Traditia du Patrimoine, a prize ceremony that rewards Bordeaux and Aquitaine figures who have contributed in key ways to the restoration, creation or promotion of the cultural life of the region. A kind-of Pride of Bordeaux awards, founded by Philippe de Saint Seine.</p> <p>The ceremony was held at Domaine du Chevalier (where Olivier Bernard greeted us with, 'I am so happy to welcome you all here tonight, especially as for once it isn't me who's paying...!!'), and was very well attended. Among the winners was Denis Dubourdieu, who was accepting a Trophy of Honour along with Alain Rousset, president of the Conseil Regional d'Aquitaine, for the creation of the new Scientific Institute of Vines and Wine (ISVV) that opened last year in Villenave d'Ornon; Europe's biggest wine research centre. It covers over 10,000m2 and was designed by local architect Philippe Mazières, with a gorgeous glass wall by artist Pascal Convert and one of the biggest tasting rooms in the world. It took ten years to design, and cost 25 million euros.</p> <p>Michel and Christine Guérard were also recipients of an award, 'Personalites du Patrimoine d'Aquitaine' for their creation of the renowned gastronomic hotel-restaurant Les Prés d'Eugénie, in Eugenie les Bains (I have longingly read about it several times, but never actually been personally).</p> <p>Local architects firm, Agence de l'Arsenal, were fitting recipients of the third award of the evening. Owners and directors Christophe Massie and Pierre Lapallus specialise in restoring 18th and 19th century buildings, and have worked across a number of chateaux of the region including Château Kirwan, Château Siran, Château d’Issan, Château du Tertre, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Giscours, Château Smith Haut Laffite and Château Palmer. They are currently working on Château de la Brède in Pessac Leognan.</p> <p>www. traditia.com</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/denis-dubourdieu-wins-heritage-award-7147808/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/denis-dubourdieu-wins-heritage-award-7147808/Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:10:25 +0200 <p>One of the best traditions at this time of year is the harvest lunch, held at every chateau in Bordeaux throughout the harvest period.</p> <p>The lunch is of course a necessity to fuel the harvesters who have usually been up since early in the morning picking this year's all important crop, but they are also a great way of mixing every level of workers together, from the chateau director to the part-time harvesters, and of just enjoying a social break in what is the busiest time of the year.</p> <p>This year I have been to two harvest lunches, one at Chateau Pichon Baron in Pauillac, and the other at Chateau La Gatte in AOC Bordeaux Superieur (in St Andre de Cubzac, so just a few metres shy of the Cotes de Bourg/Blaye borders).</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0072/3976673" title="DSC_0072"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/673/3976673_99017ef887_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0072"></a></p> <p>The first one of these is one of the most prestigious properties in Bordeaux, with 73 hectares in the Pauillac appellation, and owned by a large insurance company with a string of chateaux across the region and further afield in the Duoro and Tokaj. The second is a small estate owned by a French woman and her American husband, Hélène and Michael Affatato. Hélène has worked previously for Latour, and Michael for Chapoutier, so they know a lot about winemaking, but their current estate is just 13 hectares, and makes red, white and rosé wine.</p> <p>The harvest lunches at both estates, however, weren't so different from each other (although I have to admit the 2001 Pichon was really a big plus point at one of them!!). The lunches are always very relaxed, with pickers and other staff all seated together around long tables, and the food is always very simple, and hearty (I had picked a few grapes at La Gatte, so could pretend I had earned it, but at Pichon I'd just had a very taxing walk around their beautiful new cellars and climbed up the tower in the vineyard). At Pichon we were served a rough country-style pate, hams and other cold meats, roast pork and potatoes, and followed by chocolate eclairs. These were all cooked, as they are every year, by one of the cellar workers who just happens to also be a very talented cook. 'Once a year, he escapes into the kitchen', as they said, and cooks for two shifts of around 40 people a time, for a month. All workers also get a harvest picnic to take home with them, as they may be too late, or tired, to cook for the family at night time.</p> <p>At La Gatte we also got an excellent array of cold meats, followed by veal and potatoes, and finished off with two gorgeous tarts, one chocolate and one fruit, made by Michael's mother in law, and a very talented nine year old boy (wasn't sure of his relation!).</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/photo/3976728" title="photo"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/728/3976728_bd2772339a_s.jpeg" alt="photo"></a></p> <p>Everyone at both places were also in very good spirits because of the weather and expected quality of the vintage - just a great way to spend a few hours.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/07/the-harvest-lunch-7116583/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/07/the-harvest-lunch-7116583/Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:47:22 +0200 <p>This is the official press release from the CIVB on this year's vintage. Of course they are always going to put the best light on things, but speaking as someone who lives here and has been out into the vineyards a lot, things really are looking pretty good.</p> <p>'Weather conditions this year have been particularly favourable for the vine’s growth cycle and the<br> grapes’ ripening process.</p> <p>The months of July and August saw high temperatures and a generous amount of sunshine. This fine weather continued into September, with an alternation between cool nights and warm daytime<br> temperatures, which encouraged a concentration of aromas and an increase in anthocyanins<br> The grapes ripened ideally and harvests dates are now being staggered. Crops being gathered are perfectly healthy. It is too early to make an estimate about harvest.</p> <p>We should keep in mind that hailstorms during the month of March caused significant damage to 19,000 hectares of vines (15% of the total Bordeaux winegrowing region). The extent of this damage varied considerably from one plot to another in vineyards, but the result is a decrease in production. </p> <p><strong>Dry white wines</strong><br> Harvests of white Sauvignon grapes began on 27th August in the earliest-ripening areas. In September harvesting of this variety became widespread and continued afterwards with the Sémillon variety. Harvests for dry whites are now finished.</p> <p><strong>Red wines</strong><br> Merlot grapes are currently being picked. Harvests of this variety began in mid-September for the earliest- ripening areas. The berries are intensely aromatic, full of flavour, showing excellent concentration in sugar; the pips are crunchy and the skins appear<br> to have marvellous colour potential (anthocyanan levels are high). Acidity levels are low; this is an indication of excellent ripeness.<br> Harvests will continue with Cabernet Franc in the first days of October, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, depending on the earliness of certain terroirs and how ripeness has developed.</p> <p><strong>Sweet white wines</strong><br> Gathered by successive stages of manual sorting on the vine, harvests of grapes for sweet white wines have barely begun. Weather conditions at present are ideal for these grapes that undergo the influence of an extremely specific micro-climate. Humidity, in the form of early-morning<br> mists, encourages the work of the botrytis cinerea fungus (noble rot), a vital factor for producing these wines. Very warm daytime temperatures dry out the grapes and concentrate all their flavours. The grapes express remarkable aromatic potential.</p> <p>Weather Conditions (source Meteo France)<br> March : a generous amount of sunshine, temperatures slightly above average and rainfall levels less than half the average of the past 30 years. In the vineyards: budburst (when the buds open and small leaves appear) began at the end of the month. Sunshine 220.35 hours, rainfall 31mm, temperature 12.4C.</p> <p>April: a mild month, particularly rainy, with a lack of sunshine. Sunshine 235 hours, rainfall 78.4mm, temperature 10.1C.</p> <p>May: fine weather, with summery temperatures and an excellent amount of sunshine; there was, however, a slight lack of rainfall. Violent hailstorms occurred on 11th, 13th and 25th May. No winegrowing<br> area of the Bordeaux region was spared (Médoc, Graves, Entre-deux-Mers,Saint-Emilion, Blaye, Bourg, Premières Côtes). In the vineyards: at the end of May, flowering begins. Early and swift, it<br> becomes widespread at the beginning of the month of June. Sunshine 159.35 hours, rainfall 115.8mm, temperature 17.3C.</p> <p>June: a dry, warm month, with a remarkable amount of sunshine and temperatures 2 degrees higher than the average of the past 30 years. In the vineyards: on 15th June flowering had finished in the earliest areas. This is the period of berry setting (fertilised flowers turn into tiny grape berries). Sunshine 293 hours, rainfall 75mm, temperature 20.3C.</p> <p>July: a warm month (temperatures slightly above average) and a generous amount of sunshine.In the vineyards: beginning of the véraison period. The berries swell and grape skins begin to change<br> colour. Sunshine 262.31 hours, rainfall 46.6mm, temperature 21.5C.