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Ronald and Margaret visiting Lafite’s Long Dai in China
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A Personal Note From Ronald,
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I hope you have recuperated from the Holiday season.
For us January follows its traditional course:
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it is grey and rainy in Bordeaux, |
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there is dust and noise in our chateau from winter renovations |
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and France is on strike. |
Are we bothered by the strikes? Personally, I experience nothing at all because most strikes take place in Paris, usually in the public transport.
When we fly, we try to avoid Paris and Air France anyway, by flying another airline and flying in and out through Amsterdam or London for example.
By the way, he success of strikes in France is partly measured by the number of strikers manifesting in Paris.
These numbers are very low this time.
I heard a disappointed trade union representative explaining on the radio that it was difficult for the strikers to reach the demonstrations in Paris…
Why? Because of the strikes in the public transport!
Am I the only one who thinks that’s funny?
Anyhow, the good news is that strikes rarely go on into summer because then the French workers want to go to the beach too…
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No strikes at Chateau Coulon Laurensac,
just a thin winter sunshine
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A special thought for our friends in Australia
I want to dedicate a few words of support to our many Australian friends who are hit by these devastating bushfires. Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades.
At least 28 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales alone, more than 3,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged.
The damaged area covers a surface larger than Ireland.
Our thoughts are with our friends in Australia and we fervently hope that this catastrophe will end soon. I want you to know that we are by your side and support you. And we send our thoughts of strength to you all.
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More exclusive than Lafite
Last month I told you about some of our experiences in Shanghai, China.
This time I will tell you about an exclusive winery visit. Visiting Long Dai is more exclusive than visiting Lafite…
Fewer people in the world have tasted Long Dai than Lafite…
I will tell you about our visit to the Lafite Rothschild-owned Long Dai winery.
Lafite has created something special in China that merits to be followed, especially if you are based in Asia.
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Long Dai, more exclusive than Lafite?
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New Year’s resolutions and dry January
OK in Bordeaux we don’t believe in dry Januaries. But if you do, your liver will need some training as of February.
This training gives you enough time to get in shape for a wine tour with us. We have just a few rooms available for the 2020 season.
For those of you who need convincing, I recommend checking out our TripAdvisor comments here.
Read these comments and you’ll begin to understand why people come back to us for two, three or four times.
Last spots
So, don’t hesitate any longer and join us on one of the last spots on the 2020 September or October Bordeaux Harvest Tour.
By the way, the Bordeaux Harvest Tour may well be the most spectacular tour we offer, with meals as exceptional as your visits.
Actively seeking one single traveller
We have one last availability for a single on the June Grand Cru Tour.
And that’s it for this year!
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With us you’ll taste more Grand Cru wines than on any other wine tour
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Proudly introducing our 2021 Bordeaux Wine Tours
We have been quite busy here, putting a lot of effort and passion in designing our 2021 Bordeaux Wine Tour program.
And we are very proud of the result.
One guest said after the tour: “You should change the name of your company: Because this is beyond an experience!”
Check out our 2021 Bordeaux Wine Tour program and discover why guest keep coming back to us for 2, 3, 4 and next year for the fifth time.
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Learn in a fun and friendly environment
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Ronald and Margaret love welcoming you
in Bordeaux
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And please remember: don’t drink anything I wouldn’t drink!
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Lafite Rothschild making a great wine in China
By Ronald Rens, M. Sc., Wine Master
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A familiar logo in an unfamiliar surroundings
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Not a young wine-loving country
Wine production in China is far from recent. In fact China has more than 2,000 years of history in wine production.
The locally produced wines tend to be more approachable and easy-drinking wines. In other words, more on the entry level and mid-price range of the spectrum.
Luxury is attractive
As we saw for ourselves while in China, the Chinese tend to revere high-end products and especially European luxury goods.
Of all luxury products the French luxury products are most sought after. Think Louis Vuitton, Hermes, etc.
Wine can also be seen as a luxury product, especially the high-end wines. Famous names and high prices are attractive to high-end Chinese consumers, especially to those who have become wealthy fairly recently.
Brand recognition
Decades ago, brands used to stand for quality and that’s why people bought them. Fashion brand marks or logos would be sewn discreetly into the back of the garment.
Nowadays the logo often has become the brand.
