Roadtrip!

Two of the winemaking crew and myself set off once again this week to discuss wines from the vintage – and have a little fun. This time, we moved East, towards the areas of Beaujolais, Macon, Chablis and Sancerre. I’ll include some links below so you can learn more about the areas, and I’ll tell you what I learned. We tasted wines from the vintage, and in some special cases, got a chance to taste older vintages. I also had some amazing guides along the way that were kind enough to venture into the vineyards with me, give me some insight into the history of the areas, and treat me to some darn good food.

Beaujolais

At this time of year, every town, every restaurant, every wine-shop and every bar has signs up that say “Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!” The third Thursday in November is a special day (you can learn more via a wonderful article at: http://www.intowine.com/beaujolais2.html). We happened upon Beaujolais just after the “premier,” and for the most part, met with winemakers and production staff that looked as if they’d just been run over by trains. Getting the wine ready and into bottle just a few weeks after its been received (as grapes) is no easy task – it still goes completely through fermentation and malo-lactic, even though maceration only lasts a few days – read the article for more info.

Gamay is the main grape planted here, and, sadly – I could do completely without it. Learning about the area, the history, and the wines was fascinating (did you know there are 10 Beaujolais AOC’s?), but as I say, the wines were not. The style is very fruity, especially for the wines made especially for the yearly release of the nouveau. They hardly seem like wine at all, and are full of fermentation aromas of banana, plastic, and some sulfite. They are easy to drink, because of lack of tannin, but they really don’t taste all that nice. Of course, this is obviously just due to my lack of experience with them, as they do not resemble wines that I’ve made, or that I’ve chosen to drink. However, it’s no longer a secret to me why the U.S. represents only 3.0% of the consumption of Beaujolais wines.

The people were nice, and the area beautiful. One funny story.. well, two, really:

At lunch, as I tend to do, because it’s easy, I ordered the “plate de jour (plate of the day).” I thought, upon hearing it explained, that it was sausage. You can tell already that it wasn’t. It was, in fact, some sort of gratin made from cheese, spices, and the lining of a cow’s throat. Not cool. It only tasted half as bad as it smelled, luckily.

Later that day, as we tasted yet more of the fruity liquid the area folks call wine, I was offered what appeared to be some delicious candied walnuts. I was thinking, “yeah, this makes sense, walnuts would go perfectly with this wine.” Apparently not as well as twice-fried pig lard. Yep, that’s right. What resembled a walnut drenched in brown sugar was, in fact, fat rendered from a fried pig, that was then additionally breaded with something (I didn’t ask), and re-fried. Twice fried pork fat. Did you get that? – fat, fried one more time, in yet more fat. I wanted out of Beaujolais, badly.

The memory of my face when I realized I hadn’t gotten what I thought I had, still makes them laugh.

Pouilly-Fuisse

We moved to Pouilly-Fuisse next, through an area called Macon. In these areas, Chardonnay is king. It was fascinating for me, being the maker of such a large amount of Chardonnay, to have an opportunity to visit such places. Pouilly-Fuisse was amazingly beautiful, and the wines were unreal.

Pouilly-Fuisse is an appellation that grows and makes only Chardonnay. The grapes are grown on hillsides in extremely rocky soils. The appellation surrounds 5 villages but is very small. The wines are extraordinary, with an almost airy quality. They show notes of roasted almond and honey, while retaining an interesting floral character. They are wildly famous everywhere in the world, and the money coming into the area is of a serious amount.

We tasted at a number of small production facilities. As mentioned above, the money coming into the area was quickly apparent, as even the smallest facilities were updated and new. Tanks were custom fabricated, cellars were perfectly and automatically controlled, etc. Things here are very, very nice – and the wines are as well. We had wonderful visits here, and the brokers we spent time with were exceptional, and very fluent in English (always a bonus).

Chablis

Again, the wine and grapes are 100% Chardonnay in Chablis. Sad to say, the most amazing of landscapes gets a bit homogenous over time. The area around Chablis is gorgeous, and the wines, again, are very special. The best part of the area is the smell. It’s pruning time, and when the vines are pruned the cut wood is burned (the little bbq pit looking thing in the picture will be used to burn them). The burning creates, as you’d imagine, a wonderfully smoky smell. Every time you step outside it’s exciting – the cold air (it snowed while I was there) and the smoky smell are an exhilarating blend. Here, in contrast to Pouilly-Fuisse, the wines are a bit richer, despite higher acids, and have a creamy, almost aged, character, even when new. Strange however, that they are very delicate and typically very acidic. In fact, my teeth and mouth hate me currently, as we routinely tasted Chablis prior to ML that were pH 2.9-3.1. If you’re not familiar with pH and what it means, straight vinegar is typically pH 3.0,while lemon juice is somewhere around 2.5. Ouch.

