Bordeaux trip day 4: Rive Droite

We are leaving Bordeaux today, but would be spending the last half-day touring the Right Bank appellations of St. Emilion and Pomerol. This would turn out to be quite a contrast with the estates of the Médoc.

We left the hotel a little late, so we knew that we would not be able to make it to Angelus on time. This was a shame because they were the first to put a price on the 2008 primeur at a 40% reduction compared to 2007, and it would have been interesting to hear what they had to say.

We headed directly to our second stop – Ausone. This estate has become the new superstar of Bordeaux – some would call it the “new Petrus.” The beautiful and historic estate sits on a little hill on the edge of the town of St. Emilion. When we arrived, however, we discovered to our great dismay that Mr. Vauthier was otherwise occupied and had tried to reschedule our visit to the afternoon. This was, of course, not possible as we would have all left Bordeaux by then. So we had to settle for taking a few snaps in front of the cellar, and hope that we would have another chance to visit this famed estate.

After a quick cup of café au lait, we drove through the medieval St. Emilion town and headed for L’Evangile. The estate is owned by Barons de Rothschild, the “Lafite branch” of the family.

2008 Blason de l’Evangile – minty nose with soft fruit and very round tannins. Acidity was a bit high.

2008 L’Evangile – richer and more concentrated than the Blason, with mint notes. There were more tannins here but very soft and silky.

We headed next door to La Conseillante, where we were given a tour by the Director, Jean-Michel Laporte.

2008 Conseillante – a very soft wine with a full body. Fruity and minty nose with vanilla notes.

2004 Conseillante – sweet fruit and farmy nose with smoked meats. Lots of soft tannins and drinking very nicely right now.

2006 Conseillante – more sweet and ripe black fruits, with a bit of smoke and bacon fat. A racy and sexy wine, with soft tannins. Lovely.

Next door is Vieux Château Certan, where we were greeted by owner Alexandre Thienpont. It’s still a family-run winery and it’s clear that they really focus on making the best wine.

2008 Vieux Château Certan – beautiful with soft tannins and good acidity balance. Fruity nose with coffee and toasty oak notes. This was actually taken from a Sylvain barrel selected by me.

Next we asked Alexandre to give us another glass, this time taken from a Seguin Moreau barrel, so we could taste how the same wine develops differently according to barrel. This glass was much more open and forward, which justifies Alexandre’s choice of having 80% of barrels from Seguin Moreau.

Our last stop before lunch was the holy grail of Pomerol – Château Pétrus. We did a quick tour of the vineyard and the cellars, and finally ended up at the tasting room where we ran into Olivier Berrouet, the current winemaker whose father was responsible for many legendary vintages of Pétrus. As I explained to the others, I just could not justify spitting out Pétrus…so I drank both glasses.

2008 Pétrus – nose of red fruits and mint, with a little vanilla, forest and coffee. Very soft tannins and slightly sweet on the palate. Quite a long finish, or as the French would call it – caudal.

2006 Pétrus – Wow! What a wine! The nose was totally open, with red fruits, smoke, marmalade and mint. It was a bit sharp and alcoholic, but the tannins were so soft. A little sweet on the palate. Totally yummy, and I’m not saying this just because I know I’m drinking Petrus!

Our lunch at Cheval Blanc was hosted by Pierre Lurton, the General Manager of the estate (and Yquem, Cheval des Andes, or whatever project Bernard Arnault throws at him!) We started in the tasting room, where Pierre’s eldest child Lucy poured the wines for us. As we all know, some of the jobs in Bordeaux can be inherited…

2008 La Tour du Pin – tannins were rougher than the other wines this morning. The wine was more extracted and alcoholic. Decent acidity on finish.

2008 Le Petit Cheval – nose of ripe fruit and a bit of smoke, with a spicy finish. More concentration here and tannins were more evident.

2008 Cheval Blanc – nose was more open than the other two wines, with mint, vanilla and caramel notes. Good acidity on the palate but a very grippy finish.

We enter the château and enjoy some Champagne and canapés. Thin slices of lomo and cured salmon on toast were nice, and the shot of asparagus soup – no doubt flavored with ham broth – was a bit salty but excellent. The 2000 Dom Perignon was amazing, and better than the magnum we had at Pontet-Canet… But one would expect that the condition of the Champagne would be excellent, of course, given that Mr. Arnault is Chairman of LVMH which produces Dom Perignon… The Champagne was very fresh with lots of bubbles. Good balance between ripeness and acidity, with toasty and yeasty notes.

We continued our visit in the intimate dining room, whose setting was elegant without being over-the-top.

