November 2006 news about wine tours in Bordeaux France, France gourmet wine country travel, and luxury Bordeaux wine tours, French wine tasting vacations.


Newsletter 5, November, Vintage 2006
Return to newsletter archive index Read about: v Bordeaux Vintage 2006: So close and yet so far away… v Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule for 2007 v New 2006 Saint Emilion Wine Classification v Saint Emilion Château Figéac remains a B v Bordeaux Wine Trivia Quiz: Win a wine accessory gift!		Dear wine lover, We are experiencing an unusually warm November here in Bordeaux. The temperature was almost 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) this weekend. We had lunch outside on the terrace with our two sons this Sunday. Not bad for November. Unfortunately the weather has been less than perfect during the harvest period. For more about that see my comments on the 2006 vintage. I have to tell you about the new classification in Saint Emilion. We were all hoping that Figéac and Angélus would be promoted from Premier Grand Cru Classé B to Premier Grand Cru Classé A. But sadly sometimes it is not only the quality of the wine that decides. The good news for us wine lovers, is of course that their prices will remain more affordable. Many people want to know why The Bordeaux Wine Experience is so different. An important difference is that we specialize on Bordeaux and with us you will tour with people who live there. Often tours are organized or run by people who are merely visitors to the Bordeaux region. Remember we live there, they don’t. The Bordeaux Wine Experience is generally considered as the leading Bordeaux wine tour company. Our tours and weekend packages make great (Christmas) gifts. Think of sneaking a beautiful Bordeaux Wine Experience Gift Voucher under the Christmas tree: what an experience! And think about it; it is the ideal gift: You’ll surprise your partner and you’ll get to tour Bordeaux as well! New in this Newsletter is our Wine Trivia Quiz. Make me proud and let me know what you know. We will draw 10 good answers and reward them with a wine accessory gift. Please send me your feedback at Ronald@BXWINEX.com. Don’t drink anything I wouldn’t drink! Have a great fall. Ronald Rens, M.Sc., Wine Master President Ronald and Margaret in front of Chateau Margaux