</p> <p>August: extremely good weather, warm and sunny (+ 27 hours of sunshine). There was a slight lack of<br> rainfall compared with the average of the past 30 years. In the vineyards: ripening is encouraged by excellent weather conditions. Sunshine 270.34 hours (30 year average 242.55 hours). Rainfall 23mm (30 year average 59.5mm). Temperature 22.3 degrees C (30 year average 20.9)</p> <p>September: a second month of August! Temperatures are slightly above the average of the past 30 years. There is a lack of rainfall, but an extraordinary amount of sunshine (+ 50 hours). In the vineyards: it’s time for the first harvests to begin. Sunshine 233.49 hours (30 year average 182.49 hours). rainfall 48.6mm (30 year average 90.3mm). temp average 19.2 degrees C (30 year average 18.1).</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/02/bordeaux-2009-vintage-update-7082939/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/10/02/bordeaux-2009-vintage-update-7082939/Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:16:32 +0200 <p>I wrote a story for Decanter this week that I loved writing, about an old racecourse that is up for sale in Pomerol, potentially offering 13 hectares of land for planting vines. This would increase the appellation size to 793 hectares. There have got to be vineyard owners all over Pomerol lining up to speak to their banks right now...</p> <p><a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/289932.html">http://www.decanter.com/news/289932.html</a></p> <p>The Hippodrome de Canterou, officially in the town of Libourne but located in AOC Pomerol very close to Chateau Bonalgue and Chateau La Pointe, is due to close at the end of the year due to financial difficulties, and is being put up for sale. It had previously held just four races per year, and has been running since 1908.</p> <p>There are as yet no official plans for the land. There are currently no rights for construction on the site, or planting rights for vines, but any eventual buyer will be able to apply for either one.</p> <p>‘This is an exceptional challenge,’ Jean Marie Garde, president of the Syndicate Viticole of Pomerol, said, ‘We believe that there were vines on at least part of this plot in the 19th century, before construction began on the race course, and we will work with any purchasers to apply to the INAO for rights to plant. But for the Syndicate this is not about individual rights, but a desire to protect this appellation from developers.’ </p> <p>There are suggestions that a group of local winemakers may try together to purchase the land, and then split it between them. The best vineyard land in the area reaches up to EUR3 million per hectare, but as this is currently agricultural with no planting rights, it is likely to go for around EUR1 million per hectare.</p> <p>‘This is right in the heart of a tiny appellation that is currently 780 hectares of vines, and to be able to increase that would be extraordinary,’ said Garde.</p> <p>This is definitely a story to watch!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/30/great-potential-investment-in-pomerol-7069594/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/30/great-potential-investment-in-pomerol-7069594/Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:44:50 +0200 <p>The Bordeaux Wine Bureau is opening a 'wine hotline' for winemakers and negociants to call for advice, particularly those in economic difficulty.</p> <p>This will go live at some point during October, and is a free number to call for them to get information of who to contact etc - an advisory service that will then pass them over to existing organisations who will be able to help (eg banks, vineyard sales firms, chamber of commerce, debt mediators etc). They will answer a checklist - like the swine flu hotline! - to decide the right place to send them, as quickly as possible. </p> <p>The aim is to speed up process of finding info and getting help, and will apparently remain in existence for 'as long as it is needed' (according to a spokesperson).</p> <p>The partners are:<br> CIVB<br> All the people housed within the CIVB (Chambre Fédérations des Grands Vins ; Fédération d’Agriculture de la Gironde ; la Chambre de négoce, Syndicat des Courtiers)<br> Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Bordeaux<br> La FDSEA ; les Jeunes agriculteurs<br> Les Collectivités : Conseil régional et général<br> La Fédération des Caves Coopératives,<br> Les administrations : DDA, Douanes, Fraudes, France/Agrimer, INAO<br> La Mutuelle Sociale Agricole (MSA)<br> Le Secteur bancaire avec le Crédit agricole<br> La SAFER (the land registry)</p> <p>An interesting solution to the crisis, I will keep an eye on this to see if it actually does any good!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/28/0800-wine-crisis-call-centre-7055329/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/28/0800-wine-crisis-call-centre-7055329/Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:03:25 +0200 <p>I spoke to Lafite director Christophe Salin yesterday about the history of Carruades and its growth in recent years, as a follow up to the Decanter article from a few days ago. Here is what he said: </p> <p>'A second wine called Carruades has been made at Lafite for decades, but was called Moulin des Carruades until the early 1990s, when we changed the name to Carruades de Lafite.'</p> <p>'At the same time, we decided to work much more closely on its quality. At first, it had very much been seen as a second wine, whose only real function was to better the quality of Lafite, but since the early 1990s we introduced a third wine, Pauillac, which has meant we could further improve the quality of Carruades.'</p> <p>'But we want it still to remain an affordable wine. This means that we are also technically looking to make this affordable – putting in a higher proportion of Merlot, for example, and using second year barrels that have come from our first wine, but of course with exactly the same team as with Lafite.'</p> <p>'Commercially, we have been pricing it very low, and plan to continue to do so. I am personally convinced that it is a second wine, and I want it to be a wine that I can afford to buy in a restaurant, to be an affordable good step towards Lafite.'</p> <p>'We are still opening at 30 euros, and it is sold entirely through negociants, through the en primeur system. We use the same negociants for both, but I know that some also buy it up from the Place afterwards and do further trading. This is part of the success of the product, it is a free trade, if there is a demand it can be fulfilled by the market.' <em>(incidentally, as an aside from me at this point, a few negociants have said to me that it is only Carruades de Lafite that is keeping them going at the moment).</em></p> <p>‘It is very much a Chinese phenomenon. I have been visiting China for around 20 years, and they have been very quick to adapt to the French luxury market, and consider the top wines to be part of that art de vivre. Lafite resonates well with the luxury world, as does the Rothschild name. It has a good story, it’s easy to pronounce, and they like the label because it reflects their idea about France. We keep both labels very simple, they are not designed from marketing consultants, just intended to be clear and easy to read.'</p> <p>'In terms of quantity, we split in thirds between Lafite, Carruades and Pauillac – but both Lafite and Pauillac are very small thirds, and Carruades is a much larger third.' <em>(this translates into approx 25,000 cases for Lafite, and around 30,000 cases for Carruades, although of course this is not exact every year).</em></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/christophe-salin-on-carruades-de-lafite-7029984/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/christophe-salin-on-carruades-de-lafite-7029984/Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:23:49 +0200 <p>Thomas Duroux at Chateau Palmer gave some very interesting thoughts on how the 2009 vintage is shaping up in the Margaux area:</p> <p>‘Alcohol levels are getting high. Merlot is particularly high, up to 14-15%. This is the classic situation in a warm vintage – and classic in Mediterranean climates for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I know about it from my Italian experience (Thomas worked at Ornellaia for a number of years). </p> <p>'Is is is a concern? It's always a concern to a certain extent, although we can mitigate the problems. First of all, it is certainly easier to ferment at 13 than 15 degrees, because things can get stuck at high temperatures, and it is difficult for the yeasts, but we know how to manage those situations and I am not worried. The other thing to worry about is balance of the wines. We need to ensure enough acidity and tannins. So far, acidity levels are still quite good. We have low malic acid, but total acidity is quite good. </p> <p>'I think the tannin extraction will be the key of the vintage. Grape skins are quite thick at the moment, with lots of tannins, but at the moment will not be easy to extract because skin is a little too hard, a little too thick. First, we have to wait a little more time to see if those skins will become a little more gentle - and the rain this weekend will have helped. And then we will have to adapt our extraction to make sure we get the amount of tannin that we need to balance the alcohol, while being very careful not to extract bad tannins. </p> <p>'We know we have a huge potential in 09, but key will be selecting the right time to harvest to get good tannins and soft skins, and then to extract those tannins in a smart way – perhaps at the beginning of the fermentation, and then becoming very careful once the alcohol levels rise. At Palmer, we got 12mm of rain this past weekend (nothing compared to Pomerol and St Emilion), which was just perfect, we think it will help the vines to complete their growth cycle - and are just beginning with our young vines this week, but waiting to give the water a few days to get to the grapes. We are very confident. Won’t really start until next Monday, 28th – we will see how the next few weeks go. </p> <p>'It’s a strange vintage, not super easy like 05, huge potential but it will be quite technical. In 03, the berries were cooked, a lot were just completely over-ripe. This year, they are not cooked, just high alcohol, and we need to look for the right balance – and then we will have incredible wines. Get the balance wrong, and the potential will be wasted.'