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Entry level and mid-price range of the spectrum.
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Dog-flavored chips? Some brand are less inviting to discover…
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Recognizable
The Burberry-check is a good example. The famous liner of the signature trench coats is now seen on the outside of many garments and bags, for example.
Part of the attraction of brands is the fact that others recognize the brand, preferably within a peer group.
Why show the Burberry check if no one recognizes it (and your implied spending power)?
Wine ticking boxes
As I said before, wine can be a luxury product as well.
To be seen as a luxury product, the wine needs to tick a few boxes.
The first requirements are a high price and (relative) rarity.
But there are more elements. A brand can be too rare because it needs to be available.
But more importantly, it needs to be recognizable by the user’s peers.
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Bordeaux fits the luxury bill
Bordeaux fits the profile of a luxury product because of the scale of production combined with the famous Classification of 1855.
On the top-level we have the famous First Growths: Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Haut Brion and China’s favorite top-wine: Lafite Rothschild.
These five chateaux produce together on average just under a million bottles per year.
So, the Bordeaux First Growths fit the bill: Well-known and available, recognized by all in the wine world, relatively scarce (at least a limited production capacity) and expensive.
What’s in a name?
I don’t know whether this is completely true, but I have been told many times that First Growths with an “R” prominently featuring in their name are in a dis-advantage in China.
These chateaux suffer from the challenge faced by many Chinese people to pronounce this letter R. Lafite (the Rothschild is often dropped when speaking of the chateau) apparently benefits from this.
Whatever the reason, Lafite is the most famous and most sought-after high-end wine in China.
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Bordeaux’s First Growths fit the luxury bill
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The wine market is still very different in China
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Savvy wine drinkers
China is now the world’s largest market for red wine.
China’s consumption of red wine has grown by 136% since 2008, while consumption has declined by 18% in France, the second-largest consumer.
The United States remains the largest market for all types of wine combined (red, white, rosé, and sparkling).
The US has a total sales of approximately 4 billion bottles, slightly ahead of France and followed by Italy and the United Kingdom.
Currently, per-capita annual wine consumption in China is only 0.35 liters.
The days that Chinese “wine lovers” would chuck their wine from a big water glass are a thing of the past.
Nowadays there are many, mostly savvy wine drinkers in China.
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Lafite decided to start a success story in China
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“Our story as winemakers began 150 years ago at Château Lafite in France.
Ten years ago, we decided to start the same story in China.”
Saskia de Rothschild
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Lafite in China, a new chapter
But now Lafite officially opened a new chapter of a book they quietly started writing a few years ago:
The production of a world-class wine in China. I had been told about this Long Dai-project many times at my frequent visits at Lafite.
But I didn’t know much about it because, in the style of the company, all developments were acted out discretely.
Last year, however something changed. My friends at Lafite started smiling when talking about the quality of the Long Dai wine.
They were on the right track, they thought. So, I felt that the time was right to go and see (and taste) for myself.
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A region known for its apples
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A “small city”
At about a two hours flight from Shanghai lies the city of Yantai, the Paulliac of China.
After a week in China, we were still not used to the gigantic scale of this fascinating country.
Our guide told us that Yantai was just a “small city” with a mere 2 million inhabitants.
Just to give an idea, that’s almost three times the population of Amsterdam…
But it all comes at a price: You have to get used to be able to see the air that you breath…
My allergy medication was working overtime.
New experiences
The trip from our hotel to the winery where our driver was running all red traffic lights in the city was a new experience as well.
The highway-trip to wine country was equally challenging.
We shared the road with an interesting blend of trucks, cars, tricycles, apple carts and pedestrians.
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On the 45-minute trip, our guide proudly explained that in the great Chinese democratic system 14 cities were selected by the central government for further development.
Glowing with pride he emphasized that Yantai was one of the cities to benefit from such a privilege.
The air quality was probably just collateral damage…
Apple country
The region south of Yantai is the largest production of apples in China (and probably in the world).
Driving through apple country we arrived at some point in wine country.
The Qiu Shan Valley is south of Yantai, and about 220 km north-east of Qingdao, the biggest city of Shandong Province.
The Yellow Sea is only 20 km away.