Œuf soufflé, aiguillettes de canard, cœur de sucrine – the egg soufflé was absolutely awesome. Once you cut open the light and airy egg whites, the liquid yolk oozes out like molten lava. The aiguillettes - part of the duck breast - were simply salted, and the gem lettuce hearts did a nice job of balancing out the meat.

Pièce de bœuf, pommes de terre ecrasées aux eclats de truffe – this should really be “hunk of beef”…simply too huge and the texture itself was a bit tough, even though the center was red and juicy. The potatoes, however, were divine. I don’t usually eat the potatoes on the side, but the addition of black truffles made this irresistible, and I found myself finishing it instead of the beef.

We were a little short on time, so I chose to skip the cheese and had the brioche caramélisée, framboises fraîches, glace mûroise instead. The raspberries were deliciously fresh with the crème fraîche, and the ice cream was sweet enough to balance the acidity of the berries.

The highlight of the lunch, of course, was the wine. Pierre was kind enough to share these wonderful wines with us:

2000 Le Petit Cheval – a really beautiful wine, with nose of smoke meats, brett, very ripe fruits and coffee. Good acidity and smooth on the palate, it’s a great wine to drink right now.

1989 Cheval Blanc – nose of green pepper, smoke, bacon, sweet red fruits and truffles. Very beautiful and open, so soft and beautiful on the palate with good acidity. Wow!

1995 Yquem – for a vintage like 1995, this was an awesome wine! Loads of honey, marmalade, acetone and sweet honeydew melon in the nose. This wine was so unctuous and sweet, yet with enough acidity to make everything balanced. Wow!

I think this was a perfect way for us to end our whirlwind, first class tour of Bordeaux. We’ve visited 22 châteaux in 7 appellations, dined at 3 First Growth châteaux, and tasted 120 wines over 4 days. I cannot imagine anyone who is remotely interested in wine not being envious of what we’ve experienced on this trip, and I must thank my fellow MNSC members (and one in particular) for making it all possible.

After dropping my friends off at Bordeaux airport - and dashing in to buy some canelés from Baillardran – I headed to Gare St. Jean to board the TGV back to Paris. Mental note: there are two stands at the train station selling Baillardran canelés…

After checking into a small but well-appointed room at the Hotel Montalambert, we went out for a stroll around Boulevard St. Germain and for a bite to eat. It’s April in Paris and - you guessed it - it was drizzling. Huddling under an umbrella with your loved one in Paris has got to be one of those clichés…but it’s kinda cool.

We settled for one of the tourist traps on the Left Bank – Les Deux Magots. I never came here on my previous trips to Paris, so I guess it was time I checked it out. You don’t come here for the food, since the people-watching is the main draw here. It’s been 7 hours since lunch and I finally ordered a white truffle risotto with chicken sot-l'y-laisse. The risotto, while tasty, was probably one of the soggiest I've had in a while. Do the French not know how to make a proper risotto, or is it because the chefs at this tourist trap don't care? Anyway, the chicken oysters were really yummy and made up for everything.

I ordered a glass of kir as I normally would in Paris. I think I must have OD'd on wine, because I just didn't have the desire to even finish the glass...

With my stomach full, I strolled around back to the hotel and called it a night. I was exhausted!

Bordeaux trip: home and restaurant cooking

I had two contrasting meals today in Bordeaux: a restaurant-quality meal in the dining room of a château, and a home-style meal at a restaurant. Needless to say the meal at the château was the better one.

We lunched at Château Margaux and was received by Director Paul Pontallier and his lovely wife Béatrice. Margaux is one of the most beautiful estates in Bordeaux, and it was certainly a privilege to be there. We started with a tasting of the new wines:

2008 Pavillon Rouge - beautifully aromatic. Fruit forward with mint, licorice, smoky, grassy and coffee notes. Very smooth on the palate.

2008 Margaux - black cherries, chocolate, mint, toasty oak, vanilla and exotic spices. Very smooth on the palate.

2006 Margaux - farmy nose with smoked meats, bacon, chocolate, smoke, ripe fruits and coffee. Already coming together very well.

2008 Pavillon Blanc - lots of green apple, wih good acidity balance.

We moved upstairs to the lavish drawing room for some Champagne, then sat down in the dining room for a beautiful lunch.

Bar braisé au fenouil - the seabass was very tender and delicious. The fennel cream sauce was top was a good match for the fish.

Quasi d’agneau et ses aubergines - the lamb was roasted and totally yummy. I took a piece at the end, and the lamb fat and the skin had so much flavor.

Les fromages de Jean d’Alos - from the famed Bordeaux affineur, and served on a very interesting platter made by Christian Dior.

Soufflé aux fruits de la passion - very yummy taste, but why was the ramekin only half full?! Who stole the other half?

A fabulous range of wines were served with lunch.

2006 Pavillon Blanc - smooth and ripe on the palate. A bit of toasty oak on the nose with a little spicy finish. Beautiful wine.

