Here we go again

It’s good start of the year for Valandraud Blanc No. 1 2009 with a very nice comment and a note on the website of the Wine Spectator. FYI, if Valandraud No. 1 is a bit expensive, the Blanc No. 2 (or Virginie Blanc, since 2010) is also very good and more “affordable”. Both have been successful with restaurant, when they are presented and they are available in many of our friend’s restaurants here in Saint Emilion, Bordeaux and also in Paris.

I’ve already done two trips since the beginning of the year, one to Nice (on Air France) with Sergei, where we expect to get orders very soon. In any case, landing in Nice with snow on the Alps is a pretty sight, especially when it is sunny. We had time to go to a meeting in Monaco, eat in the hills above Nice, and then return to Bordeaux via Paris. We took a taxi to go to Monaco and the friendly driver was a “Pied-Noir” (Blackfoot); this area of France has an important “Pied-Noir” community

The next day, I took the TGV for Paris to go to a famous private culinary school, especially abroad: Le Cordon Bleu. While its main focus is cooking, it recently created a wine curriculum. I met teachers enjoying their jobs and students just as happy to be there. They better enjoy their course considering the price of this prestigious school. I enjoyed the time spent with these 20 students from all around the world. We tasted Bad Boy 2009, Virginie de Valandraud 2007 and Valandraud 2004.

Sunday, we enjoyed drinking a Pomerol from Fayat-Thunevin 2006 tasting much younger than its age, which is a good sign. I read with great interest Jean Marc Quarin’s comments, especially his notes on the 2000 vintage and his thoughts on corked bottles which he finds too common (17%!)