Chablis is a huge area, and keeps getting bigger, to the dismay of many who’ve worked and lived in it for a time. Unfortunately, this appellation did a poor job of protecting the name, and in the US, as a result, many people think of cheap white wine when they hear the word Chablis. Real Chablis doesn’t come in a box, and it’s not made by Franzia or Gallo. Chablis is a real, remarkable place, making some of the world’s best white wines.

Sancerre

North-west from Chablis we made our way to the small appellation of Sancerre. Sancerre is a curious place. It is the lineless boarder between the more eastern Burgundy and Western France. In other words, although the only white grown is Sauvignon Blanc (a Bordeaux, and hence “western” wine), the red is Pinot Noir (a Burgundian, and more typically eastern red).

I knew of the Sauvignon Blanc, but had no idea of the Pinot Noir that awaited me. I suppose this is due, in part, to the fact that the appellation forbids the mention of “Pinot Noir” on the label, and allows only “Sancerre Rouge.” I’m telling you now, if you like fruit forward, barrel driven, yummy, caramel infused Pinot Noirs with nice acidity and balanced tannins – Get some Sancerre Rouge. This wine is no joke, and without the “Pinot Noir” notation, it’s priced much better than most Pinot Noirs from any other notable appellation.

I tasted many fantastic Sauvignon Blancs here. The wines are so much different than California and/or Bordeaux Sauvignon Blancs. They are not green. They are not over-ripe. They are not thin and they are not heavy. They have, what I found, to be an amazing balance of lemon-lime and tropical fruit. Some had ripeness (bell-pepper, jalapeno pepper, etc.) issues, but not many. The most interesting thing for me, I think, was the acid. There wasn’t nearly as much as I’d expect. These wines were somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.0 g/L (tartaric acid), and not up to the 7.0+ I’d expected. Amazing. Balanced and wonderful, without the tart acid, and without the greeny, grassy, cut-lawn rotting in your green-waste container that I really (if you couldn’t tell) don’t like. Fun stuff.

The drive back to Chateau Magnol was long, but the trip had been rewarding. Laurent and Bernard, who had been with me on the trip, are two amazing men, friends, and winemakers. We get along fabulously, and I can’t say thank you enough to them for putting up with me, my American ways, my propensity for eating steak (because it’s a sure bet in the world of fried pork fat and snails), and their being ever willing to take French and turn it into English purely for my benefit.

I’m tired.

Thanksgiving has made me nostalgic, and I miss being home for my favorite holiday. Not to worry, I had roasted chicken, over-done green beans and fries (it seems calling them French Fries would be a bit repetitive here) here that day, and made sure to think of all I’m so thankful for: Work I like, opportunity I never thought I’d have, friends of course, and family I don’t spend nearly enough time with. And the dogs. I really, really miss my dogs.

See you all soon.
JB

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

My mother was a teacher. My wife is a teacher. My father is a teacher. My step-mother is a teacher. All of them have mentioned the “Ah ha!” moment students have, and list this as the reason they continue to participate in what is probably the earth’s most under-appreciated field of work.

I have had several of these “Ah ha” moments in my “wine life.”

• Four years ago I had a bottle of 1996 Araujo Estates, from the Napa Valley (With friends at a Super Bowl party, of all places) – Ah ha!


• A year prior, a dear friend brown-bagged a Chateau Lafite from 1978 on me. We drank it with hamburgers after too many beers, still – Ah Ha!


• On my honeymoon in Tuscany I drank Brunello di Montalcino in a castle with my amazing new wife -- Ah Ha!


• I swore I’d never pay $50 for a bottle of white wine, and then bought and drank a bottle by Didier Daganeau. I would have paid more. Lots more. Ah Ha!


• Yesterday, I visited Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Aaaaah Haaaaaaaa!!!!

