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This magazine was shared with you
as a member of our community of Bordeaux-lovers all over the world.
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Happy faces in Bordeaux again last month
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A Personal Note From Ronald,
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Happy faces all around
Happy faces: that’s what we needed.
And happy faces we had plenty on our November Bordeaux wine experience.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one in need of good old-fashioned fun and great wines.
Many of you wrote to me telling me how much you enjoyed seeing these happy faces in the Newsletter.
And you were dreaming of touring Bordeaux.
One last room for 2022
Obviously, these happy faces struck a chord, because all our 2022 tours are now sold out, minus one last single room on the 2022 June Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour.
If you are a fun and wine—loving solo traveler, then I invite you to join us on what many of our guests call a wine experience of a lifetime.
And this is the last opportunity for 2022.
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Ronald and Margaret: Happy faces all around
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Celebrating 15 years of this magazine!
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2021 was supposed to be a celebration year for us.
The first issue of this Bordeaux Wine Magazine was created in January 2006.
As a result, we were planning on celebrating this 15th anniversary this year.
As I explained last month in the November issue of this Newsletter, celebrating simply was not in the books this year.
Having re-found my Mojo, I will tell you something about the history of what has become one of Bordeaux’s most successful Newsletters.
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One of Bordeaux’s most successful Newsletters for 15 years
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New label Mouton Rothschild revealed
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Early December is traditionally the time when Mouton Rothschild unveils its new label for latest vintage to be released.
Those of you who toured with me, know that Mouton Rothschild has a special spot in my heart and in my cellar.
And our previous guests know that my aim is to collect all vintages of Mouton that have been produced in my lifetime.
I’m currently missing just three vintages. So, if you need a suggesting for a Christmas present…
Each-and-every year I feel anticipation to discover the next label that will shine in my vertical.
The label for the Mouton Rothschild 2019 was designed by a Danish-Icelandic artist and I will tell you all about the “Solar Iris of Mouton”.
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Tasting Mouton Rotschild at Mouton is an experience on
our Bordeaux Wine Tours
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2023 Bordeaux Wine Tour Early-warning-list
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For now, we are waiting to release our 2023 program, because of the uncertainty with Covid.
If we are forced to defer our 2022 tours again, then there will be not many availabilities for 2023.
Nevertheless, you can ask us to be put on the 2023 Early-warning list here.
This way you will be amongst the first to be informed a day before we release this program publicly.
We already have a quite a few people who want to tour with us and are on the list for 2023.
So, my advice to you is to act fast as soon as the program is released to prevent disappointments.
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Ronald and Margaret love welcoming you
in Bordeaux
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Have a great Holiday season and please stay safe and stay healthy
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The Bordeaux Wine Magazine:
Celebrating 15 years of sharing our passion for Bordeaux
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Bordeaux is so beautiful in November
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How it all started
I can remember as early as 2005, guests asking me to keep them updated on what was happening with us and especially with Bordeaux in general.
I started scribbling some articles about our wine and dine experiences here in Bordeaux, including the great wines we tasted.
Wine bubble
Writing about these wines and experiences, I realized that here in Bordeaux we are living in a kind of wine-bubble.
Dinner parties with wines from the eighties, seventies or even the sixties are no exception.
We were even sometimes surprised that a Bordeaux -served blind to us- turned out to be from one of the much-lauded vintages like 1961, 1959 or even 1945!
As a result, we have tasted many extraordinary and memorable wines over the years.
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So many lovely wine experiences
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Established since 2006
Writing about our experiences signaled the birth of this Bordeaux Wine Magazine in January 2006.
At first, I started focusing on our tours. Later I started telling our guest about the parties we attended in Bordeaux.
And they wanted to hear more about that. I can understand why our readers want to hear about these events.
Because when Bordeaux throws a party, they know how to do it in style.
If you are a long-time subscriber to this magazine, you’ll probably remember some highlights.
Like our dinner in 2013 at Mouton Rothschild for the opening of their new chai.
For me a special memory as this was the last time, I saw Baroness Philippine de Rothschild as she passed away in 2014.
Margaret joining in
A little later Margaret tuned in by sharing her recipes and cooking skills.