</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/22/the-2009-vintage-at-chateau-palmer-7015888/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/22/the-2009-vintage-at-chateau-palmer-7015888/Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:51:57 +0200 <p>I hear today that the 2003 Carruades de Lafite is currently breaking through the £2000 barrier in London.</p> <p>I wrote a story for Decanter last week on this phenomenon - the 2004 is already trading at higher than the 2004 Mouton Rothschild (although I know which one I'd rather drink, no matter how good Carruades is). </p> <p>Full story here - <a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/289291.html">http://www.decanter.com/news/289291.html</a> - and below, with a few extra thoughts behind it. And I am hopefully speaking to Christophe Salin at Lafite on Wednesday morning to get their take on this.</p> <p>Chateau Lafite and its second wine, Carruades de Lafite, continue to defy the fine wine market, with prices of both continuing to rise week on week. </p> <p>Lafite 2008 is currently trading at around £3,800 per case, rising in price by around £90 per week, even though it is not due to bottled until next year. Margaux 2008, in contrast, is trading at just over £2000. Carruades 2008 is still at around £1,000, but it is predicted to keep climbing closer to the other first growths once in bottle.</p> <p>Gary Boom, managing director of Bordeaux Index, explained, ‘Today a case of Carruades 2004 would set you back £1800, which is considerably more than the £1650 you would pay for a case of Mouton 2004. And this for a wine that cost around £280 at initial release. The 2008 may not climb as high as the firsts, but it is already looking higher than Cos and the other Super Seconds.’</p> <p>The September Liv-ex report also looks at the phenomenon of the ‘seemingly unstoppable Brand Lafite’, reporting that Carruades has bucked the trend of price drops during the financial crisis, and that on average, recent vintages are now 22% more expensive than they were at the peak of the market in June last year. </p> <p>‘Asia has made up its mind on this brand,’ says Boom, ‘and completely ignores either vintage effect, or Parker scores. The other second wines are trading at a third to a quarter of the price of Carruades, and even the other firsts, apart from Lafite, are very much score-led in terms of the price. And I’m not sure this will slow down - before the wine is bottled, trading takes place in Europe, but once in bottle, it heads over to Asia, and then goes out of circulation, so pushing the price even higher.’</p> <p>Why has it happened? Boom suggests: 'It really is just an Asian phenomenon; I suspect it’s a brand that everyone is comfortable with, the Lafite name is a very powerful name as is the Rothschilds. So the next one is Mouton, because it also has a Rothschild attached.</p> <p>'Also the Carraudes label is a dead ringer for the first growth, which is a very smart move.'</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/21/the-rise-and-rise-of-carruades-de-lafite-7009835/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/21/the-rise-and-rise-of-carruades-de-lafite-7009835/Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:32:08 +0200 <p>Just had a great interview with Eduard Labruyère, owner of Domaines Jacques Prieure in Burgundy and Chateau Rouget in Pomerol. I won't be able to use all the material in the article, and it was so fascinating, that I thought I would reproduce it all here.</p> <p>I was asking about the differences in attitude and philosophy between Bordeaux and Burgundy, and here are his thoughts:</p> <p>‘We are originally from Macon, and have had a family estate in Beaujolais since the 18C; Clos du Moulin à Vent, the only monopole in the Moulin à Vent appellation. In 1988, we invested in Domaines Jacques Prieure in Burgundy, and have since 2008 owned 75%. It seemed a natural next step for my father to buy in Bordeaux – he was then making wine in Beaujolais and Burgundy, in two excellent quality properties, and he felt that, as a true wine lover, a place in Bordeaux would complete the picture.’</p> <p>‘We chose Pomerol because it is the most Burgundian appellation in Bordeaux – full of small properties, working on a small scale – we felt our background in Burgundy could be a help, and it wasn’t too much of a culture shock. It was a great challenge, as the family who owned Rouget before us had all the wine made by JP Moueix, so when we bought it in 1992, there was a lot of work to be done to establish it in its own right. We bottled our first vintage ourselves in 1994. My father’s background was in supermarkets, and he wanted the challenge of improving and creating something. From the beginning, we wanted to introduce Burgundy methods and philosophy into a Pomerol estate. I see the main difference between the two places is in their viticultural methods. Burgundians cultivate the vineyards like gardens, because we have small plots and small parcels – and Pomerol is very much like that, so we felt at home. We are not strictly organic, but follow sustainable agriculture to make sure we are not restricted by the label, but are still caring for the environment. </p> <p>‘Our Burgundian vineyard manager came over when we bought the estate to help us understand the soil and how to make it the best it could be, and he initially helped the team in Pomerol. Even now our Bordeaux team has a Burgundy focus; it is all about great grapes, taking good care of each individual bunch. Our budget for chemical treatments is a quarter of what it was five years ago. And we were among the first to introduce horses for cultivation in Pomerol, which we still just use today.<br> We also simplified the blend – when we arrived Rouget was using cabernet franc and merlot, but also cabernet sauvignon and petiti verdot. We took it down to just the first two, because we felt an overly elaborate blend would mask the terroir. </p> <p>For vinification, we love pigeage because we are from Burgundy, and follow exactly the same method of standing over an open vat pushing the cap down into the juice. Personally I think remontage is quite harsh, so we do a balance between the two. We have introduced a few other Burgundian ideas – we hold the alcoholic fermentation at 28 degrees for a few days to extract just the good tannins without going too hot. And we also let the malolactic fermentation start naturally, with no inoculation. Rouget is a gentle wine, it takes its time. We are not afraid if malo has not started by April – which makes its tough for Rouget at the primeur time, and at first we certainly found that a tough approach to making wine, putting yourself under all that pressure, but we have not changed our approach. Some years malo is still going on during the en primeurs, but that is the way we work. </p> <p>People in Burgundy have a lot of ideas of how to approach winemaking, without knowing scientifically why they do it. In Bordeaux, there is more scientific experience, and research in universties as to why they do things. Burgundy is more about feeling that you should do things a certain way, while in Bordeaux you know that you have to do it because the university researchers have told you. So in Bordeaux, winemakers understand precisely what they have to extract in any given year for producing the best vintage they can, whereas in Burgundy there is still more variation between the years because any interventions are less precise. </p> <p>There is also a greater pressure on individual properties in Borkdeaux – there is the challenge of making the best wine because you are often working as a big team, and there is the idea of the ‘en primeur ‘competition’ every year, whereas in Burgundy winemakers tend to be more philosophical – if it’s not a good year, it’s just the way it is. The pressure of the market for me is less intense in Burgundy.’</p> <p>I divide my time fairly evenly during the two, except during harvest when I am full time in one then the next. But my usual week is Monday to Wednesday in Burgundy, and Thursay to Fridayi in Pomerol. I live in Lyon, and have my Twingo parked in Merignac in a permanent parking space, and take the Easyjet flight between the two!</p> <p>I studied originally at SciencePo in Paris, and my dream was to be an ambassador, but that didn’t work out. When I knew I wasn’t going to go on to do that, I wanted to go to wine, my other passion. I didn’t want to go back to Burgundy,,as I grew up in Beaune and wanted to do something different, so moved to Bordeaux and became a courtier for five years, specialising in the Right Bank, which was a great introduction , until 2006, when my father asked if wanted to take over. </p> <p>‘Having one foot in Burgundy and one in Bordeaux is quite difficult. You have to resist your natural tendency to apply the same techniques, and to keep the specificities of each region. If you try to import too much, it’s difficult, and people have difficulty understanding. I tried, for example, to import some Bordelais techniques to Domaine Jacques Prieure – to ensure they knew the exact kilograms of grapes to put in each vat, how to strictly control temperatures, how to write down everything that we observe during vinification and ageing. It was a struggle at first, but now they do it, and are happy with it. Without losing their philosophy, they understand more precisely what they do and why they do it, which then gives them more confidence in what they are doing. Now the vineyard manager and cellar master in Burgundy are going twice a year to Rouget, and vice versa for Pomerol team back to Burgundy. It’s important to see how people in other regions work.’