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Slideshow
Bordeaux en primeur in pictures
db’s first stop on the en primeur trail was a visit to Château Climens in Barsac, managed and owned by Berenice Lurton. During a tasting of component parts of the as-yet unblended 2012 vintage, Lurton was keen to stress that there was quality to be found in both Barsac and Sauternes in 2012, despite the fact that a number of key producers, from Yquem and Rieussec to Suduiraut, have chosen not to make a grand vin from their 2012 crop.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Moving on to Château Guiraud, we were treated to a tasting of the 2011 vintage, widely hailed a success in Sauternes. Winemaker Xavier Planty said that with yields down 90% on 2011, the decision to go ahead and make a grand vin in 2012 was not easy, but that ultimately he was happy with what he did make.
During our visit to Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan, we couldn’t resist sneaking off to snap one of sculptor Barry Flanagan’s famous leaping hares, which greets guests at the entrance to the château. Over lunch, Smith Haut Lafitte’s owners, former professional Alpine skiers Daniel and Florence Cathiard, revealed plans to turn the carbon emissions generated at their winery into toothpaste.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Avid art collectors, Daniel and Florence’s château is scattered with thought-provoking contemporary works, including this quirky sculpture.
Our grand tour of Bordeaux, courtesy of négociant Yvon Mau, continued with a trip to Haut-Bailly where we were hosted by the ever-elegant Veronique Sanders.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Then it was time to taste one of the region’s most revered wines – Le Pin – made by Belgian-born and based Jacques Thienpont from 100% Merlot. During the tasting Thienpont revealed that the first release of his sister Right Bank property L’If will be released this year, the labels of which will feature a yew tree.
We stumbled across this fine creature ploughing the fields (and possibly scattering) at Domaine de Chevalier who was kind enough to take a break from his ploughing duties to allow equiphile Margaret Rand a stroke.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Continuing the animal theme, can you guess where we came across this king of the jungle?
We were wowed by the turquoise splendour of Haut-Brion’s tasting room, where Domaine Clarence Dillon’s public relations manger Turid Hoel Alcaras revealed that the château had used the most Merlot in its history for the 2012 vintage, at 65.5%.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Then it was on to Ausone in St Emilion where the château’s glamourous winemaker Pauline Vauthier was on hand to pour the 2012s to wine writers Geoffrey Dean and Anne Krebiehl in one of Ausone’s gorgeous golden rooms.
Owner Alain Vauthier was on hand during the tasting to talk us through the 2012 vintage at Ausone, which is upping its percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend of the grand vin each year.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Across town, we were treated to a tour of Cheval Blanc’s new cellars and tasting room by the estate’s charming technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet.
Our en primeur week ended on a high with a tasting at first growth Château Margaux hosted by father-and-son double act Paul and Thibault Pontallier, both of whom revealed they were exited about the revamp about to take place at the estate, courtesy of star architect Norman Foster. During the tasting, Pontallier senior talked of his experiments with the “voodoo” of biodynamics, the results of which he is yet to be convinced by. He also revealed that Margaux is to release a third wine, Margaux de Château Margaux, onto the market this autumn.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.
Workers at Margaux recently discovered a 600 square foot late 18th century orangery enclosed within the walls of one of Margaux’s barrel rooms.
And finally… shrinking violet Joe Wadsack poses with fellow wine writer Margaret Rand during a dinner hosted by young gun collective Bordeaux Oxygene at the Michel Rolland-owned Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol. “Calm down dear, it’s just a wine tasting,” we hear Margaret cry.
Keep up-to-date with all this year’s releases with our Bordeaux 2012 news.