In fact, probably the “Ah ha” to go to the top of the list

Chateauneuf-du-Pape (written as CDP from here on, as you can understand) is a wine appellation in the Rhone Valley, France. CDP is also a village. The appellation, although named for the village of CDP, truly exists around 5 small villages in Southern France – Chateauneuf-du Pape itself, Orange, Courthezon, Bedarredes, and Sorgues. There are 13 varietals planted and used in the appellation -- You can click on them to learn more (cool huh?) On the red side, Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Picpoul Noir, Terret Noir, Counoise, Muscardin, Vaccarèse and Cinsaut are allowed. For whites the only choices are, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan, Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc. Typically, these wines are fruity, rather light in color, as far as reds go (unless you score a great one), and rather heavy on tannins. They are appealing, because of their balance of fruit, density, weight, extraction and acid. They pair well with all kinds of food. They are friendly, but usually need aging, because of the tannin content.

Yesterday, we arrived in the village of CDP at 7:00 pm. We would have dinner in the hotel, at 7:45. As I waited in my room, watching a futbol match, of course, as I’m quite the fan now, I got a knock at the door. Bernard, my guide on the trip (he makes wine for the winery I’m working with), alerted me that we’d had a change in plans. “Get ready, we’re going to Avignon.” A gentleman by the name of Didier, a local wine broker and winemaker, was taking us to dinner. Didier’s family has been in the Village for 6 generations. He is intimately familiar with the area, the wines, and the history. He also looks nearly identical to Don Johnson -- Not kidding.

Avignon is 10 km from CDP. It is a walled city, built to withstand attacks during the middle-ages. In the 14th century the Pope took his residence here, in a castle that, I can tell you first hand, is one of the most magnificent structures ever built. CDP is where the Pope made his Summer residence, as Chateauneuf-du-Pape literally means, "New Castle of the Pope." In fact, you can see the castle in Avignon from the summer castle in CDP (I did!). They used to send smoke signals to one another so that the Pope would know all was well in Avignon during his holiday just 10 km away (if only they'd had cellphones). The castle in CDP has not fared (faired?) as well over time. It was badly destoyed during the religious wars, and then further destroyed in 1944, when German troops set dynamite inside its walls. What you see in the picture is where their dynamite failed to detonate.

We had dinner in what, to this point, is the most impressive restaurant I’ve dined in. We drank a Chateau St. Jean, Chateauneuf-du-Pape from 1996. As my hero Dave Matthews put it: “My mind is blown.” Remy-Martins followed. And then bed – thank goodness.

Knocks came again at 8:00 am. Didier was back. “Get your things, we’re tasting in 10 minutes.” I shrugged, mainly from lack of coffee. “Come on man (French accent too), you’re in Chateauneuf – ha ha!” I’m still not sure he slept.

At 9:00 am I met a splendidly rustic looking Frenchman named Pascal Maurel. M.Maurel is the winemaker at a facility his family has owned for over 250 years. M.Maurel drives a dented white Fiat van. M.Maurel told us we had to wait to taste, because the only way to get to the cellar was through his Grandmother’s house, and she didn’t like to wake until 10:00. Lastly, M.Maurel has produced one or more wines that have scored 98 points, or better, from Robert Parker in each of the past 8 years. He had two 100 point wines in 2006 and two in 2005. In 2007 he made the number three wine in the world, and scored another 100. In 2005, he made the number two.

If we’re comparing winemaking to basketball, this guy is Michael Jordan…. Okay.. but if he’s not Jordan, he’s certainly Larry Bird.

First, we tasted the samples M.Maurel had for sale, that would possibly be purchased by the winery I’m working with. I won’t bore you. Suffice to say that I was told that 2008 is a “terrible vintage.” The wines were unforgettable. It gets better.

M.Maurel then looked at me, and in VERY broken English asked if I’d tasted his wines before. “No, unfortunately not,” was my response. He spoke French then, to Didier and Bernard. Didier looked at me then, and laughingly said, “You, Josh, are a very lucky man.” As it turns out M.Maurel had hosted a Wine Spectator tasting in the same tiny little room below his Grandmother’s bedroom that we now stood in, just the evening prior. He had the 2005, and two 2007 wines open. AAAAHHHH HAAAAAA!! You see where this is going?

Honestly, I can’t put into words everything these three wines had to offer. They were so rich, so concentrated, so fruit driven with raspberry, blackberry, blueberry (I love Grenache!) and yet so full of tobacco, tar, cigar box, new asphalt, dried meat and sweet, sweet oak. UNBELIEVABLE weight, with an oily mouth-coat and tannins that I’ve never experienced before – incredibly long, incredibly fine, and incredibly powerful.

