Bike to Care Bordeaux

Jaime Dutton
May 31, 2023

As the festivities began on opening night of Bike to Care Bordeaux, we were welcomed by our hosts at La Ferme Suzanne, the courtyard of the winery of Château Giscours. Veronique Sanders of Château Haut-Bailly, Alexandre Van Beek of Château Giscours and Jean Charles Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages took the mic and opened a 3-night and 2-day charity bike ride in Bordeaux. They shared a few safety tips for the program, thanked all of us for coming and thanked all the other Bordeaux châteaux who were supporting the ride and the initiative. But really, we were there to thank them. 

I was overwhelmed and humbled to be amongst all the incredible people that had been brought together from Bordeaux and around the world. Steeped in history all these châteaux and the wines that were brought to the table - it was impressive. 

At the three dinners that we enjoyed together as a group, there were incredible wines shared - just check out the lists! What was also memorable were the winery visits that we enjoyed of Lynch-Bages, Haut-Bailly, Yquem and La Louvière.

The opportunity to meet the personalities behind the wines, see the joy and their pride when they open the doors to their cellars and share their passion, is memorable. Walking through the vineyards, the cellars and wineries while telling their story of how they started, or their family history or point out their favorite places, and views, to feel the elements around you while gaining a new perspective on wines and winemaking, to finish with a glass in hand and ask questions to engage them and keep them talking because you just want to keep listening, these are the stories that I enjoy sharing.

These moments allow us to be passionate wine professionals and that is what we want to create and aim to share through our non profit Sommelier Scholarship Fund. Thank you for your support and for helping us create opportunities and experiences for young wine professionals. 

I left Bordeaux with a new excitement to continue to enjoy and learn about the great wines from this region.

News from the vineyard - Saint Emilion Classifications

January 7, 2022

By Edouard Bourgeois

Does the Bordeaux wine classification even matter?

 Since the beginning of my sommelier career, whenever the Bordeaux wine classification is brought up in a discussion, it is always followed by comments on its relevance. What better example than Chateau Lynch Bages, a fifth growth that arguably flirts with the quality of second growths? 

There are a few issues with that classification. Emperor Napoleon III imposed the famous 1855 classification of left bank Chateaux. Unlike Burgundy, where the pyramid of crus ranks vineyards, in Bordeaux it is the properties that were ranked among themselves. And besides Mouton Rothschild, no modification has been made since 1855, despite changes in vineyards’ location, size ,ownerships, vineyard management, farming technique etc…
And clearly, knowing that Mouton Rothschild was the only chateau bumped from second to first growth in 1973 is a more useful piece of information for a sommelier exam than real guidance on what vintages to collect.

One would think the situation is different on the right bank, where Saint-Emilion has its own classification which is revised every ten years or so. For the longest time, only Ausone and Cheval Blanc were towering at the top of the heap until Figeac and Angelus joined the VIP club in 2012. A small revolution in the region. I remember meeting Pauline Vauthier of Chateau Ausone around that time of her first visit to New York and she didn’t hide her dismissal of the classification.

Last summer, along with veteran Cru Classe “A” Cheval Blanc, Ausone eventually announced that they would leave the classification, complaining about the criteria for ranking such details as wine tourism numbers and social media-followers…

The 2022 Saint Emilion classification just got released and it is now Angelus that announced it would leave the classification. Note that it doesn’t mean the prices will drop for this wine currently trading at $369 for 2020, the next vintage to be released. 

This really just makes for juicy gossip that doesn’t matter much to the real wine enthusiast who will more certainly follow the guidance of critics’ scores than knowing if Cheval Blanc is Cru Classe “A” or “B”…

As I’m writing this, I am remembering the sumptuous wines we opened at Francie during our most recent Pressoir wine dinner. All these Saint-Emilion were singing and I don’t recall anyone mentioning their rank on the classification.

News from the Vineyard

October 13, 2020
by Justine Puaud

2020 Harvest in Sauternes and Barsac

Most of the French producers finished the harvest a month ago but we shouldn’t forget about one region in particular which is always the last one to pick the grapes. In the southwest of France, and more precisely, in Sauternes and in Barsac, winemakers started harvesting this past weekend. 

As a reminder, Sauternes and Barsac are world-famous sweet wines of Bordeaux. They are made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by the botrytis cinerea, also known as “noble rot”.

Many Premier Cru Classé Châteaux have skipped the last few vintages because, according to the winemakers, the weather conditions were not optimal to produce a good vintage. From 2009 to 2014, Sauternes and Barsac made unforgettable wines. Each vintage was unique. Some fantastic vintages were recognized for their richness and opulence while some others are appreciated by the connoisseurs for their balance with a high acidity.

So what about 2020? Most of the winemakers in France seem really happy about this vintage, but what do the winemakers from Sauternes and Barsac have to say? The quality of the wines depends on the botrytis, which can be a capricious fungus. It can give the worst as well as the best. Sauternes and Barsac Chateaux were waiting for the botrytis to concentrate the sugars and acidity in the berries. But for that, they needed a set of climatic conditions that the 2020 vintage was slow to grant. 

On average, two sortings have already been carried out. Most Châteaux launched a first sorting on the week of September 14th. They harvested some grapes at the earliest stage of botrytis - very small but of good quality. The second sorting took place the week of September 28th and the grapes were very healthy. But the harvest was not done yet. For the final sorting, everything will depend on the weather conditions to come. The beginning of October was marked by significant rain and everyone is waiting for a clearing and wind for it to dry and for the berries to concentrate.

In any case, 2020 will not be a vintage marked by a strong yield though it should be a pleasant and quality vintage.

Next time, I will share my grandmother’s recipe of foie gras to pair perfectly with a Sauternes!