Spring is in the air in Bordeaux
Last time I showed you a picture of our chateau in the snow.

This time it is spring flowers and high temperatures on the program.

We had days of 20C (68F) in February. For the weather we rely less on the forecasts.

We tend to follow the cranes as they seem to know best.

These birds are more reliable than Météo France, the official French weather forecast institute.

In the fall we usually frown when these birds fly over our chateau in their large groups in a southern direction.

Because this way they announce that the cold days are coming. Like every year they were spot on and this year was no exception.

Last week these same cranes made us happy by flying past back north early.

 This time they were announcing the end of winter and that spring is in the air.

🍷Tour Bordeaux with us in 2025
A lot has happened since we released our 2025 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule.

There was a lot of interest, and one tour is already completely under option.

Make sure to check out these new dates because you do not want to miss out on these unparalleled journeys into the world of wine.

An unforgettable wine adventure
We aim to redefine the art of touring in our iconic region.

Our quest is making our tours the ultimate choice for those seeking an unforgettable wine adventure.

White wines from Margaux
The Margaux appellation is famous for its red wines.

But First Growth Chateau Margaux produces an outstanding white wine as well.

And to improve the quality even further they created a second wine for their whites, and I will tell you all about this.

Cellar Confessions 2
I received a lot of positive feedback on my new series on your cellars.

And it gives me a great deal of pleasure to share another edition of Cellar Confessions with you.

Today it will be the cellar of Mike and Arlene, who toured with us in May 2023.

I do hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Second wines, far from second best

No visit to the Médoc is complete without at least a glimpse at the beautiful Palladian palace that is Chateau Margaux.

The red wines produced here are amongst the most famous and best, produced in Bordeaux.

The Chateau Margaux 1985 that we usually serve at the Farewell Dinner on our tours, is frequently for many guests their favorite wine of the tour.

Top second wine
Many Bordeaux lovers are aware that Margaux produces a second wine: the Pavillion Rouge of Chateau Margaux.

And I completely understand that this wine is well-known, as this is one of the best second wines produced in Bordeaux.

Second Growth or Second wine?
One of the questions I get asked a lot is: What is the difference of a second Growth and a Second wine?

A Second Growth is a wine that was classified on the second level in the 1855 Classification of the Médoc and Sauternes.

A second wine is another wine produced in a chateau’s vineyard as chateaux often make different wines within the same vineyard.

The reason a chateau chooses to make different wines is quite simple. Not all grapes are perfect when harvested.

Remember vineyards in Bordeaux are often large; 60 to 100 ha is no exception.

Not all grapes in a vineyard reach the same level of ripeness.

In addition, wines in Bordeaux are a blend of several grape varieties, and not all varieties ripen equally well on each parcel.

Furthermore, not all vines have the same age and as a rule of thumb the oldest vines produce the best wine.

You can guess what happens when a chateau makes only one wine…

Exactly, all the grapes, ripe or not, end up in that same single wine.

Quality indicator
Having a second wine has become a quality indicator in Bordeaux.

Grapes that are less than perfect, are vinified separately and voilà, we have a second wine.

This increases the quality of the first wine dramatically.

Even the quality of the second wines have improved a lot over recent years.

Keywords are: Drastic selection in the vineyards, sophisticated new wine making facilities (and of course climate change).

All these elements contributed to a surge in quality even of the second wines.

Some chateaux even make a third wine to be able to improve their second wines!

Margaux dry white
Not many people are aware that Chateau Margaux produces one of the best dry white wines of Bordeaux: the Pavillon Blanc of Chateau Margaux.

And Margaux has been producing this wine since the early 18th century!

This dry white wine is always made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was named Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux in 1920.

And I have become a great fan of this wine as some of my tasting notes and ratings will show:

Pavillon Blanc of Chateau Margaux 2016 (19,5 points/20)
Light delicate golden green color. A delicate almost floral nose. Crisp minerality, almost salty on the palate with hints of iodine. Incredibly long with a superb precision of the (citrus) fruit. Worthy of the long lineage of great Pavillion Blanc wines from great vintages. One of my favorite (dry) white wines this year.