Yeah. Like that.

We visited the vineyards after. The Rhone River has been important to France since before the time of record keeping. Over time, like all rivers tend to do, the Rhone moved around, swelling and changing course. The vineyards in this area are planted on land that used to be the bed of the Rhone River (I stole a rock for you Matt!). This is one of those things that you can’t believe until you see. We love to talk about “well drained soils” in the US – How’s this for well drained? You can imagine now, the power that these wines have. Every molecule of energy the vine can create goes into making the grapes sweet and concentrated.
Can you believe that picture??!! Click on it, and it will come up much larger -- you'll really get the idea.

We left CDP soon after. My most powerful and fulfilling experience thus far.

Hope everyone reading is doing well. I've been on the road all week this week, and have been thinking of everyone. I'm almost ready to come home. Almost.

Take care.

JB

Checking In

Hello Everyone!

I have just a few minutes here to talk, and wanted to let you know what I've been up to.

I spent the majority of the last two weeks on the road with one, or more, of the winemaking team. We have been visiting more Co-ops (you're all experts on how they fit into the scheme of things here now) and Chateau's to taste and discuss the wines, as well as make our first try at discussions of quality and get some notion of what the producers are expecting in terms of pay, vs. what the negotiants are willing and able to pay. Some of the conversations have been tense, and others have simply ended quickly with what appears to be a quick dismissal of our proposed spend. They've all been fun to watch -- kind of like the world's longest game of charades.

I have also been given two large projects to work on here. Exciting for me to be brought into the fold and asked to help out. The first is a huge oak trial. The staff is using many types of oak adjuvants (this means oak aside from the traditional barrel) but focusing mainly on oak chips. It is illegal to add chips during the fermentation, but legal post primary fermentation, prior to ML. Keep in mind that it's done anyway, everywhere. I started discussing other types of oak (staves, fans, etc) upon my arrival and the team was very receptive. I have created a large trial on four wines -- two base-level wines (red and white) and two AOC wines (one red and one white). I've also worked out some tannin trials -- there were doing no post-fermentation tannin adds, and I was quick to tell them of the success I've seen using this method to drive green tannins out of a wine, and replace them with riper tannins of my choosing. This, I feel, is a huge step forward for the wines here -- especially in a vintage like 2008, when many were forced to pick earlier than they would have liked, and the tannins never quite matured in the red grapes.

The second task is a bit of busy work, really. It focuses on the winery's desire to produce and import an "organic" wine into the US. I've been doing lots of research with the USDA, TTB and other French organizations to see what the requirements are for moving a wine certified as organic in France, into the US market while retaining the certification under US standards. They are different, as you can imagine -- for goodness sakes, we're talking about a place where bringing your dog into a restaurant and letting him roam about while you eat is totally common place. I had a dog jump on my lap and beg for bread at a cafe a few days ago. No joke. Anyhow, you can see how our definitions of appropriate food and beverage certifications may differ.

On a more personal note, Katie and I have done a bit more travelling. We had a long weekend this past one, (November 11th is Armistice Day, in case you didn't know -- we call it Veteran's Day, and apparently made the name change sometime in the 1950's. The day is really to commemorate the end of the first World War, but the US decided to make it a day to commemorate all the US soldiers -- and don't think the French aren't still upset, not that it bothers me). Anyhow, we left Bordeaux and drove to a tiny beach town called Saint Jean De Luz. It was great! A charming little place with a fantastic beach. We walked for hours, just checking it out. We had a few good meals there too. The view from our hotel room was amazing! From there we moved South, and drove into Spain.

We stopped in San Sabastian, another beach town. Now -- I gotta say, I relish the opportunity to visit France, BUT, if you ever get the chance, do not hesitate to throw France out the back-window and travel to Spain. SO MUCH FUN. The entire way of life there seemed so very different. In France, you walk on egg-shells about everything: Speech, manners, etc. In Spain, not so much. We stayed out till midnight eating tapas and drinking beer and sangria. Funny thing was, we were two out of thousands -- and it was Sunday night. Check out the kids playing soccer (futbol, right?) in the streets while their parents drink "vino clarito," that is rose to you and me. Awesome. And my Spanish got us around just fine. It was amazing. The man tending bar in the picture above was awesome. I was worried about speaking to him -- the first Spanish I'd had to speak. When Katie and I walked in the door he took one look at us and said, "Do you speak English?" We laughed, "YES we do!" He replied, "Ahh, you are very lucky, because I am only able to speak English to beautiful women!" Check out these tapas!