</p> <p>We were the first family to have a property in both regions, and are still one of the very few. It aas tough at first to be accepted by the Bordelais, who were suspicious of a Burgundy family coming over to make wine. And we found it tough to understand how Bordeaux works, and why they didn’t feel the need to know their customers. But we quickly realised that if you want to be recognised as a good Bordeaux wine, you have to be sold through negociants on the Place, so that’s where we are. To be understood by the Bordeaux marketplace when you are a small property is very tough, but I work closely with my negociants, and do follow through to know my clients. On promotional tirps, it can be difficult to talk about the three estates in Beaujolais, Burgundy and Bordeaux, and only be responsible for selling two of them, but that’s the Bordeaux works, and I wouldn’t change it. Each region has its own specificities and I am not going to be the guy to change hundreds of years of experience!’</p> <p><a href="http://www.prieur.com">http://www.prieur.com</a> (100,000 bottles)<br> <a href="http://www.chateau-rouget.com">www.chateau-rouget.com</a> (80,000 bottles)<br> Clos du Moulin a Vent (60,000 bottles)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/17/bordeaux-vs-burgundy-a-winemakers-view-6982512/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/17/bordeaux-vs-burgundy-a-winemakers-view-6982512/Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:18:11 +0200 <p>'Call me from 12 onwards and you will receive instructions on where to meet up. And do keep on trying if it's engaged, because it's going to be fairly busy.'</p> <p>Last Saturday, September 4, saw an annual event take place that has been going on in Paris for over a decade (possibly two?) and started up in Bordeaux in 2006. </p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0646/3897296" title="DSC_0646"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/296/3897296_26d8d163fe_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0646"></a></p> <p>The idea is for a large group of people to meet up in a public space for a picnic where everyone is wearing white, and brings along a folding table, folding white chairs, a linen tablecloth, silver cutlery, white dinner service, candles, and a three course dinner. The week before was spent procuring all these items... with my personal favourite find being white glasses from Guy Degrenne.</p> <p>When I finally got through, at about 3pm on Saturday, we were given a meeting point of the church square car park in Leognan at around 7.15 that night, where we would be met by a coach to take us to our final destination. The last time I had an evening like this was going to a rave somewhere near Stoke in northern England... </p> <p>This year the picnic had managed to procure the services of Pessac Leognan chateaux, so we didn't have to bring along wine. From the car park, a number of coaches pulled up to transport the 700 assembled people. We all loaded our picnic things into the side - with serious picnic hamper envy by the point - and were driven a short distance to Chateau Haut Bergey, just next to Domaine du Chevalier. For us firt-timers this was wonderful, but there were mutterings among the faithful that it was more 'authentic' in a true public space. Apparently in 2006 it was held on the beach in Arcachon, with just 200 guests. The following year it was on Quay des Queyries in central Bordeaux-Bastide, then last year it was in Moulon, a small village near to Pyla again in the Arcachon area.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0648/3897306" title="DSC_0648"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/306/3897306_4c099c8907_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0648"></a></p> <p>On arrival, you have to find your group - every table is grouped together with others into a series of long tables that fan out from around a central serving table of wine. We were with the organiser of the event, Pierre de Ferluc, who showed us to our spot, where we started setting up. A jazz band provided entertainment - followed at the end of the evening by a Michael Jackson impersonator (now I imagine the busiest man in showbiz).</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dsc_0651/3897321" title="DSC_0651"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/321/3897321_baf6bc2ccb_s.jpeg" alt="DSC_0651"></a></p> <p>It was just a great idea, a really fun evening, and something totally different. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/15/le-festin-blanc-6965773/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/15/le-festin-blanc-6965773/Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:22:14 +0200 <p>The new chais of Pierre Lurton - director of Chateau Yquem and Cheval Blanc - were inaugurated yesterday. This particular chateau, Marjosse, is a family estate in Entre deux Mers and rather less illustrious that those of his day job, but his name was clearly sufficient draw to get vast crowds of the great and the good along to cheer him on.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/marjosse/3883785" title="marjosse"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/785/3883785_81b422f987_s.jpeg" alt="marjosse"></a></p> <p>It wasn't the easiest job in the world finding the chais. It had been tough enough to get to Chateau Marjosse (no GPS coordinates!! How soft-bellied we have become...), but I arrived there to find two dogs, a chicken, a few farm vehicles, and not much else. ‘Oh, the chais aren’t next to the chateau’ I was told on the phone.</p> <p>When i finally arrived, they were very impressive. Large and modern-looking, like something you might find in Argentina (and not unlike his uncle Andre's new winery at Rochemorin in terms of simple but striking architecture). For some reason, we were only given the 2008 to taste (in white and red). The red was good, smooth tannins and rich firm fruits, although it didn’t lift itself completely out of its appellation. Still, an enjoyable wine to drink at under 10 euros (probably between 7 and 9 depending on where you are buying it from), and clearly very well made. One that I would buy to drink at home. the white was a classic Bordeaux; less gooseberry, more cut grass. It was very good, but I didn't feel it stood out in the same way.</p> <p>Chateau Marjosse covers 80 hectares and makes 40,000 bottles per year. And judging by the number of big name negociants who were there yesterday, he clearly doesn't have much difficulty selling it. I really liked the winery building, designed by architect Guy Tropres and covering 2,400 m2 of clean lines, exposed wood and smooth walls. </p> <p>The chais are also open to the public, by appointment, and I recommend going to have a look. Although I'm not totally convinced by the press release, where they locate Marjosse and the winery as 'equidistant between Yquem and Cheval Blanc' so as to get some reflected magic of their two names!!</p> <p>Chateau Marjosse, 33420 Grezillac<br> 05 57 55 57 80</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/11/pierre-lurton-inaugurates-new-winery-6941270/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/11/pierre-lurton-inaugurates-new-winery-6941270/Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:28:13 +0200 <p>I had a very interesting tasting on Friday morning at Chateau Canon, Premier Grand Cru Classe B in Saint Emilion.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/chcanon/3863785" title="chcanon"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/785/3863785_d950779f67_s.jpeg" alt="chcanon"></a></p> <p>Owned by the Wertheimer's of Rauzan Segla (and a little known fashion house called Chanel), Chateau Canon has been the subject of serious renovations and investments since their purchase in 1996, but especially concentrated over the past five years. Covering 22 hectares with 19.5 in production, at a 35 hl/h yield, on the clay-limestone plateau (the really attractive bit of Saint Emilion where there are high stone walls along every road and you just know that driving fast is a very bad idea). Planted to 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc (fairly high % cab franc for classified St Emilion, along with Angelus, Figeac, and of course Cheval Blanc). Between 5,500 and 6,500 vines per hectare, average age 25 years. </p> <p>2008 – Bright purple in colour, although not as deep as some from this vintage. A rich, full-bodied nose of crisp red fruits, loganberries and raspberries, and some smoky oak. Creamy, sweet vanilla oak on the palate (80% new oak, from eight tonnelleries), and insistent but well rounded tannins. This is very smooth, but with good texture, velvet rather than satin, and a good length. I like this. 75% merlot, 25% cabernet franc. (50% first wine). 93-94.</p> <p>2007 – Slightly lighter in colour than the 2008. But same 75/25 for the grape mix, and 75% of the production ended up in the first wine this year. There is real smokiness to this wine – perhaps because the fruit was less luscious and firm, so the barrel toasting is more apparent?? But that is not unattractive, and in fact works quite well to give some interest on the palate if the fruit isn’t quite there – and they only used 50% new oak in this vintage, so were clearly aware of the danger. Still good freshness, and has charm. 90.</p> <p>2006 – Already the nose is beginning to round out. This vintage had a cool and wet August, but other than that one month, conditions in Saint Emilion were pretty good, and harvest began on September 19 (2008, in contrast, started on October 1). Lovely soft, red fruits nose, very gentle and welcoming. 80% merlot, 20% cabernet franc. Again on the palate this is very creamy, almost slippery, but could do with more bite (has 60% new aok, had three pumping overs per day, vinified between 28 and 32 degrees). This is a pleasure wine, insouciant is the word that comes to mind... 92-93.</p> <p>2005 – Began the harvest here on September 16 for the young plants, so the earliest in the years tasted so far. 80% merlot, 20% cabernet franc. No need to say that this was a particularly good vintage! 