There is even a series of YouTube videos called: “Margaret’s Chateau Kitchen.”
Her parfait of Sauternes remains one of my favorite desserts.
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Ronald and Margaret at the gala dinner at Mouton Rothschild
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Baroness Philippine de Rothschild’s speech for the opening of the new chai in 2013
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More highlights
Another absolute highlight was when Margaret and I were both intronized in the Commanderie de Bontemps on invitation of Mouton Rothschild…
And what about my intronization in the Jurade of Saint Emilion?
Or tasting Petrus 2003 on my intronization as a Hospitalier de Pomerol on invitation of Nicolas de Bailliencourt of Chateau Gazin.
So many great experiences.
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Margaret’s parfait of Sauternes remains one of my favorite desserts. Click on the picture to see the video on how to prepare is gem
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Ronald and Margaret are both a proud members of the Commanderie de Bontemps of the Médoc and Sauternes
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Ronald’s personal highlight: Chateau Margaux-dinner
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Click on the picture for the video on the Margaux dinner and Ronald’s intronization in the Jurade
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Best party ever?
My personal highlight was the fabulous dinner at Chateau Margaux for the opening of the new Chai designed by Norman Foster.
This was probably one of the best parties I have ever attended, if not the best.
If you click here, or on the picture above, you can see a short video with impressions of our experience at Margaux.
The chateau served an unforgettable Chateau Margaux 1985 to commemorate 200 years of the construction of the current chateau.
This gave us the idea of sharing this experience with our guests by serving Chateau Margaux 1985 on our Farewell Dinner on our tours
I still have a case in my cellar. So, by joining one of our tours, you can experience this great wine for yourself.
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Dining at Chateau Margaux, it just doesn’t get any beter
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Tasting la Conseillante 1945
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An outstanding and special wine
We tend to focus more on the future than on the past.
As a result, I unfortunately didn’t keep any of our older Newsletters.
Having said that, I managed to dig up an article of mine from 2008 about a wine that really stood out for me: Chateau La Conseillante 1945, a superb wine from Pomerol.
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Tasting a 1945 is a moving experience
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As I wrote back in 2008:
“A very delicate evolved wine with the color turning towards orange and brown. Aromas of licorice, mushrooms, and truffles. A fragile, delicious wine like I’d never tasted before.
This monumental wine was served at a dinner party at Chateau Laniote in Saint Emilion.
The dinner took place on May 7th, thus on the eve of May 8.
This the day France celebrates the end of the Second World War. It was a moving moment tasting a bottle of wine that had been produced in 1945.”
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Provenance and storage
The La Conseillante 1945 was still great to taste.
The challenge with enjoying these older wines is provenance and storage.
It is not always clear where the wines are coming from.
Maybe they have been shipped a couple of times across the ocean.
Or they were kept in less than ideas circumstances.
This can seriously harm or even kill wines, especially older wines that are more vulnerable.
Impeccable
Here with this 1945, both the provenance and storage were impeccable:
This was a bottle that was offered by the owners of La Conseillante to the parents of our friend Arnaud de la Filolie (the current owner of Laniote) as a gift on their wedding day.
This particular bottle had travelled a mere 5 km from Pomerol to Saint Emilion.
The wine was offered as a present and stayed in the chateau cellar at Laniote ever since.
A very special and memorable experience. Again, thank you very much Arnaud and Florence for sharing this extraordinary wine with us.”
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Arnaud de la Filolie, modest and great sense of humor
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Florence de la Filolie, a very talented winemaker and a both a lovely lady and a great friend
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Confident for the future of the Bordeaux Wine Magazine
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I am confident that the world will re-find a kind of new normal.
And I am confident that we will continue writing again about Bordeaux in line with our mission statement that hasn’t changed since we started:
“Since its founding in January 2006, the Bordeaux Wine Magazine has remained true to its original mission:
to educate and entertain readers in the most accessible and user-friendly way, as part of an active, upscale and fulfilling lifestyle.”
And we sincerely hope that you, dear reader, will keep enjoying this Magazine as much as Margaret and I do.
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Ronald and Margaret: Confident for the future
of the Bordeaux Wine Magazine
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Mouton Rothschild 2019 label revealed
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Ronald with Philippe Sereys de Rothschild (R) and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild
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Art has always been central to the history of Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s family.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild has a long-standing and close link with leading contemporary artists.
