This Magazine was shared with you as a member of our select circle of Bordeaux-lovers

Drinking First Growths for lunch in the gardens of Chateau Coulon Laurensac is what we call a true Bordeaux Wine Experience

A Personal Note From Ronald,

Bonjour Wine Lover,

After a very hot and sunny summer the rain has finally returned in Bordeaux.

The good news is that this gave me the inspiration to get back to my desk and write a new issue of my Newsletter.

Indeed, it has been a while since you heard from me but now, I am back.

Earlier this year I asked you about suggestions. One of the questions that came up quite a few times was:

With what wines did you celebrate your special birthday?

Even on our tours the subject came up.

And although I realize that it has been a while, I will tell you with what wines we celebrated.

And I will explain about me sadly  being “vintage-challenged.”

Ronald explaining Haut Brion to his guests

Successful year

We are proud to look back on very successful tour season.

Not only did we meet a large number of new wine friends. But we also had the privilege of welcoming back many return-guests.

People coming back for more, is the best compliment we can get.

Why not join us in 2024?

We still have some rooms available for 2024. But our 2024 schedule is filling up fast.

You can experience Bordeaux in harvest time on the  Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour I (September 9 – Sept 14, 2024).

And we have one single room available on another date. That’s it folks.

So don’t hesitate and ask us to see an itinerary here.

But I must warn you: our tours can be addictive.

Like Peter and Miriam, many guests come back to re-live their experience with us. So be careful,  you may get hooked too…

Peter and Miriam were here for the second time  and

will be back in 2024 for their third tour with us

Vintage challenged with a 65-year-old celebration wine

Celebrating with dear friends and fellow-Bordeaux Lovers

What wines to pick?

Earlier this year, I admitted that I celebrated my 65th birthday.

When I was young this used to be the legal retirement age in the Netherlands, so this number always had a special meaning to people from my generation.

By the way, don’t worry, I am not retiring yet as I enjoy conducting our wine tours too much for that.

Anyway, I decided to celebrate with some special wines from my cellar. And with some special friends.

As it happens to be most of our friends are from the wonderful world of wine in Bordeaux (or at least fanatic Bordeaux-lovers like me).

Vintage-challenged

Having a wine cellar gives you the option of choice.

Most of us have a few bottles in the cellar that are almost irreplaceable.

And like many wine lovers we hesitate to when bringing them out.

The dining room at Chateau Coulon Laurensac

Finding the right occasion can be a challenge.

You should know that my birth-year 1958 is a brilliant vintage for people (come on, work with me for a moment…).

Unfortunately, 1958 is not so great in Bordeaux.

One of the bottles that I have been eyeballing for a few decades was my Ducru-Beaucaillou 1958, a Second Classified Growth from Saint Julien.

I decided to open this bottle for my very special birthday.

Like I told you, all friends that were there are avid wine lovers and well-aware of the less than stellar reputation of my vintage 1958.

All I could hope for was something in the line of: “Not bad for an off-vintage.”

To give this wine an honest chance I decided to serve this wine blind.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Ronald: as young and vibrant as his Ducru-Beaucaillou 1958

Order of serving

Of course, we started with Bollinger, the house Champagne at our chateau.

Our friends were hand-picked for the night, so we needed three bottles of these…

On the smoked salmon I selected the Aile d’Argent 2020, the silver-winged white wine made in the vineyards of Mouton Rothschild.

I usually serve the red wines in a descending order: from younger to older.

As I knew that I was taking a risk with a vintage like 1958 I decided to start with this wine.

If it was undrinkable, we at least could continue with the next wine that was guaranteed to be more than drinkable.

As older wines tend to be more delicate, Margaret prepared a gentle veal dish with a mild cream sauce as not to overwhelm the wines.

Aile d’Argent 2020, the  white wine of Mouton Rothschild.

1958, far from being on the decline

Like I said before, I served the Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 1958 blind, and fortunately all tasters were wowed by the wine from my year of birth.

The wine was simply divine: full of delicate tertiary notes like undergrowth, tobacco, licorice, some mushroom and even some truffle.

For those of you that toured with me: the first and the second nose were almost the same.

Good freshness and balance. There were still some tannins.

And, just like me, the wine was far from being on the decline…

Good length. My friends managed to find the appellation, but the vintage turned out to be a big surprise.