1989 Margaux - classic Bordeaux with smoke and brett on the nose. Silky smooth.

1959 Margaux - what a beautiful wine from a great vintage in Bordeaux. Nose of sweet grass, brett, sweet fruit and a bit of smoked meats. Sooo smooth and silky. Wow!

I really appreciated the generous hospitality that Paul and Béatrice showed us. They are a delightful couple and I really enjoyed my time with them. And I think the chef at the château did an outstanding job with the food.

Our dinner tonight was back at La Tupiña, the restaurant in Bordeaux city with the down-to-earth, homestyle menu. I was really looking forward to this meal, based on the delicious lunch on Sunday.

We ordered all of our dishes to share, doing it family style so that we could get to taste everything.

Appetizers:
Salade croquante du maraîcher - julienned veggies like carrots, cucumbers, zucchini. Not as good as the one I tasted on Sunday.

Cèpes en persillade - classic, simple and good.

Foie gras poêlé aux raisins, sauce verjus - thick, juicy chunks of foie pan-fried just the way I like - a bit burnt on the outside but soft and runny inside.

I didn't try the white asparagus...the looked humongous but I think they would be a bit tough. I also didn't try the cassolette de St Jacques et cèpes aux beurre blanc, but it looked pretty good.

Main courses:
Poulet rôti avec croûtons au jus et farce - the roast chicken was not bad, and the stuffing was pretty decent, too.

La côte de boeuf - these are huge hunks of beef, done pretty well.

Magret entier grillé - actally not really that special...

Lamproie à la Bordelaise - I really didn't enjoy the sea lampreys cooked in red wine sauce. Actually it tasted like some of the fish that come out of a tin can, with that metallic taste. Now I know why - it sucks blood from other fish to stay alive... Not something I will have twice.

We started with some Louis Roederer Brut, then tasted 4 wines blind:

1986 Mouton-Rothschild - nose of sweet grass, soy sauce and smoke...tell-tale Mouton. The wine was still dark around the rim so it still looked very young.

1990 Cheval Blanc - nose of red fruits, orange and a bit of smoke. Nice and smooth to drink, but not mind-blowing.

1990 Lafleur - minty nose with a bit of orange. Finish was a little short, and I wasn't wowed by this wine...

1998 Le Pin - Wow! Explosive nose of orange marmalade, strawberries, exotic fruits, mint, brandied cherry, kirsch and apricot. I know this isn't exactly the classic Bordeaux in the same vein as the other three wines, but it was definitely my wine of the evening.

My second visit to La Tupiña didn't quite meet my expectations. I know the cooking is homey and nothing fancy, but I thought the execution was below par. Perhaps it was because our party was too big, but I expected better. Oh well... It was still a pretty good night.

Bordeaux trip day 3: going down south

We've got another full day today, going through the southern Médoc appellations of St-Julien, Margaux and Pessac-Léognan. Due to the early start this morning, most of the ladies chose to skip the itinerary and only joined us for lunch. Unfortunately, the morning was overcast so the pictures would be dreary, too...

Our first stop was Branaire-Ducru, where we were received by the Président Patrick Maroteaux and Manager Jean-Dominique Videau. A quick tour of the facilities and we were off to taste a few vintages of the grand vin:

2008 Branaire-Ducru - forward and fruity with a hint of smoke. Not too tannic as the acidity was a bit higher.

2007 Branaire-Ducru - softer and more complex than the 2008. Nose of tropical fruit, mint and forest with a spicy finish.

2006 Branaire-Ducru - farmy nose with smoked meats, not as fruity. A nice wine that has come together with a good finish.

2005 Branaire-Ducru - toasty oak, mint and smoked meat nose. Pretty round tannin.

2004 Branaire-Ducru - nose of smoked meats is more prominent. Smooth and not too tannic on the palate.

Our second stop was Léoville Barton, where the tasting room was filled with lots of bottles as a result of their separate business selling wine. It would have been a good opportunity for us to get a taste of the what other châteaux had produced, but we had only limited time so we stuck mostly to wines from the estates.

2008 Langoa Barton - sweet and forward nose of tropical fruit and vanilla. Still pretty tannic.

2007 Léoville Barton - powerful nose of vanilla and fruit. Very tannic and alcoholic.

2007 Langoa Barton - a bit smoky with spices. Softer on the palate.

2007 Léoville Barton - nose of smoked meats.

2006 Langoa Barton - nose not open at all with only a bit of smoked meats.

2006 Léoville Barton - nose of smoked meats and tannic on the palate.

2008 Rauzan-Ségla - very open nose with sweet fruits and vanilla.

Next stop was the château that got me started in wine - Ducru-Beaucaillou. This famed estate in St-Julien has provided me with some of my fondest memories when it comes to wine: from the bottle of 1982 on my first visit to La Tour d'Argent in Paris, to my first bottle of 1961 I decanted at home and brought to Brasserie on the Eighth...

