This magazine was shared with you as a member of our community of Bordeaux-lovers all over the world.
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The 2018 Bordeaux Harvest at First Growth Haut Brion is looking very good
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A Personal Note From Ronald,
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Technically the summer is drawing to an end, but if you look at the weather in Bordeaux you wouldn’t believe it so. It is still sunny and warm!
This is also the season that we all start thinking about our travel plans for next year. And that is why I invite you to have a look at our exciting 2019 Bordeaux Wine Experience program here.
Bordeaux 2018
The harvest of the Bordeaux 2018 is well underway and the first impressions are more than positive, as our guests on the first Bordeaux Harvest Tours have seen with their own eyes. The rain in the first 6 months of the year created a strong pressure of mildew in the vineyards. Now it seems that the chateaux that managed the battle against the mildew may have another winner vintage on their hands. I know it is early in the race but the weather forecast remains very favorable so we keep our fingers crossed.
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Even the harvesting machines work in the sunshine
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Chateau Gazin 100 years
in the same family
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100 years at Gazin
In early September Margaret and I participated in the celebrations at Chateau Gazin in Pomerol. Those of you who have toured with me will remember this excellent Pomerol where we traditionally are welcomed by one of the owners.
The owners, the Bailliencourt family celebrated that it was exactly 100 years ago that their great-grandparents acquired this neighbor of Petrus in Pomerol. And they celebrated in a very special way that I will share with you.
Vertical tasting
Last month I suggested organizing a horizontal wine tasting at home. Apparently this hit a nerve because I got a lot of returns on this article. This month I continue the series with the vertical tasting of Bordeaux.
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Because you want an Experience and not “just” a Bordeaux wine tour!
This is our motto and it is not easy to put in words what it is that makes our tours such an amazing experience, why people keep coming back to us even for the fourth time.
I will try to give you some of our key-values and some guest comments. So you can read what people like you think of us. How they discovered the difference between a wine tour and a Bordeaux Wine Experience. Make sure to check out our 2019 Bordeaux Wine Tour schedule here so you can choose the dates that work best for you.
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Questions about Bordeaux?
Any questions or comments about Bordeaux and its wines? You can reach me and simply reply to this magazine. I look forward to hear from you.
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Ronald and Margaret love to share
their passion for Bordeaux with you
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And please remember: Don’t drink anything I wouldn’t drink!
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Chateau Gazin in Pomerol, a century of passion
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The beautiful chai at Gazin that would be used a a giant projection screen
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“Pomerol is the wine that makes you like wine”
Pomerol is one of the most prestigious of the Bordeaux AOC’s and today it is hard to realize that this has not always been the case. In 1923 Pomerol was the last of the Bordeaux AOC’s to be recognized as a distinct wine region. This is quite recent, especially when you realize that Pomerol has been producing wine as early as in the year 1032.
Noble vines
The French word for vineyard is “vignoble”, coming from “vigne noble” or noble vines. Wether or not a wine can be called noble, depends on the land on which the grapes grow and this is certainly true for the noble terroir of Pomerol.
Pomerol, despite being one of the smallest appellations in Bordeaux, has fame all over the world. Pomerol is about the same size as Saint Julien on the Left Bank. Hidden somewhat behind Saint Emilion, the chateaux in Pomerol remain for a large part family-owned. Properties in this appellation are usually small, many under 15 ha.
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Ronald enjoying a magnum of Chateau Gazin, one of his
favorite Pomerols
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The current owners Christophe, Laure, Inès and Nicolas de Bailliencourt
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Chateau Gazin, a century in the same family
Nested in the heart of this famous Pomerol appellation lays Chateau Gazin with vines rubbing shoulders with such famous neighbors as Petrus. Family-owned-Gazin is the second largest property in Pomerol (with 24 ha under vine). Chateau Gazin is an ancient domain of the Hospitaliers of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta and came in the Bailliencourt-family exactly 100 years ago in September 1918. And this called for a celebration.
