This magazine was shared with you as a member of our select club of Bordeaux-lovers all over the world.
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Spring is in the air in Bordeaux
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A Personal Note From Ronald,
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As you can see, spring is in the air at Chateau Coulon Laurensac.
As much as I enjoyed last month’s snow, I prefer the sunshine and the flowers that start to pop again!
We were very happy with the massive response to my previous Newsletter.
Many of you loved the pictures of our chateau in the snow (please click here if you missed it).
But our tour schedule seems to have hit a spot as well.
2024 selling out fast
There was a lot of interest for our new 2024 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program.
But also, for the last rooms for 2023.
Last spots 2023 Harvest Tour
The good news is that you can still join us this Fall for our 2023 Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour.
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Our Chateau Coulon Laurensac, your home during your tour
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No plans to retire yet
Some of you were worried that I was planning on retiring altogether.
That is not my plan, because I simply love what I do.
But then again; yes, I am I’m turning 65 in March.
And yes, I am going to take it a bit easier.
Therefore we have reduced the number of tours for 2024 to just four.
So, if you are planning of experiencing Bordeaux in a way that only we can offer, I invite you to ask us for an itinerary now.
You won’t regret it!
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Ronald: “I am having way much too fun to retire”
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Decanting debunked
I get a lot of questions about decanting.
Should you decant? And even: What is decanting?
It’s my quest is to make the intriguing world of wine accessible to all wine lovers.
I love debunking all kinds of snobbery.
So I have decided to dedicate this issue of my Newsletter in its entirety to decanting.
How not to decant
I have even added a personal experience about how not to prepare your older wines.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
I have a small favor to ask
May I please ask for your help?
I am writing this newsletter for your enjoyment and I would love to learn what you like to read about.
So, please let me know what kind of subjects you would like me to include in the future.
You can reach me here.
Your suggestions are more than welcome.
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Ronald loves debunking snobbery
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Ronald and Margaret love to share
their passion for Bordeaux with you
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Thanks for sending me your suggestions and hopefully we’ll meet in Bordeaux soon,
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Discover Youtube Channel:
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To decant or not to decant, that’s the question
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A selection of our collection of decanters
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What is decanting?
Let’s start with a simple question:
What is decanting actually?
Decanting is simply pouring wine from one container into another.
It is that easy.
Should I decant my wines?
This question appears to create some stress from time to time among wine lovers.
To take this stress away I would like to quote my mentor, and famous wine writer, the late Steven Spurrier.
Steven always told me:
“People wo always decant make fewer mistakes than people who never decant.”
So, when in doubt, I would recommend decanting your wines.
Why decant at all?
Decanting a wine serves two different purposes:
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Ronald with his mentor and famous wine writer,
the late Steven Spurrier
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1. To separate the wine from sediments.
Most great Bordeaux wines are made to age.
During the ageing in bottle the tannins will start to fade away and there will be sediments in the bottle.
2. Bringing the wine in contact with oxygen (aerating the wine).
Usually for younger wines.
Let’s get into some decanting techniques:
Decanting younger wines
Younger wines we decant to bring the wine in contact with oxygen.
You would need a large decanter for that with a large base (looks triangular from the side, see picture).
You must pour wine in with some zest. You want to hear the wine splashing in the middle of the decanter.
Again, we are trying to get the wine as much in touch with oxygen as possible.
I sometimes even move the decanter with the wine inside, like the figure eight to oxygenize the wine even further.
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My decanter for young wines
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Afterwards simply let the wine rest in the decanter in a dark place at room temperature.
A young Bordeaux from a vintage and an appellation with a great ageing potential you could even decant a couple of hours in advance.
Decanting older wines
Older wines we decant to get rid of the sediments.
That’s the only reason.
We have a wine fridge in our kitchen which is set to serving temperature.
I always put my decanters in the fridge with the wines still in the bottle.
This way I am sure that the wine and the decanter have the same temperature so there will be no thermal shock.
I you have a wine fridge then I recommend this as well.