I was really excited to finally get a chance to visit. The château has a collection of interesting modern art, including some pieces from Keith Haring in the tasting room. It was interesting to see the contrast of a contemporary tasting room inside such a classical structure.

2008 Ducluzeau - fruity and minty nose. Very soft on the palate.

2008 Lalande-Borie - a bit harder than the Ducluzeau.

2008 La Croix de Beaucaillou - floral nose with toasty oak notes.

2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou - floral and violet notes. Much softer than the other wines.

2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou - smoky nose with red fruits and a bit of pepper. Sweet on the finish. A beautiful wine!

At the end of our visit, Chairman of the business Bruno Borie came to greet us. Bruno was a personable man, and when we expressed our wish to take a picture in front of his château, he proceeded to open up all the window shutters so that we could have the perfect picture. Fortunately for us, his mother was shopping in Bordeaux city and so we didn't wake her up...

Our last stop before lunch would be Palmer. Bernard de Laage de Meux, the Marketing Director, led us through the tasting.

2008 Alter Ego - mint with a bit of fruit. Tannins were round, nice and soft...not too aggressive.

2008 Palmer - minty with exotic spices. Good concentration with round tannins.

2001 Alter Ego - farmy nose with smoked meats, spiciness, leather and cedar wood notes. A bit sweet on the palate with good acidity. A wine that has come together well.

1996 Palmer - lovely, farmy nose with peppery, smoky and leather notes. Very smooth on the palate. Delicious.

We visited the beautiful Château Margaux for lunch, which will be the subject of a separate post.

After our long lunch, we dropped the ladies off so that they could hit the Hermès shop in Bordeaux city, then continued on to Haut-Brion, the last of the Médoc First Growths. Here we would also taste the wines from the neighboring estate of La Mission Haut-Brion, also under the ownership of Domaine Clarence Dillon.

2008 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion - this has been the name of the second wine since the 2007 vintage, replacing Bahans Haut-Brion. Nose of vanilla, orange, red fruits and mint. Good acidity but tannins were slightly grippy.

2008 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion - earthy, smoky nose with sweet fruit and mint. Good acidity balance.

2008 La Mission Haut-Brion - smoky nose with mint and vanilla notes. A bit tannic but nicely balanced.

2008 Haut-Brion - much more concentration here, with lots of fruit, mint, smoke and a hint of coffee. Very tannic on the palate.

2008 Laville Haut-Brion - fatty, buttery with lemon citrus, green apple and toasty oak.

2008 Haut-Brion Blanc - minerals and flint combined with lemon citrus, a bit of butter and toasty oak. Wow! There is a reason why this is the most sought-after dry white in Bordeaux.

Our last stop of the day would be Haut-Bailly. We were incredibly behind schedule, and missed meeting Véronique Sanders, the winemaker and daughter of the former owner.

2008 Haut-Bailly - floral and sweet fruit, with coffee, mint and a bit of smoke. Round and smooth tannins.

2006 Haut-Bailly - smoky and a bit farmy with red fruits. Everything was nicely balanced, but slightly tannic on the finish.

We head back up north into Bordeaux city to pick up the ladies after their shopping spree. I quickly strolled around the Place de la Comédie and down Rue Ste-Catherine, before returning to La Tupiña for dinner.

Bordeaux trip: two meals in Pauillac

We were fortunate enough to dine at two châteaux in Pauillac today - both experiences which I am unlikely to forget anytime soon.

Lunch was hosted by Alfred Tesseron, the personable owner of Pontet-Canet. He very kindly took us on a tour of his beautiful estate, showing us the oak and cement tanks where fermentation is done (Merlot goes into cement while Cabernet Sauvignon goes into oak). He also showed us the horses he has started to use to plow the fields. The ladies, of course, all wanted to take pictures with the horses...

We climb above the vats to taste the 2008 Pontet-Canet while taking in the beautiful view of the vineyards. Nose of ripe fruits and mint, with very smooth tannins to make an enjoyable wine.

We adjourn to the drawing room to have some canapés with a flute of champagne. The cubes of duck breast was a little too well-done although the accompanying aubergine was nice. The diced scallops were flavored with cumin seeds so they were pretty yummy. The 2000 Dom Perignon from magnum was beautiful.

We found ourselves seated at the beautiful and elegant dining room. Now we’re finally getting the feel of what it’s like to be in a French château…

We started with the tartare de saumon, which was fresh and beautiful – perfect for a warm day like this. Worked very well with the blend of spices which wasn’t too heavy.