The current owners, Laure, Inès, Christophe and Nicolas de Bailliencourt dit Courcol, decided to celebrate in style and with originality. Not “just” a dinner or a tasting but a “Cuvée de lumière”, a light show to be projected on the chai.
After being welcomed by the family with a glass of Champagne we joined the other guests for the cocktail. We tasted Chateau Gazin 1989 and 1988 from double magnum and also the outstanding Gazin 2009, one of my favorite wines of the property of the last 10 years.
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Christophe (L) and Nicolas (R) de Bailliencourt
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Proudly attacking the second century
When the night fell we were invited in front of the chai and there we were addressed by Nicolas de Bailliencourt on behalf of the family. Nicolas spoke about the challenges to keep a property in a family:
“A hundred years already! This is a claim that can be interpreted in different ways. It can be the expression of satisfaction or it can be seen as a little vain: already a first century of presence in Pomerol! But this is only a beginning. We proudly are about to enter in our second century! We don’t want to sound presumptuous especially in these often-difficult times for family properties as their future is never certain.”
The first time on a private building
Nicolas then introduced the scenography prepared by Bruno Seillier. Seillier is famous in France for lightshows on many of the most prestigious monuments in France such as l’Hôtel des Invalides, in Paris or on the château de Versailles, or lately at Mont Saint-Michel.
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Down-to-earth
Nicolas de Bailliencourt with his typical down-to-earth modesty continued his speech:
“It goes without saying that the buildings of our vineyard are far, far from being steeped in history with a large H. And we are not comparable to these prestigious monuments. It is undoubtedly the magical side of our centenary that such a writer has accepted for the first time to design such a scenography on a private building and to dedicate it to a family.”
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Ronald and Margaret with their friend and host Nicolas
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The Battle of Bouvines where the King of France congratulated one of the family members for his exploits during the battle
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Goose bumps
The spectacle that followed brought goose bumps to all present as the history of the ancient and noble family was projected on the chai. But Pomerol wouldn’t be Pomerol if the focus was not to be on the wines as well. The show ended with the famous grapes and fragrances so typical for Pomerol shown on the building dedicated to producing these outstanding wines. A truly memorable night that shows confidence for yet another century of family history at Gazin in the making.
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How to organize a vertical wine tasting at home
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Not all verticals have to be like this…
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Tasting is fun
Last month I told you how to put together a horizontal tasting where you compare wines from the same vintage. This month I would like to explain how to organize a vertical tasting. In a vertical tasting you compare different vintages from the same property. In Bordeaux these are often prestigious events with many vintages, some of them going back for decades. But you can organize a vertical tasting simply and on different levels.
No need to break the bank
Let’s say that you want to surprise your wine-loving friends with a blind tasting of a Bordeaux-vertical. To make a vertical tasting interesting I would recommend using at least three different vintages. If your tasters are debutants I would recommend starting simple and not go for the big guns of Bordeaux. So stay away form the Classified Growths and keep them for your next tasting. There are a lot of chateaux in Bordeaux that produce outstanding wines that you can get without breaking the bank.
You could use a Medoc wine like “Chateau La Tour de By.” This is a wine that I like very much personally and that can age very well. Or you can go for a “Chasse Spleen” from the Moulis appellation. Both wines are widely available and remain reasonably priced.
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Identity of the vintage
So what do we want to achieve with this tasting? We are trying to let the tasters focus on the specific identity of the vintage. I would start with three vintages that are very different. Go for a wine from a very warm vintage like 2009 or if you can get them a 2005 or even the heatwave vintage 2003. Your second vintage could be a wine from a cool and wet vintage like 2007 or more recently a 2013.
For the third wine I would try to find the oldest vintage you can find for a reasonable price. You don’t have to go back to 1945 to make it interesting… Maybe you can find a 2000 or even a 1990 in you cellar or on the market. All our Bordeaux Wine Tours start with a Master class on Bordeaux wine tasting and I always wow my guests with an older vintage.