I always place my older bottles upright in the wine fridge for a few days after bringing them from my cellar.
This way the sediments will sink to the bottom of the bottle.
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We have a collection of antique decanters that I use very often
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Order of serving
At a dinner party, I usually serve my oldest wines as the last of the red wines of the night.
This means that all members of our dinner party have eaten their fill.
And had his or her fair share of wine.
In other words: nobody is hungry or thirsty anymore.
The main dish usually has been consumed so there is no stress in the kitchen.
At the last moment
Older wines, I always decant at the last moment.
And I use my special decanter called “vieux millésimes” (old vintages).
Mine is a crystal decanter resembling a wine bottle (see picture).
Here I would pour the wine very gently against the surface of the decanter to transfer the wine as quietly as possible into the decanter.
Of course, I would pay close attention and stop pouring as soon as sediments appear.
Traditionally a candle is used as a light source to check for the sediments coming.
If the wines are not served “blind” to my guests, I often decant at the table to get everyone’s attention.
And to bring everybody in the right mood and create some anticipation.
If I serve the wines blind, I decant in another room so my guests wont’s see the label or even the shape of the bottle.
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My decanter “Vieux millésimes,” specially for old vintages
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Serve and drink or serve and wait
I would then serve the wine to my guests (after having tasted the wine myself of course).
For the next step we would all taste and discuss whether this wine needs more oxygen.
If this is the case -which happens in a surprisingly high number of cases with these great older bottles- we would take our time and swirl the wine gently in our glasses.
We then take our time and wait for the wine to further open, to express itself fully. This is basically an oxidation in your glass.
Risk of losing your bottle
When the wine is older, the risk is that it will oxidize quickly once released from the bottle and that you will lose your wine.
Me personally, I prefer to be on the safe side.
As a result, I always decant older wines at the last moment.
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“Death by decanting” of a beautiful 1959
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Why we only drink with nice people
Opening bottles at the last-minute means that we sometimes must wait for the wine to open up.
Even with older bottles of wine.
I prefer waiting a bit for the wine to show itself over the risk of losing a beautiful wine to oxidating.
That’s why we always try to invite the right kind of people to share my old bottles.
In other words: We need friends who:
A. Will appreciate older wines (not everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak), and
B. Are nice people to spend time with and be interested to discuss and experience the wine as it opens up.
Decanting à la Bordelaise
When serving a special wine, you may want to present your wine in its bottle.
This is the way the chateaux in Bordeaux usually serve their wines.
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You decant your wine like described here. In the meantime, you rinse out the bottle with water to get rid of the sediments.
You then put the bottle upside down on a teacloth, so that the water can drip out.
After that you gently pour the wine back in your bottle. You now have double-decanted your wine in the true Bordeaux style.
With really old wines I personally never take the risk.
Pouring the wine back in the bottle is an extra oxygenation that may make you lose your wine. Therefore I always serve my older wines directly from the decanter.
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Decanting: How not to do it
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A story comes to mind
Margaret and I were invited for dinner with some dear friends of ours.
His wife is a great chef, so we always have a great dinner to look forward to.
Our friend is a delightful chap, but he doesn’t know the first thing about wines.
For ages he had been telling us about his late father’s wine cellar.
Each time we dined at their place he told us about well-aged bottles from this collection he would like to share with us.
Limited interest
Given his limited interest in wine, each time we go there for dinner, he simply forgets to go to his mother’s house to pick up a few of these bottles.
One fine day we go to dinner at their house in Bordeaux.
And this time he proudly announced that he had picked some special bottles from his father’s collection to share with us.
A proud mistake
When we arrived at around eight, our friend took much pride in telling us that he was well-prepared.
And how he had decanted the bottles at five in the afternoon,
“Well in advance,” in his words.
“So they could breathe,” he continued…
Death by decanting
Well, breathing these bottles did, unfortunately.
The first bottle, Chateau Batailley 1959, a Fifth Classified Growths from Pauillac, sadly didn’t survive this (mis)treatment.
