Petrus and the Americans

(I will write about the feast for the Jurade later)

Friday 19, still with our group of Americans, distributor and clients from New York : we visited our warehouse in Saint Magne de Castillon in the morning. This is a good way to show how our company works seeing the accounting department, the administration, logistics and cellar employees working on orders being shipped all over the world.
Following, we visited La Dominique and tasted the 2006 vintage, followed by a quick lunch at the restaurant La Cadène served with La Clotte 2001 and Fleur Cardinale 2004.

In the afternoon, we visited our Fayat-Thunevin property in Pomerol where the bottling of the 2006 vintage was taking place, a success in Pomerol as well as Lalande de Pomerol. We followed by Clos du Beau Père and Domaine des Sabines where the 2006 vintage will soon be sold.

Following, we went to Château de Carles and tasted both Chateau de Carles and Haut Carles 2004-2005-2006 vintages and which are already part of the assortment sold by our American friends.
In l’Essentiel, we tasted 10 new wines in order to increase our assortment of wines carried by this distributor. It seems like they might be interested by 4 to 5 additional products for the New York market!

The evenings were reserved for fun and eating well!
Tomato soup, leg of lamb with white beans, Dutch cheese (brought by Christian) and chocolate cake from Lopez.
We tasted blind, and in the following order, only Pomerol (after a magnum of Puligny Montrachet 2006 from Etienne Sauzet, very good):
Le Gay 2003, very good, rich, surprising in this difficult vintage for Pomerol – our guests thought it came from the left bank !
Montviel 1998 : hard, austere, left bank ?
Le Moulin 1997 : I liked this wine, “light” like Le Pin. A treat. Everyone unanimously guest it came from the Right Bank.
Starting with this wine, our American guest understood that we were dealing with Pomerols, especially as I was regularly taking about Petrus, Petrus, Petrus… I resisted opening one . In any case, the myth is well entrenched in the heart of Americans.
Following, La Conseillante 1997, delicious and guest by Bernie. The only wine discovered by our 12 wine lovers! Rated 10/10 for this wine was at its peak, the moment, the atmosphere…
Still, after Lafleur Pétrus 1995 very good, almost everyone said Petrus. In any case, it had the Moueix-Berrouet style.
It was not over : Eglise Clinet 1993 incredible density for the year. Our American guests admitted that no clients would have thought that such wines could exist in vintages considered difficult.
We finished by La Fleur de Gay 1993, still beautiful, young and pleasant. They learned that such wines had an influence on the birth of Valandraud for in 1990, Fleur de Gay and Clinet were part of the new wave. With desert, we drank a Sauterne, a special cuvee from Château d’Arche: Arche-Lafaurie 2001, good. I believe that no one could have handled another Pomerol, and still…?

Saturday for lunch :
Clos Margalaine 1999-2000-2001 and Griffe de Cap D’Or 1998 always good.
For dinner and with every one, plus the Droulers from Château de Carles, and with us for cocktails the most famous French wine critic, Michel Bettane.
Clos des Fées blanc 2004 good
Ducru Beau caillou 2004 - magnum, good
Pontet Canet 2003 very good
Tour Carnet 2003 good
Moulin Saint Georges 2003 very good
Valandraud 1998 : 2 bottles which tasted different but both very good. As it is my wine, I have a hard time to be objective. Still, it is probably one of the 4/5 best wines in Bordeaux.
For desert, a liquid treat : Schloss Reinhartshausen 1989 Rheingau Riesling Auslese, 9.5% alcohol, acidity-sugar well balanced, lots of apricots. And the extraordinary Reichstrat Von Buhl 1997 Riesling Beerenaulese which, with 8.5% alcohol, was so easy to drink, with its pineapple flavors… we got close to excellence.

Sunday evening, and to close this busy week, we only drank one bottle of 1952 La Gaffelière (Naudes). It showed what can be done with a 56 year old wine. What ever you can expect from a great old Bordeaux wine: superb color between dark red and bright mahogany, pure aromas with no deviation, spices, truffle, raisins, cinnamon and discreet wood, silky mouth, power and harmony. It was a rare bottle I bought a long time ago and which had not travelled much.