70% of the production ended up in Chateau Canon. Rich, red loganberries and cranberries, with an unbelievably tangy follow-up, gorgeous seam of acidity that comes in with an almost lemon-lime twist. It’s lovely. The smoky wood which is a definite mark of Canon in recent years is here a sweet sandalwood, or roasted sarmants over a barbeque. Very, very good indeed – just when you think the 2005 isn’t really going to stand out so much, it always does! 95-97.</p> <p>2004 – Still very firm and ripe in colour. The nose is less expressive here, even though we are back up to 25% Cabernet Franc, a grape that in theory should have more perfume than the Merlot. This has far less obvious structure. The wine is there, but it has suffered in this line-up from going after the 2005. 70% again went into the first wine. It’s got structure, and tannins and acidty, but you are ticking them off a list, rather than experiencing them. You can tell it’s a quality wine, but it’s not singing. 90.</p> <p>2003 – Harvest started on September 9, due to the heatwave across the whole of France. Temperatures climbed over 40 degrees in August. They put a whopping 75% into the Chateau Canon in this year, and did just two pumping over per day as opposed to the usual three, as there was a high danger of over-extraction. I am often suspicious of 2003s, but I have to say that is very good. Enjoyably fat. Yes, acidity is a bit too low, but again the smoky oak saves things but giving some interest to the sweetness of the fruit. You could easily drink this now. Just 50% new oak in this year, surprising as a lot of people went higher because of the power of the fruit. 75/25 merlot/cab franc. 92.</p> <p>2002 – Back to a more normal harvest date of third week September – 24th for the young vines. Not the hottest of summers here, but the harvest conditions were perfect. Again two pumping over per day (interesting – does this indicate a change of style recently that they have upped this to three times from the 2004 vintge? Here 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. For me, this is the least successful so far, the fruit has a pinched quality that is completely absent in the other years. However I have to say (although have not changed the score) that this wine was tasted over lunch and it was really excellent, tasted against a flaky-pastry seafood tart. Which just goes to show how unfair judging wines can be!! 89.</p> <p>2001 – Wet and warm winter, cool spring but from May very good weather all the way through – indicating again that the main thing wrong with this vintage was that it followed on from 2000. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc, and 65% of the production ended up in the first wine. There are some very attractive tertiary qualities coming through here – gentle white pepper and nutmeg, although still some very pleasant autumn fruits of blackberries and redcurrants. A good length and pleasurable to drink now, while the fruit is still hanging onto the structure. This clearly still has time ahead of it, and quite a bit of it, but for me I love this stage of a wine’s evolution, when you can see how it’s going to continue evolving, but there’s still lovely freshness and youth to it too. 93-94.</p> <p>2000 – The millennium vintage, and a similar fanfare to the 2005. Rainy April, and the rain continued through much of May, but June became hot and dry, and a rainy July was followed by a hot and dry August and September, all the way through harvest. So – the weather tells you that part of the glory surrounding this vintage is millennium hype... but the grapes were of sufficient quality to allow 25 days of maceration (2007 was kept to around 20 days), and there’s no doubt that the results were big and bold. Lovely rich colour and a very attractive open, if slightly dusty, nose. Classic older vintage mix of fruit and tertiary cigar, sandalwood and mushrooms aromas. This is very nice. Good grip still, but really lovely complexity going on here, rich almost plumy fruits, chocolate and mocha, and the beginning hints of an autumnal mix. 93.</p> <p>1999 – The weather over in St Emilion was pretty good for this vintage right up to early September, when a large hail storm fell over Saint Emilion, and grapes had to be brought in to save them. This meant that the cabernet franc, which is a later ripener, hadn't reached full phenolic ripeness, and so just 5% was used in the final blend, and only 30% of the production went into Ch Canon. Only 55% new oak used. Even with this very severe selection, a lot of the fruit has fallen away here. There is still some sweetness left, even some tightness to the structure which is pleasant, but very little depth or length. 89.</p> <p>1998 – Another classically good Right Bank vintage. The spring was rainy and colder than usual, but the summer was warm and sunny, and the good weather lasted through til harvest. 70% new oak barrels, 80% merlot, 20% cab franc, and 43% of the total production ended up in Chateau Canon. And what a great one to end on – still amazing amount of power, concentration and depth of fruit, and still so young. This has a grip and punch that would never let you know it has over a decade behind it – although the finish, while being long and powerful, does have spice rather than fruit, giving a hint of age, and of what is to come. But this is great, full-bodied, dark fruits, some sweet roasted sandalwood, very good quality. 94.</p> <p>Incidentally, 5mm of rain fell over the past few days in St Emilion, but it was needed up to a point. Over 15mm they have to start worrying. They expect to start harvesting around the 18-20 September (last year was Oct 1), and so far perfect health for the grapes.</p> <p>Château Canon<br> BP 22<br> 333330 Saint-Emilion<br> <a href="http://www.chateaucanon.com">www.chateaucanon.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/06/chateau-canon-10-year-vertical-6902574/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/06/chateau-canon-10-year-vertical-6902574/Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:37:01 +0200 <p>I wrote this story for Decanter today, but thought I would reproduce it here, with a little more background.</p> <p><a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/288673.html">http://www.decanter.com/news/288673.html</a></p> <p>Louis Fournier, director of Domaine de la Passion Haut Brion died over the summer, leaving a question mark over the future of the property.</p> <p>Fournier, who was vineyard director of Chateau Dillon in Blanquefort (a teaching establishment) for over 40 years, had taken on the role of managing La Passion Haut Brion in 2007, as 94-year old owner Michel Allary lives full time in Paris. </p> <p>From 1954 to 1978, the property bottled under its own name, but for the past 30 years, the grapes – located adjacent to the vines of Haut Brion and planted to 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon – have been leased for Haut Brion wines. Following a legal dispute, the vines were once again available for Allery’s sole use. </p> <p>Fournier had been overseeing the construction of a new winery, that is still some way from completion, as well as taking care of the viticulture and winemaking. He was working alongside consultant Stepane Derenencourt.</p> <p>A close observer of the situation, who did not wish to be named, said, ‘Allery relied on Fournier to keep things going in Bordeaux, and this throws the future into question. The last two years produced very little quantity because of mildew affecting the vines, and now this will be a further set-back.’ </p> <p>Allary’s grandson is understood to live in Bordeaux, but is still studying, and until now had not been working in a full-time capacity at the estate. </p> <p>Fournier died following a heart attack on August 13, 2009.'</p> <p>///</p> <p>I sincerely hope that they work out a good and quick succession for the property, but have been doing a lot of background reading into the whole thing over the past few days. I think Louis Fournier was a very dynamic, warm and talented man (I certainly found him like this in any dealings I had with him - mainly in the earlier story I wrote for Decanter when the property decided to once again go it alone). The - alleged - story behind it is that the owner of La Passion Haut Brion had received a certain amount of money per hectolitre for his vines for years, payable at the rate of a hectolitre of Haut Brion. He began to ask for a higher sum per hectolitre, which Haut Brion declined to pay. This then went to court, and he lost, so the price per hectolitre reverted to a simple Pessac Leognan price. As soon as was possible under the terms of the agreement, Mr Allary then (sensibly no doubt), took the wine back under his control.</p> <p>Mr Fournier was the one with the expertise in winemaking - but of course with Stephane Derencourt as consultant there is no lack of that, and the grandson is (again allegedly - please do contact me if you know him!) studying viticulture currently. I saw the vines this week, and they are adjacent to a plot of young vines from Haut Brion. It is no doubt a jewel worth holding on to... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/02/problems-at-domaine-de-la-passion-haut-brion-6877423/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/09/02/problems-at-domaine-de-la-passion-haut-brion-6877423/Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:48:45 +0200 <p>I wrote a piece for Decanter yesterday on the first grapes being brought in at Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac Leognan (www.decanter.com).</p> <p>I wanted to add here some more indepth weather statistics that show - at least for the moment, which means for white grapes being brought in now - that 2009 has enjoyed excellent growing conditions.