Pavillon Blanc of Chateau Margaux 2017 (19+ points/20)
Very light in color with a slight hint of golden yellow. The nose is the signature expressive avalanche of fruit: citrus like grapefruit and orange, but also tropical fruit. In the mouth there is yet another great expression of fruit with a robust minerality and a strong acidity that is balanced out with a richness that only a Pavillon Blanc can bring. The acidity is stronger than in previous years. Personally, I prefer the style of the previous vintages, but this beautiful white wine is still remarkable. Great length. Well made.

Pavillon Blanc of Chateau Margaux 2021 (19,5+ points/20)
The color is very light, to almost non-existent. Delicate tinges of golden to subtle yellow. Wow for the nose: Loads of tropical fruit with even a hint of sweetness. Some grapefruit showing as well. On the palate there is an explosion of fruit. The wine shows even some hints of sweetness and somehow combines this with a great freshness and fattiness. This is a very complex Pavillon Blanc and maybe the best I have ever tasted. I simply love the elegance and the exemplary freshness of this wine. The wine seems to linger on and on. For me this Pavillon Blanc is even better than the 2017. Well done!

Chateau Margaux became even more selective
The quest for quality goes on and on at Chateau Margaux and the estate has become even more selective when choosing which grapes to use in their wines.

This approach is not only for the red wines but for the whites as well.  As a result, lots of grapes are discarded each year.

The estate often discards more than half of its Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

No fancy name
In 2022 the chateau decided “the second selection was of such high quality” that the chateau wanted to make another wine with these grapes that didn’t make the cut.

They decided to create a second wine, the Pavillon Blanc, Second Vin.

A mere 50% of 50%
Usually only 50% of the crop makes it into the Pavillon Blanc.

This Pavillion Blanc, Second Vin consists of 50% of the 50% that didn’t make into the Pavilion Blanc.

For the first run of this new second wine the chateau produced a mere 8.000 bottles.

The wine will be released shortly through specialist retailers all over the world.

Like its big brother, it can be appreciated in its youth but is expected to have an ageing potential up to 20 years.

I look forward to tasting this second wine on futures for the first time in April of this year!

In my previous Newsletter I shared the first of what will become a series about wine cellars that may inspire you for your own collection.

And I was happy to receive quite a few interesting cellar confessions. Today it will be about the cellar of Mike and Arlene from Houston Texas who toured with us in 2023.

What inspired you to start a wine collection and when did you start?

Back around 2010, my wife and I, along with a group of friends, took our first trip to Napa in California.

Needless to say, we all had a fabulous time together visiting the various wineries with their incredible cellars and tasting rooms.  Thus, our love for wine began in earnest.

In fact, this same group has not only continued to visit Napa every other year but has also travelled to various wineries in Italy and of course France, where we had the pleasure of meeting Ronald and Margaret.

Although only a wine novice at best, after visiting Napa I knew I had to have a wine cellar of my own.  I got with a contractor who specialized in wine rooms/cellars and together we designed my cellar.

My cellar was completed in December of 2015, but unlike Ronald’s forty years of wine collecting, I’m just starting my ninth. The good news is that most of the bottles are now starting to collect a thin layer of dust!  Ah, aging.

How many bottles do you have and what part of your cellar represents Bordeaux?

My cellar will hold approximately nine hundred temperature-controlled bottles, although typically I average between six and seven hundred bottles at any given time.

It has just been in the last few years, based upon our trips to Italy and France, that I seriously started seeking and collecting wines from other areas of the world.

Consequently, French wines now only account for approximately ten percent of my current collection and an additional ten percent if I include wines from all locations outside the United States.

My goal is to increase these percentages by limiting my future US wine purchases to only my most coveted wineries.

What’s the most memorable Bordeaux you have ever tasted and why was it so unforgettable?