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An interesting blend of traffic
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Long Dai, a beautiful restraint architecture overlooking the 360 different terraces
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Long Dai
Driving past the copy of a Scottish castle, just around a bend in the road, Long Dai suddenly shows up.
The surprised security guard at the gate is not yet used to welcome European visitors.
But when the general manager and our host Charles Treutenaere shows up everything changes.
French-born Charles is dynamic, young and very sympathetic. As his name suggests, he is from Belgian descent.
We make fun of the fact that we are the only ones present, including Charles himself, who can pronounce his name correctly, as Flemish and Dutch do not differ that much.
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Charles Treutenaere. dynamic, young and very sympathetic
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With fellow wine writer CH’NG Poh Tiong
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Fellow wine writer
Charles informed us that we were visiting and tasting with a fellow wine writer: CH’NG Poh Tiong from Singapore.
I had met Poh Tiong before over dinner during Vinexpo Bordeaux some years ago.
And, by the way, Charles continued: “You are of course invited for lunch at the property.”
Vision and courage
Creating a winery in this region is not easy.
Long Dai is the seventh winery in this area. The name is inspired by the Taishan sacred mountain in Shandong.
Long Dai represents an idealized mountain that rose through the power of nature and was then carefully chiseled by human hands.
DBR or Domaines Barons de Rothschild, own Long Dai since 2009.
The vines were planted in 2011 over 30 ha and on 360 different terraces.
The name Long Dai was released last July and the property is open to the (mostly Chinese) visitors since September 2019.
Margaret and I had the pleasure of being one of the first visitors.
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Giving birth to a winery
This launch after 9 years “in the womb”, as Charles likes to joke, indeed felt like giving birth for the team.
Lafite’s intention is to awaken this terroir:
“Although there were already 6 wineries in the region, we couldn’t go and see the neighbors for inspiration.
Our ambitions go much further. We are not trying to make a Chinese Lafite but Long Dai,” Treutenaere adds with a smile.
Limited production
The wine goes well with the local cuisine.
Long Dai employs its own chef: César. The instructions to the chef are clear: not too spicy, not too sweet and not too sour…
Long Dai aims for the Chinese market but in future there may be allocations for export.
Yields in 2017 were only 20 hl/ha. With an annual production of 2.500 cases or 30.000 bottles there won’t be many bottles left after the strong local demand.
(Compare that with 20,000 cases of Château Lafite in a good year.)
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A terroir with rocks resembling Chateauneuf du Pape
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A patchwork of terraces is not easy to handle
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Fake vines and Phyloxera
Planting the vineyards came with its challenges too, explained 27-year-old French Juliette Couderc, the talented and passionate Technical Manager.
The first vines came from China and not all rootstocks were the same. “Even the vines were sometimes fake,” she sighs and continues:
It is difficult to understand the terroir when not all vines are the same. We sometimes even discovered Chardonnay plants among our vines.”
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“Anything goes”
Since 2014 all clones come from France, mostly from the Chateauneuf du Pape region.
All vines are grafted on American rootstock. “We don’t know if there is any Phyloxera in the soil, so we preferred not to take the risk,” Juliette continues.
“We can do what we want here: We can irrigate, we can chaptalize [adding suger to the fermenting most, RR].
It’s a free game and anything goes. We try not to irrigate and not to chaptalize but we could if we wanted to.”
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“We don’t know if there is any Phyloxera in the soil”
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Inspired by the famous round barrel hall at Lafite.
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Technical challenges and grapes
The pink granite in the subsoil is like a rock.
Couderc explains: “We have seen the climate change before our eyes: Dry periods were followed by heavy rainfall where much water falls in very short periods.
We do not have problems with Odium or Botrytis.
We did have a bit of Mildew but that was easy to manage.
The rot is harder to manage. When the rot sets in we send a team of 15 female workers into the vineyards to pick the rotten grapes. Like in Sauternes but the other way around.
Blended expression
The grape varieties are 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 15% of the local variety Marselan (bringing spicy notes and color). In 2019, Petit Verdot was also planted.
Long Dai choose for the blended expression to create more complexity.
“It’s in the DNA of the Rothschilds to make blended wines.” underlines Juliette.
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Stainless steel
Vinification happens in stainless steel tanks of sizes matched with the plots in the vineyard.
The wines are then aged for 18 months in Lafite-made oak barrels.