</p> <p>According to statistics from Meteo France in Merignac, Bordeaux, the 2009 vintage has been above average so far in both sunshine and temperature. </p> <p><strong>Sunshine</strong><br> May 253 hours of sunshine, against 30 year average of 220 hours<br> June 300 hours of sun against 30 year average of 225 hours<br> July, 263 hours of sunshine against a 30-year average of 243 hours<br> In August, up to 28th of the month already at 220 hours, with average for whole 31 days usually 240 hours, so at very least will be average, probably slightly above average.</p> <p><strong>Temperature</strong><br> May 17.3°C against a 30-year average of 15.4°C<br> June 20.3°C against a 30-year average of 18.3°C<br> July 21.5°C against a 30-year average of 20.8°C.<br> With four days still remaining in August, the average temperature has been 22.6°C, against a 30 year average of 20.9°C. </p> <p><strong>Rainfall</strong><br> May 78mm, against 30 year average of 84mm<br> June 75mm against 30 year average of 64mm (but this fell in storms, so affected isolated areas in short bursts).<br> July 46mm, against 30 year average of 54mm.<br> Rainfall in August has so far (up to Aug 28) been just 20mm, against a 30 year average of 60mm. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/29/bordeaux-harvest-starts-under-sunny-conditions-6847360/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/29/bordeaux-harvest-starts-under-sunny-conditions-6847360/Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:34:56 +0200 <p>The local <em>Sud Ouest</em> newspaper (from journalist Cesar Compadre) ran an interesting piece yesterday revealing that of France’s 500 wealthiest citizens, more than 50 own vineyards.</p> <p>Based on a survey run by <em>Challenge</em> magazine, the owners largely fall into two groups. The first of these made their fortune in wine (such as Pierre Castel with Castel Wines, born in Blaye, Bordeaux, and now owner of Castel Wines, the second biggest French wine group after Les Grands Chais de France), and Bernard Magrez (82nd wealthiest in France, and made his money first with a whisky, but then wine). Others – and this is more typical, known as ‘neo-vignerons’ – made their money elsewhere (in property, finance, other industries) and then bought into wine. Some have made their purchases very public, others remained very discreet.</p> <p>Among the business men (no women seem to have been mentioned, besides Florence Cathiard and that is with her husband - surely there are some successful women who want to follow suit?) mentioned were:<br> Bernard Arnaut (2nd wealthiest), owner of LVMH and therefore Krug, Moet & Chandon, Hennessy, Chateau Yquem and Cheval Blanc. According to sources in the newspaper, he is rarely seen in either Champagne or Bordeaux, which suggests wine is an investment, rather than a hands-on passion.</p> <p>Francois Pinault of course also gets a mention, owner of Chateau Latour – that he bought in 1993 for 600 million francs and is probably now worth closer to 600 million euros, so not the worst investment ever!</p> <p>Others on the way up in power and prestige in the wine world include Dassault (number 7) owners of Saint Emilion Cru Classe (Dassault), the Wertheimer family of Chanel (10th) owners of Chateau Canon in Saint Emilion and Rauzan Segla in Margaux. And the Bouyges (21), owner of Chateau Montrose in Saint Estephe, then the Ricards (24th) who of course made their fortune with pastis but now also own vineyards in France, Australia and Argentina, as well as Mumm champagne and Martell cognac.</p> <p>Further down the list, at 26, the Peugeot family part own Guiraud in Sauternes, and at 36 Clement Fayat owner of La Dominique in St Emilion and Clement Pichon in Haut Medoc. Owner of Cos d’Estournel, Michel Raybier, makes an appearance as 75th wealthiest person in France – something that will no doubt have helped him invest a reputed 30 million euros in the new winery.</p> <p>The Frey family, of Chateau La Lagune in Haut Medoc, made their money in property, and come in at number 90 on the rich list. Other wealthy Bordelais owners include Perrodo, who made money in petrol and now own Labegorce in Margaux, the Picard family (frozen foods) who own Chateau Jean Faure in Saint Emilion, the Cuveliers of Chateau Clos Fourtet in St Emilion and Poujeaux in Moulis and whose money came from the sale of a large stationary company. More recently, Jacky Lorenseti, founder of Foncia, recently bought Lilian Ladouys in St Estephe and Pesesclaux in Pauillac. </p> <p>Among the most high profile in Bordeaux are Gerard Perse of Chateau Pavie (361st wealthiest) and the Cathiards (336th) of Smith Haut Lafitte.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/28/wealthy-in-france-buy-a-vineyard-6841291/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/28/wealthy-in-france-buy-a-vineyard-6841291/Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:49:59 +0200 <p>I am just this week putting the final changes into the Michelin Green Guide to the Wine Regions of France. This has been a huge project, around 480 pages that was last updated in 2007, and covers fourteen wine regions across France, from the big ones like Bordeaux and Burgundy to the lesser known such as Savoie and Bugey, and the vineyards of Corsica. </p> <p>There are so many wonderful estates in the book, but here are a few that I either added in this time, or discovered through the book, that I find particularly exciting.</p> <p><strong>Domaine du Tunnel, Saint Joseph</strong><br> Located in the Rhone Valley, Stephane and Sandrine Robert have 3 hectares of Cornas, 2.5 Saint Jospeh, and 2 of Saint Peray. Young husband and wife team who are increasingly sought after in France and overseas, and their small production sells out very fast - but really worth tracking down.<br> 04 75 80 04 66, 20 rue de la Republique, 07130, St Peray <a href="mailto:domaine-du-tunnel@wanadoo.fr">domaine-du-tunnel@wanadoo.fr</a> - and in Bordeaux, they are stocked in CashVin.</p> <p><strong>Domaine Champalou, Vouvray</strong><br> Didier and Catherine Champalou in the Loire set up their domaine in Vouvray in 1984, and twenty five years later are well established as producing some of the best wines of the region.<br> 02 47 52 64 49, Le Portail, 37210 Vouvray</p> <p><strong>Domaine Canet Valette, Saint Chinian </strong><br> Domaine Canet Valette is run by Marc and Sophie Valette. In 1998 Marc built his own winery and cellar, where winemaking takes place by gravity. The domain now covers 18 hectares just outside the village of Cessenon. Try their traditional blend of five local grapes – the romantically-named Une et Mille Nuits<br> 34370 Cazouls-Les Béziers 04 67 93 60 84 <a href="http://www.canetvalette.com">www.canetvalette.com</a></p> <p><strong>Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls</strong><br> One of Banyuls' leading estates, run by Jean-Michel Parcé.<br> 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, 04 68 88 32 12, <a href="http://www.domainedumasblanc.com">www.domainedumasblanc.com</a></p> <p><strong>Chateau Léoube, Cotes de Provence</strong><br> Romain Ott, formerly of legendary Domaine d'Ott in Provence, has now opened his own chateau, since Roederer bought the family estate. Always interesting to follow excellence of course, and I tried their red Chateau Leoube last night, a blend of the classic varities of the area Syrah, Mouvedre, Grance, Carignan and Cinsualt. They have done the incredible and kept this southern blend at 12.5%ABV, and I absolutely loved it; so full of flavour, punching with fruit, but also truly drinkable because of the fresher alcohol levels. A great bottle, and looking forward to discovering the rest of the range. The location of the chateau is gorgeous also.<br> 2387, route de Léoube - 83230 Bormes-les-Mimosas, 04 94 64 80 03, <a href="http://www.chateauleoube.com">www.chateauleoube.com</a></p> <p><strong>Domaine de l'Hortus, Pic Saint Loup</strong><br> Recommended to me by the excellent <a href="http://rougeblancbulles.blogspot.com/2009/04/le-domaine-de-lhortus.html">http://rougeblancbulles.blogspot.com/2009/04/le-domaine-de-lhortus.html</a> . The Orliac family are quietly making better and better wine at this estate, set in a really magical location.<br> 34270 Valflaunès, Pic Saint Loup, <a href="http://www.vignobles-orliac.com">www.vignobles-orliac.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/26/michelin-wine-guide-recommendations-6824480/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/26/michelin-wine-guide-recommendations-6824480/Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:00:39 +0200 <p>I have been following the first growths this year as the 2009 vintage progresses, taking videos for decanter.com, and David Bolomey at Bordoverview has kindly put up info about them on his blog today.</p> <p><a href="http://bordoverview.blogspot.com/">http://bordoverview.blogspot.com/</a></p> <p>He did an excellent synthesis of what appears in the Chevallier video, which I hope he doesn't mind my repeating here:<br> - The start of the growing season in April was in good conditions; there was no frost. To compare: in 2008, there was the Graves region was hit by spring frost, which - more or less - diminished the crop.<br> - Pauillac was not affected by the hailstorms that hit large parts of Bordeaux in early May. Damage, sometimes severe, was recorded in Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves and the Southern Médoc including Margaux - the affected properties are likely to produce less Bordeaux 2009. Lafite's crop however is of normal size, slightly bigger than last year's crop.<br> - In May and early June the weather was less ideal: there were substantial fluctuations in temperature between the one week and the other, and at times it was quite wet. As a result it was necessary to spray against diseases.<br> - From mid-June onwards the weather is good again.</p> <p>Good link to the video itself also on Lafite.com<br> <a href="http://www.lafite.com/eng/News/Charles-Chevallier-interview-with-decanter.com">http://www.lafite.com/eng/News/Charles-Chevallier-interview-with-decanter.com</a></p> <p>And from last Friday, a look at how Latour is doing with their quality-control expert, Penelope Godefroy.