The gigot de lait confit, legumes façon tajine was very, very yummy. I would never say no to lamb, and the leg was a bit dry – it’s a confit, after all – but full of flavor. The juice from the lamb provided the flavor for the couscous and the veggies. Very nice.

A nice selection of cheese was presented, and I didn’t hesitate to take my share, including a nice Comté that is probably 2 years old as it still had some bounce.

The pomme en compotée was really, really nice. The rich apple sauce - that’s pretty much what it was - was enhanced with cinnamon powder and sat on a nice pie crust. A great way to finish the meal.

We enjoyed three vintages of Pontet-Canet during lunch:

2003 Pontet-Canet – nose still a bit closed, very concentrated fruit with a bit of metallic and iron rust, turning a bit alcoholic later.

2000 Pontet-Canet – nose also concentrated but more accessible than the 2003. Ripe fruit with a bit of coffee, and smoke emerging later. Nice and long finish.

1995 Pontet-Canet – very apparent sous bois, very smooth and lovely on the palate.

I really enjoyed my time with Alfred today. He is clearly very passionate about the wines, and clearly has given a lot of thoughts about how he could improve the wines. He focuses on doing everything the natural way – the estate is now biodynamic – and every step is designed to be gentle to the wine – such as using horses instead of tractors to plow the fields because the lighter weight means the soil is less compacted. He is a lovely gentleman and I am delighted to have made his acquaintance.

Our dinner was hosted by Frédéric Engerer, the Director and President of Château Latour. We started with a quick tour, and spent some time in the beautifully modern tasting room with the following wines:

2008 Pauillac – the nose of the generic production was not very open, with a bit of fruit and slightly spicy.

2008 Les Forts de Latour – a bit smoky and grilled meat notes, with a tart finish.

2008 Latour – nose was not very open and tannins were pretty grippy.

2004 Les Forts de Latour – classic Bordeaux nose with smoke and a bit of coffee. A bit sweet on the palate.

2002 Latour – again a classic Bordeaux with smoky nose. A bit acidic on the palate.

2007 Latour – nose was a bit sweet like cotton candy, and a little smoky.

2006 Latour – open nose with smoke with grilled meats, still a bit tannic.

We adjourned to the lounge for some canapés with drinks, and it gave us a clear indication of the shape of things to come. With the yummy foie gras over baguette, sautéed prawns and scallops carpaccio in olive oil, we had the following wonderful wines:

1988 Salon Le Mesnil – nose was a bit acidic, with iron rust, honey and oxidized pear notes. On the palate it was sweet and a bit metallic. I don’t get many chances to drink Salon, so this was a real treat.

1976 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc – nose of chalk, flint, lemon, a little sweet honey, oxidation and pineapple. Really wonderful stuff. Paulo’s birth vintage.

We adjourned to the dining room, which was beautifully decked out in lavender.

Cloche de langoustines à la fondue de poireaux - this was soooo beautiful. The langoustines were amazingly fresh and sweet, and the leeks were also very sweet as well.

Bar rôti entier, glace de vin rouge, légumes primeurs - the seabass was cooked whole with a veggie stuffing and red wine sauce. Very fresh fish and the flesh was very tender.

Cheese selection - naturally I tried all the different types of cheese. I find it interesting that everyone here serves Comté...

Feuillantine de gariguettes, crème de nougatine - the Gariguette strawberries were really yummy, and the brown nougat creme made a perfect match.

We were served three pairs of wines from the birth vintages of MNSC members. The theme was that one wine from each pair would be a Latour, while the other wine would be of equivalent stature (i.e. a First Growth) but selected to ensure that the Latour would be the winner of the pair… Of course all the wines are ex-château – even if they weren’t Latour, they have been lying in the château library since release – so we could not hope for better conditions.

First pair – Alex, Arnold and Julian’s birth vintage
1973 Cheval Blanc – smooth on the palate, with smoke, grilled meat notes. Orange and amber rim from the age. On the palate it was a bit watery but sweet.

1973 Latour – classic Bordeaux with smoke, lead pencil over a core of sweet fruit. Beautiful wine.

Second pair – Kevin’s birth vintage
1967 Latour – a bit of stewed fruit on the nose, with sweet grass and a little plasticky.

1967 Ausone – sweet, exotic and a bit funky nose.

Third pair – my birth vintage
1970 Latour – classic Bordeaux nose with smoke and sweet fruits. Quite a powerful wine after almost 40 years of age. I’ve had this wine a few times before – including last year – and recognized it immediately.

1970 Mouton – smoky, minty and a bit more ripe and open than the Latour. A beautiful wine. This was a surprise as I’ve had this wine a half dozen times – including last year – and I’ve never had a bottle as good as this one. This is where provenance really shows…

1953 Latour – Kevin brought this bottle for Frédéric to taste and “authenticate.” Big nose of iron, rust and minerals, with sweet fruit, orange, grassy and a bit of smoke.