A delightful and memorable wine.

Ronald with his friend Franck having a ball

The big gun

I then brought out a magnum of Mouton Rothschild 1989.

The artwork for the label was created by the German artist Georg Baselitz to commemorate the demolition of the Berlin Wall.

Like many vintages of Mouton, the 1989 has a ram-theme on the label. Baselitz is known for his upside-down way of painting and the 1989 is no exception.

He added the words: “Drüben sein jetz hier” Over there is now over here,” as there was no longer a wall in Berlin to separate the East from the West.

At 34 years old the Mouton was far from on its way down. I decanted in a special decanter for magnums for about three hours before serving.

The wine simply blew us away! The excellent 1989 was evolved but had kept freshness.

Black fruit and some licorice, spice, and cedar wood on the nose. Beautiful evolved and silky tannins interlaced with the signature spiciness of a great Mouton.

Great balance and a long finish. A wine fitting for the special celebration.

“Over there is now over here:” no longer a wall in Berlin

Cheating on Bordeaux

It is not all Bordeaux in my cellar. I am also a big fan of Vintage Ports.

In France Ports are drunk as an aperitif, often with some ice cubes in it.

We had to educate some of our French friends by serving the Vintage Port on the cheese dish, but now they simply love it.

Vintage Ports can age for a very long time. The great vintages are usually not the same as the greatest vintages in Bordeaux.

I selected the Cockburn 1963. This vintage is often compared to the 1961 in Bordeaux.

Or in other words: one of the greatest and most sough-after vintages.

Cockburn 1963 was actually the first great Vintage Port that Margaret and I tasted many years ago on a wedding dinner in Belgium.

This Port made an ever-lasting impression on me and opened my mind, tastebuds, and cellar to these great wines.

Attention to many details creates perfection,

even at the table

A great combination with cheese

We served this Port on great cheeses that were a bit savory to contrast with the sweetness of the wine.

Next to the Dutch Old Gouda we selected a Trappe d’Echourgnac, a cheese that is refined with a nut-based liqueur by Trappist monks in the Dordogne area since 1868.

The third cheese on our platter was a Comté cheese that had been aged for over three years.

The Cockburn 1963 showed older than its age because the color was going towards brick.

This Port is now in its prime but will hold for many years to come.

Spice, cherries, and figs on the nose. Concentrated, yet balanced.

All Vintage Ports are sweet, and the Cockburn is no exception.

It is the acidity that keeps this Port balanced and fresh. Great length.

This Port seemed to go on and on and on. A great Vintage Port worthy of the celebration.

Cockburn 1963: the start of a love-affaire with Port wines

Maybe the best Cognac in the world?

What does one serve after all these great and memorable wines?

I selected a Cognac. Not just any cognac! But what is in my humble opinion maybe the best Cognac in the world: the Tesseron Extreme.

This Cognac is so special that it merits an article on its own.

And I will dedicate a future edition of the Magazine to Cognac and Tesseron.

Fallen soldiers of a memorable night

Our 2024 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program

Experiencing Bordeaux in a way that only we can offer

The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour

The Harvest Tour is Grand in every way, both in food and wine. Enjoy chateau meals and Exclusive 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!

Experience Bordeaux in full harvest swing

A master-class on tasting Classified Growths marks the
start of each of our Bordeaux Wine Tours”

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.

2024 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule

What makes our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Tours so special?

1. Exclusive touring: limited to six double/twin rooms and one single
2. Carefree and truly effortless travel in Bordeaux: We take care of everything, really everything
3. Taste all 5 First Growths and Château Yquem!
4. Expert (and humorous) guidance by Bordeaux specialist Ronald Rens and his team
5. Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th Century chateau
6. Taste more Classified Growths than on any other Bordeaux wine tour!
7. Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau d’Yquem!)
8. Gourmet meals at Bordeaux Chateaux and venues not normally open to the public!
9. Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…)
10. Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour
11. Great food and wine and a lot of fun in a small group

Chateau Coulon Laurensac, without a doubt the best place in the world to have fun and
taste all five First Growths plus Yquem…

The Bordeaux Wine Experience
at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
1, chemin de Meydieu
33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France

Website : www.BXWINEX.com

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!)

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.