Thursday, November 22, 2012

Munich and London...

In the same week I've had a trip to Munich and a trip to London!

I wonder now why I had never been to Munich before. Our client, who owns restaurants and hotels also has a wine trading activity to supply other restaurants and has found a specific clientele through  their establishments and their beautiful shop. Quality distribution, an uncommon interest for wine, insatiable curiosity, all in all a perfect moment with a rare type of customer.There were two main events during my trip; a meal with VIP clients, with cuisine on par with a 2 Star Michelin restaurant and a very competent French sommelier, effective at presenting my wines and very useful, and a customer orientated wine tasting where I was the sole representative of the  Bordeaux winemakers amongst colleagues from Germany, Austria, Burgundy, Champagne. There was a great atmosphere, helped buy customers wanting to buy. Long live Germany who works and consumes!There were also visits to our customers' restaurants, overflowing with clients, a very francophile spirit. Our Bordeaux and Roussillon wines probably have the best ambassador possible here.
There was almost the same feeling in London. We have finally found a distributor for our wines. One who is full of enthusiasm, joy and one of the finest in London, with a customer list rivalled by few in the world. This time the tasting was for the sellers, marketers and event staff and above all this time with colleagues from Bordeaux, representatives of wine traders who had come to promote some great Bordeaux labels and of course others from Champagne, Burgundy... Nearly 200 guests came to taste our wines and we had great success with our Valandraud 2009. A meal at Gilbert Scott with our colleagues was the perfect ending. Again a quality atmosphere, I can not wait to return to London, where the wine shops are real treasure troves where one can find all that is good in the world. 


 My visits were a success to two neighboring countries where we were not present enough commercially. A thing of the past!

Friday, November 9, 2012

It's the journey...

Everyone is hard at work in the vat-rooms what with the écoulage and the pressing of our wines happening in three different rooms at the same time. We had a meeting at the local townhall to discuss our Saint Emilion vat-rooms, the current regulations and ecology.

I have quite a bit of travelling ahead of me: Munich in Germany to promote Bad Boy at our friend Geisel's. Then I'm off to England in order to present our wines at one of the best wine distributers with Catherine. Back home to Saint Emilion to leave almost immediately for China with stops in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing for the RVF Show. Coming back through Paris for an important meeting with Murielle and Gilles and then we're back home for the 27th. Then for 30th November and 1st December it's back up to Paris, to the Louvre for Bettane and Desseauve's Grand Tasting and a presentation at the HEC Paris Wine Club.

Barak Obama has been reelected. There are elections in China. French literary prizes including the 2012 Goncourt awarded to Jérôme Ferrari. I hope that the Goncourt members drank one of our wines during their traditional meal at Drouhant!

And last but by no means least, the latest Saint Emilion classment has been validated by the ministries so Chateau Valandraud is now officially 1er Grand Cru Classé! Long live Saint Emilion !

Friday, November 2, 2012

Axelle de Valandraud

The first vintage was in 2000 to celebrate the birth of our little Axelle Thunevin, with four grape varieties, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec which make up the blend of Valandraud.

The second vintage of this selection, made in 2010, was made up of grapes set aside by Michel Rolland from the blend of Chateau Valandraud and so is very very close to the excellent level of Valandraud 2010. Axelle de Valandraud from then on would be produced through the blending of different plots making up 1.5 hectacres (Rocheyron and Fongaban) set aside by INAO from the classification of Valandraud as a first growth.
 
We could have called it the Interdit de Valandraud but now is not the time to complain, rather the right time to prove that the wines from these particular plots also have their place in Valandraud 1st Grand Cru Classé!!