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 2005: Yes it’s that good!
I’ll
start by answering the question everybody is asking me about the Bordeaux
2005 vintage. After the futures have been tasted at the Classified Growths I
can tell you from my own experience: It is that good.
 The 2005 weather has been exceptional here in Bordeaux. The
wines have a beautiful structure with great ripe tannins hidden by ripe
fruit. One of my wine merchant friends names 2005 a super 1990 and tells me
that this vintage is probably better then the legendary 1982. Wines like
Chateau Margaux have even more concentration than the 2003.
 Mouton Rothschild has high sugar and high alcohol and
spectacular tannins.
Remember normally you have to wait until 2007 for the 2005 vintage. Some
people can taste earlier. You can taste some of these great wines yourself
right from the barrel: there are still some spots on our Grand Tour of Bordeaux Wine
Tours (May 29-June 3 and Sept 4-9) and our Bordeaux Grand Cru Tours (July
3-8 and September 18-23).
My personal impression is that the left bank (Médoc or Graves) is
going to be a “no brainer” in 2005; to produce a bad or
even a mediocre wine there in this vintage, is truly an achievement. Some
say, and I tend to agree, that the right bank (St Emilion and Pomerol) shows
some relative disappointments.
 However the Bélair is certainly an exception; I was
delighted when tasting their superb 2005.
The prices for top Bordeaux 2005 will probably rise sky high. My friends in
the wine trade told me that they already had offers from the Asian market to
mark up the unknown prices by 20%.
Decanter Magazine wrote:
"Prices of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage are likely to be stratospheric
– in some cases 300% up on last year – experts reckon”.
The magazine continues in a similar style:
"The quality of the vintage is considered so extraordinary that  excitement reached fever pitch almost before the grapes
were off the vines. Some proprietors say they are already getting faxes and
emails from merchants pledging more than the asking price for a good
allocation.
"Consultant Denis Dubourdieu told Decanter that 2005 is better than
any vintage he had seen since he came to Bordeaux in 1972, surpassing such
legendary years as 1982 and 2000, a sentiment that has been echoed across the
region... "
I have tasted the Chateau Latour 2005 yesterday and it was spectacular
(98 points by Parker).
So now you know and can try to establish a new credit line to stock up your
wine cellar…
Our new Paris-Bordeaux Wine Tour
Combination
 New in our offer is the Paris-Bordeaux Wine Tour Combination.
When you are visiting Paris you can tour the Bordeaux vineyards with us on
the same trip. The ultra fast TGV train from Paris will take you to Bordeaux
in just three hours. After check in at Chateau Coulon Laurensac, we'll
welcome you with a glass of champagne while visiting our own private wine
cellar. After the visit you will enjoy a cheese platter with a complementary
bottle of wine (Bordeaux of course) in your room.
 The day tour will start the next morning after breakfast.
You'll have three visits and tastings at Grand Cru Chateaux. You'll also have
time to visit the lovely medieval village of St. Emilion itself (UNESCO World
Heritage Site) and visit some of the many wine shops. You will enjoy a
delicious lunch in an elegant local restaurant.
At the end of the day we will drop you off at the Gare Saint Jean for your
return trip to Paris, or we will take you back to our chateau if you wish to
extend your stay in our region.
For more information about our Paris-Bordeaux
Combination, please click here.
Our own Chateau Coulon Laurensac
selected by the Michelin Guide
 After a lot of work we just finished two brand new suites at Chateau Coulon
Laurensac, aptly called: “Pomerol” and
“Sauternes”. The chateau now offers two suites, one junior suite
and one deluxe room. No two rooms are alike and they all have their own
charm. All rooms are spacious and have king size beds and include private, en
suite bathrooms with jacuzzi baths and toilets. Each room has a telephone
with a direct outside line, a TV and a DVD player. 
All
rooms provide comfort, lovely views and private entrances. Of course they all
have their own terraces with garden furniture.
This must have been enough to impress the Michelin Guide Inspector as we were
thrilled to find the Chateau selected by the 2006 Michelin Guide. We
see this as recognition for our aim to true luxury and comfort so close to
Bordeaux.
2007 Wine Tour Schedule and a
special offer
We received many questions about our 2007 tour schedule. Many
of you are planning far a head apparently.
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 2-7, 2007)
 These Tours are 6 days, 5 nights. Special offer: If you
book now (in 2006), we will give you the 2006 prices for the 2007 tours. Itineraries will be like those in 2006. BWE
newsletter readers have the first pick as these tours aren’t even on
the website yet! (I will put them on the site in a few days).
Most people that join our tours are wine lovers and wine drinkers and usually
this is their first trip to the Bordeaux region. Most people want lo learn
about wine and wine tasting, and what better place to start than in Bordeaux,
the world’s most famous wine region. I am convinced you will grow to
love our region as we do.
Remember we want to keep things personal. That's why we only organize tours
for small groups and tailor made trips. A small group from our perspective
means a maximum of ten people. That’s just you and four other
couples! All tours start with a two guest minimum.
Click for more information on our Bordeaux Wine
Tours.
 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!
Please don’t send it to snobbish people. The Bordeaux Wine Experience
is for fun in Wine-touring with wine lovers like you!
Please let me know your thoughts
 I'm really interested in your thoughts. So please tell me what
you think: Ronald@BXWINEX.com. I read
each e-mail personally. Don’t hesitate to ask any question you might
have on our Bordeaux Tours, Weekend Wine Experiences or Bordeaux wine in
general.
I hope you will tour those magnificent Bordeaux vineyards with us!
Hope hearing from
you soon!
Cheers from
Bordeaux,
Ronald
   
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