1975 Yquem – golden honey color, with nose of orange marmalade, plastic and acetone from the botrytis. This wine was sooooo rich! What a great way to end the meal!

I feel very privileged to have enjoyed Frédéric's generosity tonight. I hope there is a chance for us to reciprocate in the future.

Bordeaux trip day 2: a crazy schedule

We are doing our first day of primeur tasting today, and will be visiting 10 châteaux. It's a crazy schedule, and I wondered how our big group would be able to keep to it. There were, after all, 11 of us...

First stop is Cos d'Estournel up in St-Estèphe. They are undergoing renovation so it wasn't easy to get around to take pictures of the famed pagodas in front. Jean-Guillaume Prats, the General Manager whose family previously owned the property, took us on a tour of their new cellar. Everything was stainless steel and glass - very modern. These guys took gravity flow to the next level!

Wines tasted:
2008 Goulée - tart, with a minty, New World nose

2008 Les Pagodes de Cos - minty, perfumed nose with concentrated fruit and vanilla

2008 Cos d'Estournel - perfumed nose with coffee, vanilla and a bit of smoke. Much smoother on the palate than the others

We come back to Pauillac and visit Lynch-Bages. Jean-Charles Cazes, who took over from his father Jean-Michel Cazes, gave us a tasting.

2008 Les Ormes de Pez - smoky, minty nose with coffee. Grippy but ripe tannins

2008 Echo de Lynch-Bages - this is the rebranded Haut-Bages Averous, the second wine of Lynch-Bages. Nose of toffee and mint

2008 Lynch-Bages - fragrant nose of mint and red fruits

2008 Blanc de Lynch-Bages - beautiful perfumed nose with white flowers, orange, banana and pineapple notes

Pontet-Canet hosted us for lunch, which will be the subject of a later post.

After lunch we continued to Pichon Baron, one of the most beautiful properties in Bordeaux. I had woken up early in the morning and came to take some pictures. The new tasting room has a beautiful circular bar, and we took our places and enjoyed the wines.

2008 Les Tourelles de Longueville - very sweet and concentrated fruity nose, with vanilla and coconut notes. Body is a bit lighter thanks to the higher percentage of Merlot

2008 Pichon Baron - minty, alcoholic and fruit-forward with vanilla notes

2007 Pichon Baron - much more classic than the 2008, with smoky, vanilla and lead pencil notes

2004 Pichon Baron - farmy and a bit of stewed fruits with very smooth tannins

2008 S de Suduiraut - what a beautiful wine! Pear, honey, green apple, toasty oak, vanilla and mineral notes. I asked to buy some of this wine, but alas there were none for sale...

2008 Suduiraut - nose of honey, apricot and orange marmalade 

Going back up to Saint-Estèphe, we visit Montrose. We were warned about the grippiness of the new wines here, and it was dead on!

2008 Tronquoy de Sainte Anne - sharp nose with ripe fruits. Pretty tannic with a really spicy finish

2008 Tronquoy-Lalande - spicy and peppery nose, with red fruits and vanilla notes. Very tart and tannic

2008 La Dame de Montrose - peppery nose with grippy tannins

2008 Montrose - sooooo tannic! beautiful bouquet with very forward fruit with toasty oak and vanilla

Back to Pauillac on to the famed estate of Lafite-Rothschild, where we see Anthony Hanson MW in the tasting room with General Manager Charles Chevalier.

2008 Carruades de Lafite - vanilla and sweet fruit nose

2008 Duhart-Milon - a bit smoky

2008 Lafite-Rothschild - nose was not very open. A bit of smoke, mint but hard to get to the fruit. Very tannic. I have no doubt that the wine has loads of potential, but an amateur like myself just can't be a good judge right now

We move on to the distant cousins at Mouton-Rothschild, and again run into Anthony Hanson...

2008 d'Armailhac - floral and fruity, where tannins are not too bad

2008 Clerc-Milon - fruity nose with a bit of vanilla

2008 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton-Rothschild - a bit smoky, farmy and sweet fruits

2008 Mouton-Rothschild - there's that trademark soy sauce again...even a bit stinky...smoky, chocolate and a bit violet/floral on the finish

We drop the ladies off back at the hotel, and continue to Pichon-Lalande. Former owner May-Elaine de Lencquesaing has moved off the property after the sale, so the château is now unoccupied.

2008 Bernadotte - fruity and not much tannins

2008 Reserve de la Comtesse - fruity and minty

2008 Pichon Lalande - minty and tannins were relatively round

Going into Saint Julien, we hit our final stop before dinner - Léoville-Las Cases.