Each year since 1945 a leading artist has illustrated the Château Mouton Rothschild label, forming a collection that features the most famous names in contemporary art.
This prestigious list includes some of the most celebrated figures of their day, such as Dalí, César, Miró, Chagall, Picasso, and Warhol, to name but a few.
Many of these distinguished artists spent time at Mouton.
Their original artworks are displayed in the “Paintings for the Labels” museum at the chateau.
This collection never fails to wow our guests on our Bordeaux Wine Tours when we visit Mouton.
Château Mouton Rothschild now belongs to Baroness Philippine de Rothschild’s three children: Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild.
True to their grandfather’s and mother’s work, all three are committed to this quest of excellence, with the same enthusiasm and determination.
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Solar Iris of Mouton
Olafur Eliasson, the Danish-Icelandic artist, has created the artwork for the label of Château Mouton Rothschild 2019.
It is always difficult to describe the philosophy behind a work of art, so I will follow the press-release here:
At the intersection of nature, art and science, Solar Iris of Mouton celebrates the alliance of sun and wine.
Solar Iris of Mouton is divided into two horizontal strips: the upper part represents daytime with its golden hues, the lower part the night in midnight blue.
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Olafur Eliasson sees the wine as a fingerprint, of the soil
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They frame the oculus which represents Château Mouton Rothschild. Around it, a series of ellipses form a ring that charts the path of the sun in relation to the earth at the Château’s location in Pauillac.
The lowest arc designates the shortest day of the year, the top arc the longest.
A promise of eternity?
In the upper part, elongated figure 8 shapes -known as analemmas- represent the position of the sun recorded from Château Mouton Rothschild at the same time on each day of the year.
The variations in the sun’s position in the sky arise from the movements of the earth around the sun and along its axis. The motion of the earth and the passing of time thus become visible in the shape of the analemma.
The figure 8 shape also evokes the symbol of infinity – a promise of eternity for Mouton Rothschild 2019?
Olafur Eliasson sees the wine as a testimony, a fingerprint, of the soil in which the grapes grew and ripened, the year in which it was made, the influence of the sun that year and its cyclical relationship to its environment.
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A promise of eternity for Mouton Rothschild 2019?
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About the artist
Born in 1967, Olafur Eliasson studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He is now based in Berlin, where his studio is home to a multi-disciplinary team which includes architects and art historians. He works in sculpture, painting, photography, film, and digital media.
A guest of leading museums all over the world, he represented Denmark at the Venice Biennale in 2003.
In 2016, Eliasson created a series of interventions for his exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, deploying mirrors and light, fog, and water to amplify feelings of impermanence and transformation.
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Margaret with Camille Sereys de Rothschild
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One day, if he is willing…
Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, co-owner of Château Mouton Rothschild and responsible for producing the label, explains:
“I have been fascinated by Olafur Eliasson’s work for many years. His wonderful exhibition at Versailles in 2016 was a defining moment for me and I said to myself ‘One day, if he is willing, Olafur Eliasson will be one of Château Mouton Rothschild’s artists’.
His art focuses on the essential and that is what he has managed to capture for Mouton Rothschild: time, the round of the seasons and the sun at the center of everything, treated here in the form of a diagram.”
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Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild with Ronald and Margaret after being intronized in
the Commanderie de Bontemps on invitation of Mouton Rothschild
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Our Bordeaux Wine Tour Program
“The single greatest wine experience of my life!”
(Guest comment after touring with us)
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Because you deserve a Bordeaux Wine Experience and not “just a tour”
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru tour
(Last room available for June 2022:
just one single room)
This is probably our most exclusive tour.
This ultimate wine tour for Bordeaux lovers is as good as it gets with meals as exceptional as your visits.
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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Enjoy meals in venues not open to the public while tasting
the best wines of Bordeaux
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour
(Sold out for 2022)
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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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! |
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Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour! |
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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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2023 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
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→ Planning for 2023? Get your Itinerary as soon as it is released!
(Ask to be put on the invitation list for our 2023 Tour Program) – contact us today!
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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 © 2021 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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