The night self
Now that you have selected your wines, wrap them in tinfoil and open the bottles. All tasters are now invited to change the order of the bottles without the others watching. If all tasters are content that nobody knows which bottle is which anymore you write A, B and C on the bottles. The next step is up to you. You can tell your friends which three vintages there are to discover. If they are real beginners you can even give them some information about the vintages. The fun part is that everybody, including you, gets to play. Because you all have the same information, there is a level playing field.
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Or you can grab a vertical from your cellar, like I did…
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Chasse Spleen, on the level of a Third Classified Growth
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The challenge
Firstly I would ask the tasters to taste all three wines and write down which is their order of preference. This is very interesting later when you show the vintages. Some people prefer younger wines where others (like me) tend to prefer the more aged wines.
There is no right or wrong here as you are expressing your preferences and that is simply a personal experience.
Which is which
The last step is obvious: We have to determine which is which. In other words: to see if we can match the wines with the given vintages.
For advanced tasters the challenge can even be trying to discover the vintages.
The taster that recognizes the largest number of vintages correctly wins the tasting. A prize for the winner in the form of a bottle of wine can spice up your tasting.
Enjoy the experience and please shoot me an email after your tasting to let me know how it went.
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Because you want an Experience
and not “just” a Bordeaux wine tour!
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Great fun on the master class on the first night on our Bordeaux Wine Experiences
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An amazing Bordeaux Wine Experience
Our motto
Because you want an Experience and not “just” a Bordeaux wine tour!
Simply the best
On each of Bordeaux Wine Tours you will see and taste all five of the iconic First Growths—Château Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux plus the legendary Yquem.
Attention to detail
We happily invest hundreds (yes hundreds!) of collective hours and an enormous amount of attention to many details in our tours. That, combined with love for what we do, passion and lots of care, continues to make our tours the best of its kind.
A true experience
All this TLC is the hallmark for a true experience and that’s exactly why people come back to us again and again. Even after 15 years of experience, every possible detail of our tours still gets our personal attention. We personally handpick each and every element of each itinerary. Everything is first tested and tried by us personally.
Wine Lovers Tour Bordeaux
Remember we only conduct 6 tours per year and with only six double and one singe room per tour, participation is extremely limited.
Discover of our 2019 Bordeaux Wine Tours.
Be a part of 2019 Bordeaux Wine Tour schedule here
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Exclusive and fun Chateau lunches, not open to
the general public
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Tasting First Growths at the dinner table at the Farewell dinner at Chateau Coulon Laurensac is an unforgettable experience
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“The Bordeaux Wine Experience has been a once in a lifetime experience”
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“Tracy and I cannot begin to thank you for your warm and wonderful hospitality. The Bordeaux Wine Experience has been a once in a lifetime experience.
Your choices of itinerary have given us an amazing appreciation of what the Bordeaux region has to offer.
The ability to meet estate managers, owners, oenologists and even the harvesters has been beyond our expectations.
We hope some day we will see you in Chicago to provide you a Chicago Experience!”
Tracy and Bob F, from the USA
(2018 Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour)
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“You are gracious, warm and wonderful hosts. The trip was meticulously planned, and except for one hiccup or so, just superb. Your exuberant personality, your stories, your humor made the bus trips memorable.
As a teacher I loved your style, your passion and your knowledge.
I learned a lot about Bordeaux wines, knowledge, which was not as easily learned from a book.
We enjoyed ourselves tremendously and will recommend you without reservation.”