<br> <a href="http://www.decanter.com/specials/288024.html">http://www.decanter.com/specials/288024.html</a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/20/harvest-progress-at-lafite-and-latour-6764548/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/20/harvest-progress-at-lafite-and-latour-6764548/Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:08:18 +0200 <p>It's that time of year again when the Mascaret wave starts heading down the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, and young and old Bordelaise get their surfboards ready.</p> <p>Chateau de la Vieille Chapelle has decided to organise a Vin et Vagues (Wine and Waves) event on August 22nd, to celebrate this fact, where you can watch the wave and have something to eat and drink at the same time. Apparantly this is one of the dates when the wave is at its height, and it will attract the highest number of surfers.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/logo_chato/3802111" title="logo chato"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/111/3802111_c5adb980b0_s.jpeg" alt="logo chato"></a></p> <p>This attractive wine estate has a chapel that dates from the 12th century, and is (handily in this case) located on the banks of the Dordogne river. </p> <p>Programme of the Day:<br> 12-4pm: Exhibition of the Mascaret phenomenon by photographer Frédéric Dupuy, and films by Olivier Desagnat.<br> Plus visit of Château de la Vieille Chapelle, and light lunch and wine tasting.<br> 4pm - Talk and explanation about the Dordogne and the Mascaret, its history, why it happens etc, from R. Marcel<br> 5.50 : The Wave and its Surfers!<br> And after the wave, more wine, the sunset, music and roasted chestnuts... </p> <p>Entry is free - and it definitely sounds like an event worth going to.</p> <p>More info:<br> Château de la Vieille Chapelle. Lugon & L’Ile du Carney (33240).<br> Fabienne or Sandrine : 05 57 84 48 65, <a href="http://www.chateau-de-la-vieille-chapelle.com">www.chateau-de-la-vieille-chapelle.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/19/wine-and-the-mascaret-wave-inaugral-event-6756784/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/19/wine-and-the-mascaret-wave-inaugral-event-6756784/Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:54 +0200 <p>A good article in the Telegraph newspaper today...</p> <p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/6040419/Best-wines-will-come-from-Scotland-if-climate-change-is-not-stopped-French-chefs-say.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/6040419/Best-wines-will-come-from-Scotland-if-climate-change-is-not-stopped-French-chefs-say.html</a></p> <p>A group of chefs, sommeliers and chateaux has issued a call to action, urging the country to secure ambitious targets in the months ahead to limit global warming.<br> President Nicolas Sarkozy was posed a stark choice: save French wine by clinching a deal at the international climate conference in Copenhagen in December, or see generations of viticulture slowly die out as vineyards cross the Channel and head north.</p> <p>"As flagships of our common cultural heritage, elegant and refined, French wines are today in danger," 50 leading names from the world of French wine and food wrote in an open letter. "Marked by higher alcohol levels, over-sunned aromatic ranges and denser textures, our wines could lose their unique soul."</p> <p>Among the signatories were Marc Veyrat, a chef with three Michelin stars, Mauro Colagreco, the award-winning chef, and Franck Thomas, who was voted the best sommelier in the world. The message was also supported by a host of domains from Champagne to Languedoc-Roussillon.<br> Climate change has been blamed for degrading French vineyards, with heatwaves, giant summer hailstorms in Bordeaux and new plant diseases.</p> <p>The signatories said that if global temperatures rose by more than two per cent before the end of the century, "our soil will not survive" and "wine will travel 1,000 kilometres beyond its traditional limits".</p> <p>"We will have new wine-producing regions in zones where one doesn't normally cultivate vineyards like in Brittany and Normandy," said Jean-Pierre Chaban, a climatologist at France's National Institute for Scientific Research, in an accompanying online film. "It will spread to Great Britain. One can imagine vineyards in southern Sweden and Scotland."</p> <p>The signatories want the government to push for a global deal to cut industrialised countries' greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 and set up "solid aid mechanisms" for developing countries.</p> <p>According to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, there are now 416 vineyards in England and there are 2,732 acres of vines under cultivation – an increase of 45 per cent in the past four years.</p> <p>Julie Trustram Eve, from English Wine Producers, said: "There are as far as we know no vines yet in Scotland, although there have been rumours. It's gradually creeping up. It depends how accurate the predictions are for the long term, but some say by 2080 it will be too hot to grow grapes in southern England."</p> <p>However, Roxanne Canvan Schayk, who runs a traditional fruit and flower wine shop at Lambholm in the Orkney islands, said the French had nothing to fear from where she was standing. "It's far too windy for a start," she said. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/the-best-wine-will-be-from-scotland-6741838/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/the-best-wine-will-be-from-scotland-6741838/Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:22:04 +0200 <p>Back in Bordeaux after almost three weeks in England, and greeted by sunshine and heat that apparently has been around since we left.</p> <p>I read this morning a very interesting report from Liv-ex ( <a href="http://www.liv-ex.com">www.liv-ex.com</a> ) on Lafite Rothschild, which confirms a trend that I have increasingly noticed over the past few years. If you would like to follow this year's harvest at Lafite, have a look at the video I took for Decanter.com <a href="http://www.decanter.com/specials/286633.html">http://www.decanter.com/specials/286633.html</a></p> <p>I am doing the same tomorrow morning for Latour...</p> <p>Anyway, here is Liv-ex on the Fate of Lafite:</p> <p>The strong demand from Asia for all things Lafite (which includes the second wine, Carruades de Lafite and the Lafite-owned Fourth Growth Duhart Milon) has been a much-discussed trend for a<br> number of years now. In previous years, however, Lafite has simply been the most visible of a whole host of wines that saw large price gains. In 2009 this trend has been different: Lafite and its stable mates are arguably the only wines to have shown consistent and significant price growth.<br> The demand for Lafite is ably demonstrated by a quick look at the trades going through on the Liv-ex trading platform. In the year to date Lafite has accounted for 22% of all transactions by value – if you include Carruades that rises to 26%. Furthermore, demand is yet to shows signs of<br> flagging. Indeed, July saw the 1982, 1999, 2000 and 2001 vintages trade at all time highs. And although some vintages, such as 1995, 2003 and 2005 are still some way of their peak values, they are all showing signs of life.</p> <p>To quantify this price growth we created a Liv-ex Lafite Index of recent vintages (2000 to 2006) of both Lafite Rothschild and Carruades de Lafite. The index components are priced using the Liv-ex Mid Price, with each new vintage added to the index in June of the year it became physical.<br> The index is price weighted and was based at 100 in January 2004. The index has performed significantly better than any of the main Liv-ex indices, finishing July almost 140 points (or<br> 60%) higher than the Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index. What is arguably most impressive, however, is the extent of the brand’s recovery from last autumn’s price slump. Indeed, the Liv-ex Lafite Index is now just 4.4% off its all time high. No other wine has recovered from the price slump of last<br> autumn so quickly and completely. Taking Carruades alone, the story is even more extraordinary: on average, recent vintages of Carruades are now 22% more expensive than they were at the peak of the market in June last year.</p> <p>It seems Lafite is increasingly leaving behind its First Growth peers, whose prices it has closely tracked historically. This is most clearly demonstrated by the 1982 vintage, where Lafite, recently downgraded to 97 points by Parker, is almost three times the price of the 100-point Mouton Rothschild.</p> <p>Questions remain over the sustainability of price differentials such as this. Will the market support Lafite being so clearly priced as ‘first’ among supposed equals?<br> The key to this question depends on whether the Asian markets, and Hong Kong and China in particular, keep on buying. What we do know is that the Lafite price bounce has coincided with an upturn in financial market conditions in Asia. Below is the Liv-ex Lafite index plotted against<br> Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, with both indices based at 100 in June 2008, the high point of the wine market.</p> <p>Perhaps those with large positions should keep as close an eye on Asian financial indicators as they do on the scores of Robert Parker. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/13/liv-ex-on-lafite-6715730/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/13/liv-ex-on-lafite-6715730/Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:43:04 +0200 <p>This story comes care of Rebecca Gibb, writing on decanter.com, but is definitely worth reproducing here (thankyou Rebecca!)</p> <p><a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=287347">http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=287347</a></p> <p>The European Union's new wine regulations have come into force, ushering in a new era for the European wine industry.