Although I can’t remember exactly when, probably around 2013, our same group of friends purchased magnums of a 2003 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac

And we also bought a 2003 Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan for our yearly Christmas Dinner.

What surprised me the most was the different reactions from each of the ten guests.  Some simply loved them while others were not impressed.  Some loved the Lafite Rothschild but didn’t like the Haut-Brion and vice-versa.

To help explain the various discrepancies, perhaps the wines were too young at the time or perhaps most of our tasting experience at that time was younger California wines.

What would be your dream Bordeaux wine? The one, money aside, you would love to taste one day. And why specifically that bottle?

This is the easiest question of them all… Petrus!  I know what you’re thinking; because it’s one of the most expensive wines.  Although that’s true, it’s not the reason.

I’m an avid reader, mostly mystery, suspense, and historical fiction.  In every case where there’s a celebration of any significance in the story, they always break out a bottle of Petrus.

If it’s good enough to celebrate with a bottle of Petrus after saving the world, winning wars, finding your one true love, etc., it must be AWESOME.

Here in Houston, there are several wine stores that sell Petrus ranging in price from $6,000 to $10,000 and always behind locked glass doors.

During each visit to these stores, I always find myself peering hopelessly through the glass like a child in a candy store.

I have to admit, there have been times when I seriously considered purchasing a bottle.

But to date, I’ve been unable to justify the price for a “single” bottle of wine.

I must admit, however, that my resistance is growing weaker the older I become!

Let’s say you must flee for a tsunami. Your loved ones and pets are safe. You have two minutes to run to your cellar and can pick three bottles to take with you.  Which three would you select and why?

The first of course, would be my 1955 Chateau Clos-Fourtet, which Ronald helped me select during our recent visit.

The ”no-brainer” for this one is to celebrate my wife’s 70th birthday in 2025!

The next would be my 2010 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac, which is a four-time one hundred point awarded wine, although so very reasonably priced.

The next would be my 2012 Dalla Valle Maya from California.  This was my “first” $300+ wine I purchased, unfortunately not the last, so I really couldn’t leave this bottle behind.

This is definitely one of the most exclusive tours that we offer. Embark on the Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour, an experience that exudes opulence in every aspect, from exquisite cuisine to exceptional wines.

Indulge in chateau-meals that transcend ordinary dining, offering an exclusive and luxurious culinary journey.

The gastronomic delights are nothing short of extraordinary, featuring exclusive meals set in remarkable venues typically inaccessible to the public.

Immerse yourself in a world of culinary opulence, where each bite is a testament to the artistry of Bordeaux’s culinary tradition.

As if that weren’t enough, the tour presents a rare opportunity to taste all five First Growths of over 20 years old, plus the Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem of over 30 years old!

The combination of exclusive dining, exceptional wines, and the opportunity to savor aged vintages makes this tour a cherished and unforgettable journey for those seeking the epitome of Bordeaux’s culinary and oenophilic excellence.

What makes it even more special is the inclusion of older vintages, adding a unique dimension to the wine-tasting experience.

It’s no wonder that the Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour has earned its status as a beloved favorite.

The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour
Behold one of our most exclusive tours, a wine lover’s dream come true in the heart of Bordeaux.

This ultimate wine tour promises an unparalleled experience, setting the bar for perfection.

The pinnacle of excitement in Bordeaux unfolds during harvest time, a period where anticipation permeates the air, and the vineyards come alive with energy.

Prepare to be amazed as you savor the exquisite taste of all five First Growths of over 20 years old plus the distinguished Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem of over 30 years old! 

The tour doesn’t stop there; it extends to include the best offerings from Saint Emilion and Pomerol, featuring many older vintages.

Elevating the experience further are the outstanding meals meticulously curated at exceptional venues rarely accessible to the public.

It’s this combination of extraordinary tastings and exclusive gastronomic adventures that places this tour in such high demand, creating an irresistible allure for Bordeaux enthusiasts seeking the epitome of wine, culinary excellence, and the unique charm of harvest season.

It’s no surprise that the Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour has become a cherished favorite.