Lakshman and Geeta K from the USA
(2018 Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour )
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“As a teacher I loved your style, your passion and your knowledge”
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A personal approach and great fun with a lot of laughter
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Chateau Coulon Laurensac, build in 1724 and almost a
century before Chateau Margaux
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Amazing experience
Our guests rave about the unique atmosphere on our tours: our personal approach and the great fun with a lot of laughter. Superb wines and memorable meals at venues not open to the public are an important element as well. Did I mention the shopping spree at a farmers-market that had been going on for seven centuries? Or the cooking class with Margaret while Ronald doesn’t stop opening and pouring wines? And what about staying at a private chateau, build in 1724 and almost a century older than Chateau Margaux?
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Pampered all the way
There are so many elements that make our Bordeaux Wine Tours a unique experience.
And now we have added tasting Chateau Margaux 1985 to our tours. So join us in Bordeaux and you will experience a wine vacation that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.
You will be pampered all the way: From your first glass of bubbly when you arrive at our chateau to the traditional final wine on the Farewell-dinner the Chateau d’Yquem of over 20 years old.
Simply click here and ask us for an Itinerary and join us in Bordeaux for a wine vacation of a lifetime.
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A unique all-inclusive chateau experience
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As much a culinary tour as a Bordeaux Wine Experience
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Our 2019 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program
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Because you want a Bordeaux Wine Experience and not “just a tour”
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour
The Harvest Tour is Grand in every way, both in food and wine. Enjoy chateau meals and Michelin rated dining. The most exciting time in Bordeaux is harvest time. You can sense the anticipation in the air.
And the food is superb as well: Exclusive meals at extraordinary venues not normally open to the public. On top of that you’ll see and taste all five First Growths and Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem and many of them will be older vintages!
Ask us for an Itinerary here.
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Experience Bordeaux in full harvest swing
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Enjoy meals in venues not open to the public while tasting
the best wines of Bordeaux
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru tour
This is probably our most exclusive tour. This ultimate wine tour for Bordeaux lovers is as good as it gets. Can you believe that you’ll see and taste all five First Growths and Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem including some older vintages! Of course we include the best of Saint Emilion and Pomerol as well. Add to this outstanding meals at exceptional venues not normally open to the public and you’ll see why this tour usually sells out early.
Ask us for an Itinerary here.
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The Grand Tour of Bordeaux
The Grand Tour may be the most special tour we offer, with meals as exceptional as your visits. Imagine tasting all five First Growths and Yquem. And there is more: Superb chateau meals and Michelin rated dining… Add to this the best of Pomerol and Saint Emilion and you’ll see that this dazzling Grand Tour of Bordeaux is your chance to see and taste the very best that Bordeaux has to offer.
Ask us for an Itinerary here.
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Feel completely Special and Pampered on this Exclusive Experience
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The Farewell dinner is an awesome experience that creates memories of a lifetime
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2019 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
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Why take a Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Tour with us?
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Exclusive touring: limited to six double/twin rooms and one single |
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Carefree and truly effortless travel in Bordeaux: We take care of everything, really everything |
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See and taste all 5 First Growths and Château Yquem! |
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Expert (and humorous) guidance by Bordeaux specialist Ronald Rens |
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Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th century chateau |
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Taste more Classified Growths than on any other Bordeaux wine tour! |
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Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau d’Yquem!) |
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Gourmet meals at Bordeaux Chateaux and a Michelin starred restaurant! |
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Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…) |
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Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour |
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Great food and wine and a lot of fun in a small group |
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Chateau Coulon Laurensac, without a shadow of a doubt the best place in the world to taste all five First Growths and Yquem…
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The Bordeaux Wine Experience
at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
1, chemin de Meydieu
33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France
Website : www.BXWINEX.com
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Call us:
1-877-203-2665 (toll free from USA & Canada) or
+33 556 20 64 12 (from anywhere else in the world)
(These lines go directly to our Chateau in Bordeaux so please remember that we’re on Paris time!)
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Copyright © 2018 by The Bordeaux Wine Experience. All rights reserved. The content, design and graphical elements of this Magazine are copyrighted. The Bordeaux Wine Experience is a Dutch company specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region for an English speaking international clientele.
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