</p> <p>The hotly-debated plans - agreed by agriculture ministers in December 2007 - aim to modernise the European wine trade and improve its competitiveness in the face of a growing challenge from the New World. </p> <p>The reform will also bring in new simpler labelling laws. From August 1, all wine labels are now allowed to mention grape variety and vintage on the label. The French AOC becomes AOP (Appellation d'Origin Protegée) and the equivalent of vin de pays wines will now be known as IGPs (Indication Geographique Protegée). </p> <p>A voluntary, three-year grubbing-up scheme to encourage uncompetitive producers to leave the industry will be put in place. Subsidies for crisis distillation will also be phased out as an added measure to reduce overproduction. </p> <p>Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: 'Member States and producers have a great opportunity to make the best use of the new wine regime to build on Europe's international reputation for excellence. I truly believe this marks a turning point in our wine sector's history.' </p> <p>The money used to fund distillation subsidies will be redirected to wine promotion and the modernisation of vineyards and cellars. </p> <p>The New World has seen its share of global wine sales rise from 3% in 1990 to 30% in 2008, according to the OIV. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/03/new-eu-wine-regulations-6644410/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/03/new-eu-wine-regulations-6644410/Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:16:05 +0200 <p>I had an excellent visit to Octavian Vaults in Wiltshire this week (www.octavianvaults.co.uk), the largest fine wine storage warehouse in England.</p> <p>I have wanted to visit this place, housed 100 feet underground in 30 acres of disused limestone mines, for a few years, but was prompted into finally making an appointment because of writing about the Bordeaux City Bond ( <a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=284790">www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=284790</a> ), and wanting to understand better just what they are up against.</p> <p>The first sign that you get of the scale of the operation at Octavian is when you arrive at the heavily-guarded entrance. A security guard issued reflective waistcoats for the trip down to the cellar, and checked off our names (if I had been a customer, or moving any wine, I would also have had photos taken, not just of me but also the number plate of the car). We were met by Laurie Greer, operations director, who gave an excellent presentation of what they do, and for who, and were then given torch, oxygen masks (in case of fire or mine collapse), and then sent down the 157 steps down to the cellars (access in only by foot, which makes going back up a pretty good workout). </p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/img00203_1/3741751" title="IMG00203 (1)"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/751/3741751_28cb610119_s.jpeg" alt="IMG00203 (1)"></a></p> <p>In the cellars, there are over 750,000 cases of wine, and from the section I saw, it seems at least 80% French (the official figures are 70%). The vast majority, unsurprisingly, are from Bordeaux and Burgundy, with row upon row of Lafite, Latour, Haut Brion, Petrus... this must be the biggest stock of classified Bordeaux in one room anywhere in the world. Among the most exciting bottles I saw were a 1983 magnum of La Tache, and several cases of Romanee Conti 1982. Some lucky private client had palates of all the first growths from 2005 - all five, plus Cheval Blanc, Ausone, and Pavie (interesting that Pavie made it in there). Apparently Octavian received 135,000 cases of Bordeaux 2005 last year, compared to a normal en primeur campaign when around 30,000 cases would come in once the stock has landed.</p> <p>The oldest bottle of wine in Octavian is a 1775 bottle of sherry, the oldest dated bottle from the Massandra collection that fetched a record £37,000 at Sotheby's auction in 2002, and there has previously been a 1791 Lafite.</p> <p>The majority of clients are trade such as Farrs (who have their own entire vault), or private cellars of trade clients (so Farrs would have wines of their own, and wines that they are storing for their clients), or private customers who go direct to Octavian. It is a seriously large and impressive business, and also a rather nice way to spend a few hours, calculating the value of that pallet of Petrus, and hoping that whoever is lucky enough to own it is going to actually open and enjoy a few bottles...</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/where-all-the-best-bordeaux-goes-6629662/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/where-all-the-best-bordeaux-goes-6629662/Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:57:15 +0200 <p>Bordeaux was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in July 2007 ( <a href="http://www.decanter.com/news/127668.html">http://www.decanter.com/news/127668.html</a> ) and has since seen a rise in visitor numbers of around 25% according to figures from the Tourist Office at the end of 2008.</p> <p>Unesco recognition is well known to enhance tourism and therefore the economic development of an area. In recognition of this, in 2008, the Unesco Heritage Center received a World Tourism Award for its outstanding achievements in the travel industry (for a very interesting look at this, read <a href="http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=1334">http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=1334</a> )</p> <p>The problem for Bordeaux are the plans to build a new bridge across the Garonne river in the city centre, between Bacalan and the Bastide. It is badly needed, because there is currently only one main bridge in the centre of town (in the photo below, and yes it is rather attractive, while the new one will be much more modern in design), and traffic is usually snarled up around it. But for the UNESCO committee, it will affect the look of the historical centre, that was awarded UNESCO status for its perfect preservation of its 18th century heritage.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bordeaux_003/3707323" title="bordeaux 003"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/323/3707323_1596967684_s.jpg" alt="bordeaux 003"></a></p> <p>Mayor Alain Juppe has said he favours the bridge over UNESCO, if he has to choose, but is doing everything he can to find a compromise. The local newspaper this morning reported that work may begin as early as September. Negociations with UNESCO took place throughout June (although reportedly Juppe came back early from one of the them in Spain so as not to miss the Fete de la Fleur, very sensible man). There were suggestions from UNESCO to create an underground tunnel between the two sides of the river rather than a bridge but that idea has been rejected because of cost, and also the effect on cylcists and pedestrians.</p> <p>They have submitted new plans that modify the bridge and allow boats to pass underneath and is (they hope) more aesthetically pleasing, but are still waiting to hear what UNESCO decide. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/07/21/bordeaux-unesco-status-threatened-6559362/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/07/21/bordeaux-unesco-status-threatened-6559362/Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:41:11 +0200 <p>As summer gets fully underway, I thought I would highlight another excellent wine tourism opportunity that is going on in Bordeaux this summer.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/boat_cotes_de_bordeaux_09_017/3680947" title="Boat_Cotes_de_Bordeaux_09_017"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/947/3680947_f0a0a7f49f_s.jpg" alt="Boat_Cotes_de_Bordeaux_09_017"></a></p> <p>I spent last Friday afternoon, with my sister, father and our families, onboard the 'Coeur d'Estuaire' boat, on a three hour cruise around the Estuary from the Citadel de Blaye down to Bourg, where we got to eat an enormous platter of seasoof, and drink the lovely Chateau la Rose Belleuve with the owner Valerie Eymas ( <a href="http://www.chateau-larosebellevue.com">www.chateau-larosebellevue.com</a> ).</p> <p>This cruise won the Jury Prize at the Best of Wine Tourism awards last year ( <a href="http://www.greatwinecapitals.com">www.greatwinecapitals.com</a> ), and I had wanted to try it ever since being at the awards ceremony and seeing Valerie and Jerome win. Last year they had a smaller boat, that was fully open. They decided this year to raise the stakes, and upped the boat to a small private motor-boat, about 15 metres, with a retractable sun cover and a sun deck (the definite highlight for the children on board).</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/boat_cotes_de_bordeaux_seafood/3680962" title="Boat_Cotes_de_Bordeaux_seafood"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/962/3680962_5d1807c2a3_s.jpg" alt="Boat_Cotes_de_Bordeaux_seafood"></a></p> <p>This tour was 35 euros per person, plus 40 for the seafood platter - but the same company offers other excellent tours that are less expensive, such as the Balade Autour des Iles that is a guided tour around the monuments of the Estuary lasting just an hour for 12.50 euros, and a Balade Ile Margaux, which I want to try later in the summer. This one goes to the Ile Margaux, one of the small islands that you can see in the Estuary between the Medoc and Blaye, where there is a small wine estate, Chateau Tour de Castillon. This two hour trip stopes at the island and you get to do a tour of the winery, then leave with a bottle of wine. This tour is 38 euros per person with a picnic, 28 euros without.</p> <p>Information on these tours <a href="http://www.coeurdestuaire.com">www.coeurdestuaire.com</a> , 06 82 17 58 22. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/07/13/sailing-on-the-garonne-estuary-6503709/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://newbordeaux.blog.co.uk/2009/07/13/sailing-on-the-garonne-estuary-6503709/Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:02:09 +0200