It was still drinkable, but it had started to oxidize and regrettably, had lost much of its charm.
The second older wine from the Médoc was a Chateau Lagrange 1952, a Third Classified Growth from Saint Julien.
This bottle suffered the same ordeal of being opened and decanted way too long in advance.
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Low-level bottles can reveal pleasant surprises
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To the wine’s credit, it survived the oxygen better than its predecessor and still managed to give us much pleasure.
Especially for me.
The year my parents were married
As you may know, I simply love older Bordeaux wines.
And although 1952 is not a famous vintage in Bordeaux, it was remarkable for me.
1952 actually was the year that my parents were married!
I remember telling my mother the next day about tasting a wine form her wedding year.
For me this was an emotional experience.
Saved by the bell
For the dessert our friend had brought a Chateau Rieussec 1943 from his father’s cellar.
Rieussec is a First Classified Growth from Sauternes, currently owned by the Rothschilds of Lafite.
In an apologetic tone our host explained that he hadn’t decanted this bottle in advance.
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Ronald’s parents on their wedding day in 1952.
Drinking a wine from this vintage was an emotional experience
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Because of the low level he was afraid that this Sauternes wouldn’t be drinkable anymore.
You shouldn’t as me such questions
“What want you me to do?” he asked.
Well, you shouldn’t as me these kind of questions…
Of course, I suggested to put the bottle to the test and open it!
It turned out to be the wine of the evening, as it was simply divine.
This subtle and delicate wine worked splendidly with the Pavlova with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.
And served as another humbling lesson that bottles with low levels still can be good.
And sometimes even excellent.
As long as you don’t open them in advance…
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The proud herald on the old label of the Lagrange 1952
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Our 2024 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program
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Experiencing Bordeaux in a way that only we can offer
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour The Harvest Tour is Grand in every way, both in food and wine. Enjoy chateau meals and Michelin rated dining.
The most exciting time in Bordeaux is harvest time. You can sense the anticipation in the air.
And the food is superb as well: Exclusive meals at extraordinary venues not normally open to the public.
On top of that you’ll taste all five First Growths plus Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem and many of them will be older vintages!
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Experience Bordeaux in full harvest swing
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A master-class on tasting Classified Growths marks the
start of each of our Bordeaux Week Tours
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The Bordeaux Grand Cru tour This is probably our most exclusive tour. This ultimate wine tour for Bordeaux lovers is as good as it gets.
Can you believe that you’ll taste all five First Growths plus Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem including some older vintages! Of course we include the best of Saint Emilion and Pomerol as well.
Add to this outstanding meals at exceptional venues not normally open to the public and you’ll see why this tour usually sells out early.
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2023 Bordeaux Wine Tour Availabilities
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2024 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
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What makes our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Tours so special?
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Exclusive touring: limited to six double/twin rooms and one single |
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Carefree and truly effortless travel in Bordeaux: We take care of everything, really everything |
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Taste all 5 First Growths and Château Yquem! |
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Expert (and humorous) guidance by Bordeaux specialist Ronald Rens and his team |
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Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th Century chateau |
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Taste more Classified Growths than on any other Bordeaux wine tour! |
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Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau d’Yquem!) |
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Gourmet meals at Bordeaux Chateaux and a Michelin starred restaurant! |
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Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…) |
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Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour |
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Great food and wine and a lot of fun in a small group |
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Chateau Coulon Laurensac, the ultimate place in the world to have fun and taste all five First Growths plus Yquem…
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The Bordeaux Wine Experience at Chateau Coulon Laurensac 1, chemin de Meydieu 33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France
Website : www.BXWINEX.com
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Call us:
1-877-203-2665 (toll free from USA & Canada) or +33 556 20 64 12 (from anywhere else in the world)
(These lines go directly to our Chateau in Bordeaux so please remember that we’re on Paris time!)
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Copyright © 2023 by The Bordeaux Wine Experience. All rights reserved. The content, design and graphical elements of this Magazine are copyrighted. The Bordeaux Wine Experience is a Dutch company specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region for an English speaking international clientele.
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