Fun.

Back to work following that. We're working on plans for a "release" of Beaujolais Nouveau today -- to include food and drink for all. If you're not aware, the "release" is a big deal here, as this wine is released on the 3rd Thursday of every year. It, strangely enough, is the perfect Thanksgiving wine! Young, ripe, and very drinkable. Perfect for helping you choke down dried out Turkey. I intend to have some this year with my chicken (we're going to celebrate as well, but Turkey is hard to find in France).

Miss you all.

JB

Ramblings of the French Wine Business

I am in the car now, on a long journey to Southern France. I will use the time to ramble on about a number of things. Also, being a work trip, I thought I should talk a little bit about wine business here, the systems in place for grape growing and wine making, and how those factor into my visit here.

The winery I am working for is large. They own their own estate (you’ve seen the chateau) and have a small vineyard there in which they grown and make their “chateau” wine from.

As you’ve noticed, I’m sure, I haven’t said the name of the winery (negotiant) or the chateau for which I am working. I won’t. The company I work for is not simple-minded when it comes discussions of proprietary matters in the public domain. Besides, all of you reading this know where I am, who I am working for, and the “mother company” I’m speaking of.

They also produce a massive amount of wines from all over France. These wines range from 3 euros to 25 euros in price. By far, the 3-6 euro segment is the largest. These wines are purchased, as wine, and then blended to produce the bottles needed for these price points. This makes the winery I work for a “negociant,” not a winery, in fact.

The French Cave Cooperative:

The French wine business is much different than its American counterpart. Few people buy grapes, as the economic structure here doesn’t make that choice pencil out. Instead, wineries purchase wine to make their blends, instead of purchasing and making wines themselves – unless of course we’re talking of the French “chateau,” in which all the grapes are grown, made and sold by the chateau. When you hear chateau, think “estate.” They are roughly the same idea.

During the 1930’s winegrowers throughout France realized that making wine independently was far too expensive. If they could find a way to pool their money, build a winery and share the expenses associated with wine production they could make a lot more money off their crop. Ha! The co-op was born. A cooperative is a winery owned, at least in part these days, by the winegrowers making their wine there. Think of it as a credit union, but for wine production. Quite literally every small village in France has one. Some are old and antiquated, and staffed with old-school winemakers with little regard for current techniques or research (see below), and others are full of peak technology and studious winemakers. Not kidding: the bad ones feel like you are in the dark, stinky bowels of an old steam ship mid-way across the Atlantic. I have been sure, more than once, that I would turn a corner to see soot covered men shoveling pomace into a fruit-fly covered pit in much the same way they must have shoveled coal into the furnace to make the engines turn. The bad is very, very bad. Likewise, I have also seen co-ops with serious money to invest, who have exceptionally clean cellars and fantastically current equipment.

The co-ops are, as I said, run by growers. In fact, each one has a president and governing staff elected by the winegrowers of the area. Among other things, this insures that the co-op continually acts in the best interest of the local grape farmers. These elected officials hire whatever staff necessary to make the wines – be that winemakers, cellar staff, record keeping staff, etc. The winegrowers of the local areas farm their grapes and have the wines made at the co-op. When the wines are made, the co-op sells them (via a broker – a whole ‘nother topic) to the negociants that need to purchase them. Obviously, the less the production costs and the more the purchase price, the happier the wine grower. The president is in the position to feel out the market each year, and offer wines based on current demand.

The other strange thing here is that the negociants and the co-ops do not have any contractual obligations to one another. The co-ops will make their wines and, simply by a hand-shake, agree to sell them to the negociants when the time comes. Likewise, the negociants agree to take them when the time is right. At this point, there is no discussion of price NOTE: This is the time of year we’re in right now. We’ve traveled around, checked on quality, but have no idea how much these growers will ask for their wines when it comes time to exchange money for wine. Obviously, a problem occurs when this hand-shake deal doesn’t materialize. Often the negociant (usually not the co-op) will decide that quality is not what was expected, and will walk away from the deal. Obviously, this leaves the co-op in a bad position as they are now forced to find a means to dispose of thousands of hectoliters of wine. Yes, hectoliters – we’re not in the US, remember?