2008 La Chapelle de Potensac - red and tropical fruits on the nose. Tannins a little grippy on the finish

2008 Fugue de Nenin - alcoholic and fruity with a bit of smoke. Sweet on the palate

2008 Nenin - minty and alcoholic, with a bit of smoke. Not as forward as the others

2008 Potensac - not very open with only a bit of fruit

2008 Clos du Marquis - vanilla and sweet fruit nose with a bit of mint. A bit acidic

2008 Léoville-Las Cases - inky color showing the concentration, with vanilla, sweet fruit, a bit of smoked meats and a grippy finish

Finally we head to Latour, where we would be rejoined by the ladies for a tasting and dinner.

Thierry Marx at Cordeillan-Bages

Tonight we officially kicked off the MNSC trip to Bordeaux with a dinner inside our hotel, Château Cordeillan-Bages. Chef Thierry Marx is well-known for his creativity and has visited Hong Kong a number of times. His restaurant has earned him 2 Michelin stars. Food-wise this would be as haute cuisine as it gets on this trip.

We started with some NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayéres à Ambonnay in the drawing room. This was a real treat as it's not easy to come across wines from small producers like this in Hong Kong. The wine is made from old vines Pinot Noir, and costs a fraction of the price of the most famous of all blanc de noirs - Bollinger Vieille Vignes Françaises. Wonderful nose of caramel, toast, oxidized pear not unlike the wines of Jacques Selosse. Very smooth on the palate. Lovely stuff.

We moved into the private dining room of the restaurant, facing the wine cellar displaying a number of trophy bottles. Onto the whites now, I sipped the delicious 1998 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - probably the most sought after of the Alsatian Rieslings and comes from a single enclosed vineyard. Unlike most of its German and French cousins, this is fermented dry. Lots of petrol and minerals in the nose, with a bit of sweetness on the nose. Beautiful stuff and a rare chance to drink something with a little age on it.

We start with an amuse bouche of beef cheek with smoked eel. Kinda interesting combination with the strong tastes of both key elements interacting. The bits of truffle in the sauce adds something extra to the mélange of flavors.

Next came green apple gelée with ham. Bite sized portions reminiscent of El Bulli and other molecular creations, but didn't really do it for me. Didn't feel the intensity of the flavors and the texture was only so-so.

The foie gras "choe" passion was kinda interestingas it came with layers of passion fruit jelly and chocolate. Using the acidity of the fruit to cut through the fat of the foie is a common thing nowadays, and this particular execution was very well done as you also have the sweetness of the chocolate to balance things out.

The second white is served, and I find myself enjoying the 2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos. Classic minerals, butter, lemon citrus and toasty oak in the nose. Actually quite a nice acidity balance despite the ripe vintage.

Next came another spoon with escargot.. It was topped with a thin layer of gelée made from parsley so that the whole thing kinda tasted like escargot Bourguignon... except that it just wasn't as punchy and bursting with flavor like I would expect... I'm starting to see a pattern with these spoon-sized servings.

Something a bit more substantial now...turbot basse température, légumes beurre d'algue. The slow-cooked fish sat on a bed of beet root celeriac, cauliflower and seaweed butter. I'm just not excited about this dish. Neither the flavors nor the texture of this turbot did anything for me. Underneath the fish, the layers of beet root, celeriac...etc was actually more interesting than the fish itself, as well as the piece of "fish skin" on top of the fish.

The first pair of reds are served, and we are told that all five reds tonight come from the legendary 1982 vintage, and all are either First or Second Growth wines rated 99/100 points by Parker. Given the identity of the five wines, we would try to guess the order in which they were served to us...

1982 Pichon Lalande - funky nose with braised beef and beef jerky (the ones from Taiwan) notes. Definitely smoky and soy sauce was very prominent, with a bit of sweet fruit. Most of the group thought this was the Mouton but I knew it wasn't so...

1982 Mouton-Rothschild - beautiful nose...right off the bat I picked up the smoke and lead pencil notes and that usually points to Mouton. The additional hint of soy sauce pretty much confirmed it for me. Oh and of course there was red fruit and a bit of brett. A classic and the crowd loved it.

Pigeon au thé, pâtes fraîches fumées, copeaux de fenouil cru - the pigeon was lovely. It was pink and very, very tender - just the way I like it. And the presentation was also very pleasing.

There were two different pastas on the side, and my preference is for the angel hair served in the little bowl with a bit of celeriac.

The next three reds are served and things hit a new high, as the wine of the evening revealed itself.

1982 Latour - Wow! This was sooo beautiful! Sweet fruit, a bit of sweet grass, smoky with a hint of coffee. Definitely everyone's wine of the evening and we all knew it had to be Latour.