The -more or less round- barrel hall was inspired by the famous round barrel hall at Lafite.
Well, round? No, in reality the room is octagonal because the number 8 is a lucky number for the Chinese.
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Vinification in stainless steel tanks
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Familiar barrels for those of you who toured Lafite with me
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Blended in Bordeaux
Every Christmas Holiday the French team of Long Dai returns home to France to spend time with their family.
But it is not all vacation time. Early January means they go back to work at Lafite in Pauillac.
A 100 bottles have been shipped beforehand to Pauillac.
In the professional tasting room at Lafite Rothschild the Long Dai team decides together with the Lafite team about the blend and the oak-influence.
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Innovation and protection
Copying and fake wines are the issue of the day in China.
Long Dai came up with a great solution. A microchip in the capsule protects the bottle.
An app on you iPhone will tell you if your bottle is real.
If you use a Coravin, you will damage the chip and the chip will be damaged. And the bottle will be compromized.
I had never seen this system before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this technical innovation soon in Bordeaux as well.
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A micro chip hidden in the capsule
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Long Dai 2017 tasting notes
By Ronald Rens, M. Sc., Wine Master
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Tasting notes Long Dai 2017
Color: Beautiful clear yet deep and intense concentrated color.
No signs of over-extraction.
The nose is rather discreet initially with first showing notes of spice and some (black) fruit.
The wine is served a bit cold, as a result the wine takes a bit of time to open up.
Fresh and clear aromas on the nose.
On the palate one can’t fail to be amazed. This is nothing like a Bordeaux, but it is very good indeed.
Beautiful elegant silky tannins. I was afraid that the wine would be a bit heavy, but not at all.
Excellent freshness. The fruit could have been a bit riper, but I found no signs of greenness.
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Although wine was produced in 2014, 2015 and 2016, they were not considered good enough. The first commercial release is 2017.
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The Long Dai 2017 opened up over our lunch with
CH’NG Poh Tiong (L) and our host Charles Treutenaere
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I feel that the wine would have merited from decanting.
Drinking the same wine over lunch proved this point because the wine opened up splendidly.
Perfect extraction. Not too much nor too little, but spot on.
I feel that the team worked perfectly with what nature provided.
Wine making: 10/10. Vintage 9/10.
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Potentially brilliant
When nature will be a bit more generous, this wine has the potential to become brilliant.
For me this is the best Bordeaux blend I have tasted in China.
The tannins are really superior and ripe and that is not easy to do. Well done!
Price: around USD 390. Only for sale in China and at the property for the time being.
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Tasting Long Dai is a reason for big smiles
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Saying goodbye to Lafite Rothschild’s Long Dai Winery in China
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Actively looking for one last solo Traveler for 2020
“Solo travelers have a ball with us in Bordeaux”
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We are looking for one more Solo Traveler for June 2020
Single travelers are more than welcome on our tours.
On each of our tours we have one single room (without single supplement of course).
If the idea of single travel is daunting to you, our group tours come in handy.
Just click on the picture to see a short video where solo travelers tell you about their Bordeaux Wine Experience with us.
I invite you to secure one of this last single spot and do it now: This tour is a wine lovers dream come true. And single travelers love what we offer and so will you!
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Click on the picture to see a short video for solo travelers
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Proudly introducing our 2021 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program:
“A romantic, never to be forgotten, put it on your bucket list experience.” (a TripAdvisor reviewer)
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Great fun on the Masterclass on the first night on our Bordeaux Wine Experiences
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2020 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
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2021 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
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10 excellent reasons to join the Bordeaux Wine Experience
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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 d’Yquem! |
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Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…)! |
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Private gourmet meals at Bordeaux Chateaux and in a famous Michelin-starred restaurant! |
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Superb food & wines and great fun in a small group! |
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Expert (and humorous) guidance by Bordeaux Specialist Ronald Rens! |
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An entertaining concise cooking class! |
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Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th century chateau! |
9. Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour!
10.Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau Margaux 1985, Lafite Rothschild + Superior First Growth Yquem of over 20 years old!).
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Because you deserve 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!
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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.
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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.
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Feel completely Special and Pampered on this Exclusive Experience
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Chateau Coulon Laurensac, without a doubt the best place in the world to taste all five First Growths plus 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 © 2020 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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