So -- From a winemaker’s perspective, I must say this system sounds TERRIBLE for wine quality. With no face-to-face relationship with the growers it must be extremely difficult to discuss and certainly demand increased quality. The joke is that the grape growers really don’t care about ripeness and harvest timing because they all want to be picked out before hunting season starts. This “joke,” like most, is funny because it’s true. Also, like growers in the US, they would rather pick when the grapes are plump – less ripe -- (and therefore heavier) than when they are desiccated – more ripe. In what has been a good move, the co-ops have started ranking wines each year, and, based on both their tastings and demands of the negociants, giving bonuses to the wine growers who produce the highest quality fruit. This move has, according to the negotiants, increased quality tremendously.

I must say, that I had this very romantic vision of what the wine industy in france would be like. Certainly, the chateau’s, fifth-growths up, and even some below are something to see, and the quality is like I’ve never experienced in the US, even in Napa. In fact, I have had 5th growths here that rival the best that Northern California has to offer. But, make no mistake about it, wine is big-business here. With big-business comes the duty to make a product at a cheap price, and there is certainly plenty of that here too. It’s been a bit of a reality check, for sure.

There are pictures to follow, but I can’t get to them now.

Stay well.
JB

Le Chateau

As promised, I thought I’d chat a bit more about our “home base” in Bordeaux. The Chateau is a true, 17th century chateau. Today, it houses the wine company’s offices, the “company flat,” that Katie and I are staying in, as well as 12 other bedrooms, a full kitchen, and bar, a pool/game room and two massive wine cellars (I’ll get to these in a another post, but in the mean-time, can you say “first-growth magnum collection”? I knew you could). During the week guests visit and stay in the chateau’s 12 guest rooms. Usually these are large company groups, or rewarded sales staff from around the world that have excelled at the promotion of the French winery’s wines. There is NO ONE around on the weekends, save Monique, a lovely woman who lives on the property with her horse-size dog. Believe me, if you lived here alone, you’d have a huge dog too.

Oh – and “the hunters” also make their appearance on Saturday mornings. They have been enlisted to kill off the excess of wild boars that roam about at night, rooting around the chateau’s landscaping for consumables. Obviously, we have a sundown curfew, as to avoid being gored to death.



The flat (pictured at right), in all honesty, is extremely modest, despite its romantic appearance. Perhaps it’s our American life that makes me think so, but I was quite taken back when it was first shown to us. There is very little furniture, and an adequately, but not contemporarily stocked kitchen. We had some bug issues, and it’s quite cold, unless you close our bedroom door and blast the radiator – that’s right, the radiator. I shouldn’t complain though, as we have our own bathroom, toilet included (don’t ever underestimate that convenience in Europe), a nice place to sleep (beats my urine-stained-mattress, hostile based trip to Europe in college, hands down), and, when I’m not on the road traveling for work, my office is only steps away. Not bad. AND – we get six channels of French TV! You laugh, but you haven’t lived until you’ve watched Little House on the Prairie dubbed over in French.

Also, we have managed to really spend very little money on the trip, as we have become quite proficient at the local ATAC grocery store, and have made many of our own meals thus far. Nothing says “trip to the gastronomical center of the world,” like pasta and sauce from a jar, am I right? Don’t worry, when we have gone out, we’ve gone big. Dinner last night almost killed me. Apparently, in France, some genius thought it a good idea to not only serve an appetizer (called an entrée here) before the meal, but to also serve a sweet one before the dessert! In this case it was a small plate of fresh strawberry puree and local cakes. We had quite a time. The wine was a Vosne Romanee by Robert Sirugue, 1998. Absolutely at the peak of its game. Qui!

Next post will be the first tales of my travels with the winemaking staff here. Two very colorful Frenchmen, one who speaks perfect English, and one who speaks almost none. Both gentlemen have been fantastic to us thus far.

Stay well.
JB

Euphoria, I think.

Bonjour!