1982 Cheval Blanc - it was clear that this wine was a little different from the rest. Nose was smoky and sweet, but the presence of exotic and tropical fruits gave it away...it had to be the Cabernet Franc from the Cheval.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - once again this wine manages to disppoint. The nose was pretty shut and didn't reveal much. Green and a bit vegetal, with smoky, rubber and a little stinky... We continue to be baffled by the 100-point score on this one.

Cornet croustillant, Saint-Nectare sous pression, petite salade de plein champs et piquillos - the Auvergne cheese came inside a cone and the thing looked like a cannoli. If only it tasted as good as a cannoli... I tasted a bit of chili powder and chili oil which gave a bit of a kick. But this didn't work for me.

The choco'pics truffe et chocolat glacé came, and I found myself with yet another dreaded spoon - this time with a round chocolate jelly. Didn't quite get this one, either... The lychee and rose concoction on the right did better, since the flavors were nice and refreshing. The white chocolate lollipop with ice cream inside looked really familiar - see something like this at Amber in Hong Kong all the time.

The second dessert comes and we get a millefeuille flavored with anise. Kinda interesting. The sorbet has a very light, airy flavor of basil, which is a good way to finish.

So we're done with dinner and the petit fours arrive - which by the way were all delicious. But little did we know that the highlight was yet to come. Canelés are served and my eyes immediately light up. I loved these things a few years ago while traveling through northern Spain, and it seems that the rest of the crowd loves them, too! We immediately asked for more. The interesting thing about these is that they are made with the egg yolks left over from the winemaking process, as egg whites are used as a fining agent.

The MNSC boys were unsatiated and want more wine. There are bargains to be had on Burgundies, so we open up a bottle of the 2001 DRC La Tâche. Beautiful wine! Nose was very sweet with red fruits, a little bit farmy, with smoked meats and orange. Awesome stuff. But by this time jet lag catches up with me, and when I started to wear some of the wine on my shirt, I knew it was my cue to head back to my room....

Bordeaux trip day 1: two meals 500km apart

Today’s my first day back in France after a very long absence.  Flying long-haul in cattle class was rough, but thankfully the processing upon arrival at Paris Charles De Gaulle was a breeze.  Getting myself to Gare Montparnasse was also pretty easy, and I rented a locker and dropped off my baggage at the station.

With a bit more than an hour and a half to spare before the train departure, I headed off to Dalloyau next to the Jardin du Luxembourg.  This is my favorite salon de thé in Paris, situated next to my favorite garden in Paris.  I’m gonna get myself some breakfast to start the day.  I arrived just a few minutes before the opening time of 9am (don’t Parisiens eat breakfast earlier?), so I had to wait a bit before being led to the salon de thé upstairs.

I was happy to order a pot of Dalloyau N° 10, one of my favorite teas.  This blend of Darjeeling has been infused with peach flavors, and was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dalloyau's presence in Japan.  Sadly it is no longer for sale at their stores in Japan, so I was excited to be able to at least enjoy it here.

I must admit that the pain au chocolat was a bit disappointing, but the croissant aux amandes and the chausson pommes were both very yummy.  I quickly finish breakfast and head back downstairs to buy some goodies for takeaway…  Tons of yummy pastries here, plus the usual selection of macarons. Surprisingly, the trademark Opéra was missing this morning.

Hopping on the TGV after breakfast, I find myself arriving at Bordeaux Gare St-Jean 3 hours later.  I'm picked up by a driver, and instead of grabbing a jambon beurre sandwich on the run, I meet up with my friend at La Tupiña for lunch.  We are scheduled to come for dinner in two days, but it's nice to have a preview.

The restaurant is named after the cooking pot hanging over the fireplace, which always has something or another cooking inside.  The place is very homey and the food unpretentious.  It apparently is my friend's favorite restaurant in Bordeaux.  We gave wine a pass since we will have more than enough alcohol in our system for the next 3 days.

I had a taste of some poached giant white asparagus spears, which I found a bit too big (hence old and not very tender).   I had wanted something simple - and supposedly light - so what did I order but cassoulet?!  I guess I just couldn't pass up the chance to have the real thing since I am in the south of France.   And it was delicious!   The simple stew of white haricot beans, pork sausage, fatty pork and duck leg - with a layer of gratin on top - really hit the spot.

After lunch we took the scenic route via the airport to our hotel, Château Cordeillan-Bages.  As we head north-west, we passed by most of the major appellations of the Médoc, along with some of the most recognizable châteaux in the region: Léoville-Las Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Pichon Baron and Latour among them.  We would be visiting all of those on our whirlwind tour of 24 châteaux over the next 3 days.  But now I have to get ready for dinner at the Michelin 2-star restaurant inside our hotel...