Harvest 2006 at Latour 2006 being brought in 2006 at the selection tables Lafite Rothschild at Prieuré Lichine Vintage 2006, so close and yet so far away… As I told you in my previous Newsletters the 2006 vintage was looking good, very good. June and July were very hot. A cool and fairly wet August wasn’t ideal but we were even ahead of the 2005, especially when the first two weeks of September were very hot. But I warned you in each Newsletter that we weren’t there yet. Hundreds of millimetres fell in short and important periods onto parched grapes which absorbed water so fast they burst and rotted. Many growers picked unripe grapes in a panic to avoid further loss. The weather made for very uneven ripening throughout the region - even among bunches on a single vine. The vintage 2005 was a ”no brainer”, with nature doing all the work and the wine maker standing around smiling. 2006 will be a “wine maker’s year”. Early in October I was invited at Chateau Troplong-Mondot for a “picker’s lunch”. It was the day after consultant Michel Roland tasted the 2006 vintage from the fermenting tank. I tasted two different tanks with Merlot from different plots and I smiled when the wine maker repeated Roland’s comments: “Ce n’est pas un vin pour les petites filles” (That’s not a wine for little girls). A wonderful wine in the making and surely less expensive than the 2005… For a verdict on Bordeaux 2006 we need to await the futures tastings in April and the tasting notes of the Parkers of this world, to decide what we are going to buy. Some of the 2006 will be extraordinary, but there will also be quite some “merde” being produced, as one of my wine maker friends told me. To be continued… Christine Valette, the proud owner of the promoted Chateau Troplong-Mondot prepares the 2006 sample for me to taste. Want to taste for yourself? You can taste the 2006 vintage right from the barrel and you can see these top chateaux with your own eyes. For 2007 we offer four superb wine tours here in Bordeaux and we still have spots available: 1. The Grand Tour of Bordeaux May 28- June 2, 2007 (6 days, 5 nights) and September 3 - September 8, 2007 (6 days, 5 nights) [September: last 2 spots remaining (just one couple or two singles!)]. This ultimate wine tour for Bordeaux lovers is as good as it gets: Tastings and visits at all five First Growths and Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem. You will have a sneak peek at the 2006 vintage in Bordeaux. Add to that the best of Pomerol and Saint Emilion and three gorgeous meals in Michelin Starred Restaurants. This tour is your chance to get an insiders view of the best Bordeaux has to offer. First Growth Chateau Haut Brion 2. The Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour June 11 – June 16, 2007 (6 days, 5 nights) and July 2 – July 2, 2007 (6 days, 5 nights) This excellent wine tour for wine lovers will get you into four First Growths! This is your chance to get an insiders view of Bordeaux and its most famous appellations. You will taste the grapes of the 2007 right from the vines and you can form your own judgement on the 2006 barrel tasting when touring with us in Bordeaux. Chateau de Malle with its gardens by Le Nôtre New 2006 Saint Emilion Wine Classification The wines of Saint Emilion were first classified in 1954. This classification was set out to be to be an active test of quality. Contrary to the rigid 1855 Classification in the Médoc, the Saint Emilion classification was supposed to be revised every 10 years. As we are in France this of course didn't happen. The first time the system was revised was in 1986. Since then it had been revised every 10 years as originally planned. The latest revision dates from September 2006 The sign still has to be changed into: *Premier* Grand Cru Classé. Here are the most important changes to the Saint-Emilion Wine Classification: Changes from Grand Cru Classé to Premier Grand Cru Classé B : 2 Château Pavie-Macquin, Château Troplong Mondot New entrant to the Grand Cru Classé Classification: 6 Château Bellefont-Belcier, Château Destieux, Château Fleur Cardinale, Château Grand Corbin, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne, Château Monbousquet. Not retained in the Classification: 11 (See our web site for all names) Click here for the complete new 2006 Saint Emilion Wine Classification Saint Emilion Château Figéac remains a B Like I said in my introduction; Château Figéac was not promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A. The request to be promoted was rejected on the specific grounds 'that Figéac does not sell at the same level of price as Cheval Blanc or Ausone'. The owner of Figéac, the ever gracious Thierry Manoncourt, was rumoured to plan legal action against this decision. I met Monsieur Manoncourt and his charming wife again last Thursday at a Champagne tasting at a Bordeaux wine trader. He showed no signs of any grudge, knowing Figéac’s application was not rejected on grounds of quality but on price. I know the commission is in its rights to take the price into consideration but it sadly discriminates properties such as Figéac that maintain reasonable prices. Last night Margaret and I were at a wine tasting in Bordeaux. Afterwards we had dinner in a restaurant in down town Bordeaux. We had a Chateau Figéac 2003 with our meal. A smooth soft wine, perhaps a little bit on the light side, but nice and fruity (cherry) and easy to drink. The wine could have aged for another 5 to 10 years from our point of view. We thought it a steal at € 58 a bottle in a restaurant. Thierry the Manoncourt likes to maintain fair prices for his excellent wines Wine trivia quiz Do you recognize the detail of a label of this Bordeaux wine? Let me know before next Monday (November 20) what you think. I want to know the name of the chateau, the vintage and the appellation. Among Newsletter readers to come up with the right answer we will draw 10 that will receive a Bordeaux Wine Experience wine accessory gift. Let me know: Ronald@BXWINEX.com. The correct answer you can find here. Forward to a Friend I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. I even ask you to forward it to a friend, family member or colleague who loves wine! We hope to see you soon with us here in Bordeaux! Cheers from Bordeaux, Ronald and Margaret Rens		Visit our website: Bordeaux Wine Tours www.BXWINEX.com
		2007 Wine Tour Schedule (Only five couples per tour!) We proudly present the following Tours and dates for 2007: The Grand Tour of Bordeaux May 28-June 2, 2007 and September 3-8, 2007 The Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour June 11-16, 2007 and July 2-July 7, 2007 These Bordeaux Wine Tours are 6 days, 5 nights. Avoid disappointment and reserve your place today! (Click here)! BWE Wine weekends at Château Coulon Laurensac Weekend wine and Chateaux of Bordeaux at Château Coulon Laurensac (every weekend or any day of the week) Lovely four course dinner in front of the fireplace in our favorite gastronomic restaurant on the riverbanks of the Garonne River (4 courses and wine included). Visit at Saint Emilion Grand Cru Wine Château the next morning, etc… For more information please click here The Bordeaux Wine Experience Gift Vouchers An original gift idea is a Bordeaux Wine Experience Gift Voucher. These gift vouchers can be used for: § Wine Weekends, § Wine Day Tours, § Paris Wine Tours, § Full week wine tours. You tell us what you would like to offer and we will prepare a beautiful invitation card that will serve as gift voucher for the tour you would like to offer. Of course the card will be without any indication of the value of the package you choose. You just have to ask us to prepare a gift voucher and we will mail it to you so that you can offer it yourself. These invitation cards are much appreciated and are considered an original and elegant gift. Click here for more information.

		The Bordeaux Wine Experience Chateau Coulon Laurensac 1, chemin de Meydieu 33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France Tel: +33 (0)556 20 64 12 Fax: +33(0)556 21 79 44 Email : info@BXWINEX.com Web : www.BXWINEX.com Subscribe to this newsletter because you want to be the first to know! Click here to subscribe Don’t want to receive this newsletter anymore? Click here to unsubscribe
	Copyright © 2006 by The Bordeaux Wine Experience. All rights reserved. The content, design and graphical elements of this newsletter are copyrighted. Please ask the permission of the author before copying or using this material. The Bordeaux Wine Experience is a Dutch company specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region for an English speaking international clientele.