I don’t understand why, but recently I’ve taken to guessing at how big events would translate into “stages of reaction” for Katie and I. Katie and I have both traveled all over Europe previously, but never for such a long time. Both of us know there will be mixed emotions as time endures. Leaving the dogs alone made for hours of sadness. In thinking about the move to France (I call it a “move” because 2 months is certainly different than a 10 day romp around Europe, or a “vacation” in Bordeaux) I knew that there would be basically three stages of reaction. 1) Euphoria. We’d be romanced and completely blown away by the idea and reality France, the Chateau and our flat here, the change itself, etc. 2) Frustration. Language barriers, etiquette misunderstandings, getting lost, driving the wrong way down one-way streets, etc. And 3) A stage I call “Biting the bullet.” Learning what we must of the language, beginning to find our way, understanding more of the French, etc. This stage is to be (hopefully) followed by some bit of comfort.

One quick note:

I know that I am incredibly lucky for the opportunity to travel abroad, let alone the chance to work, contribute, and learn about winemaking in France. Again, thank you so much to all of those I work with that helped me get the chance, and to those picking up after me at my home winery and allowing me the opportunity. That being said, please understand that although a great opportunity, the trip will surly have its challenges. I will detail the triumphs and tribulations (usually for their comedic value) of our stay, and want everyone to know that I am eternally grateful for the opportunity, regardless of the tough times that I may discuss. Likewise, I am not gloating when I discuss the truly wonderful parts of the trip (take now for instance, as I sit behind this 17th century chateau, Chardonnay in hand) and truly hope anyone interested gets the opportunity themselves.

The trip over was free of any true issues. In fact, it was quite enjoyable. Air France was great, and the meals on board were distinctly French. Cheese with dinner and breakfast (genius!) and baguettes as well. Katie and I both slept well on the flight. Paris has a serious airport, but aside from our first taxi driver, who pushed us out of the taxi and assured us that we could take a bus to our hotel from there instead of wasting his time, our travels were comfortable and pleasant. Indeed, thanks to a very nice airport janitor, who showed us the way, we made it to the Marriot bus, and eventually the hotel.

We were treated exquisitely at the Marriot, and would recommend it to anyone. Dinner at the hotel restaurant was fantastic! We had a bottle of 2004 Pommard 'Trois Follots', Domaine Pascual Prunier-Bonheur, from Burgundy that blew our minds! So fresh and so true to Pinot Noir! The evolution of this wine in the glass over dinner, from fresh cherry and caramel to mushroom and forest floor, was wonderful. Following dinner the Sommelier, having discussed the first wine with us at length during the meal, brought over a bottle of 2003 Domaine de Chevalier LE ESPRIT de CHEVALIER (2nd Wine of Domaine de Chevalier) Rouge, Pessac-Leognanfrom. It had been a by the glass pour that was open at the end of the night. The Sommelier did not want it to go to waste, and shared it with us instead. Very bold and full of cedar, spice, and tobacco nuances, it was the perfect nightcap.

We took the train from Paris the following morning (yesterday at this point) and drove from Bordeaux’s train station to the chateau. You can see the masculine auto I have chosen to be our steed throughout the trip. You should hear this baby roar (or perhaps buzz, is a better word).

I will save details of the Chateau itself, and our flat, for my next post. Suffice to say for now, that staying in a 17th century chateau is grand, yes, but also quite creepy (think haunted castle). The area (Blanquefort) is a town of 13,000 just outside the city of Bordeaux. It is quite industrial, save the plot of land in which our chateau is located. I liken it to Modesto, or better yet Lathrop. Inside the chateau walls though, you feel a million miles from anywhere. It is eerily peaceful and as gorgeous and you could possibly imagine. Aside from not being able to watch football (the American kind), I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday.

Katie and I are certainly both still in stage 1.

Stay well everyone.
JB

Welcome to my blog!

When I told my wife I had a blog, she had two questions. "Why?" and "Who's going to read it?" Both great questions to which I still have no answer. What I do know is that I'm about to embark on some rather interesting times and travels, that will be the opportunity of a lifetime.

On October 23rd, my wife and I travel to Bordeaux, where I will work (and she will play) for 6 weeks. We'll stay at a delightful Chateau known as Chateau Magnol, just outside the city of Bordeaux. I'll be working with two other Winemakers, and travelling all over France's most notable wine regions. I hope to fill this space with comments and stories of my travels, and detail the food, wine and experiences I find there.

A huge thank you in advance to everyone at work who made the trip possible, and also to those picking up my slack while I'm away. I'm lucky to work with such fantastic people.

Stay tuned, and thanks for the attention.