Blanc de Valandraud

Yesterday our guest for lunch were Jean Roger Calvet and 4 friends winemakers from Maury, our Greek oenologist Fakorellis and 2 of his Greek friends (one who makes a very good wine in Argentina and his son who interns at Malartic Lagravière)

We tasted 15 batches of Blanc 2006 Valandraud n° 1 and 2, and some from Virginie’s property in Lalande de Fronsac: it gets better every year… we promised mountains to Thanos if the notes from Parker and other critics reach 95+. We promised the following (not necessarily in the same order): 12 bottles of Ausone 2006 or 3000 bottles of Côtes de Roussillon (for the same value), a Basque cake from Lopez (in our view the best in the world), an evening in a hip bistrot in Paris with the most beautiful waitresses of the Champs-Elysees, etc…

Well, jokes aside, I don’t understand a thing about white wines and this is the reason why it is Murielle’s responsibility and does wonders with the help of Rémi and Thanos. The 2006 vintage is especially a success at this stage of development: with at the very outset the same acidity as 2005, but more concentrated, richer, riper and in the end more buttery. A few more months and we will see.

Analysis of the Blancs:

Semillon:
Ph 3.13
Total acidity 4.95
Sauvignon:
Ph: 3.06
Total acidity: 5.71

At lunch we served with Moules Marinières: Lafont Fourcat 2004 (100% Muscadelle), Clos des Fées blanc 2004 (Grenache) and Valandraud blanc 2005 N° 1.

With a big chicken (we were 10) and celery hearts, a Fleur Cardinal 2003 already well balanced, Flor de Pingus 2003, exceptional (one of Murielle’s favorite wines) and after a salad with curry dressing, of course, a Basque cake from Lopez and macaroons from Saint Emilion served with a Vari 2003 Reserve du Château (Monbazillac) pure and balanced (and sold by the owner at a very sweet price)

Carrousel du Louvre, bis

Yesterday, I only wrote a few words about our presence at the Paris tasting event, and wrote about our little adventures. I am going to try to explain this event: our stand, very well situated at the entrance of the hall, was placed on the left…in fact on the wrong side (like all the Bordeaux). Sure enough, when you know a place, the “natural” reflex is to go to the right. On the right side you could find: Champagnes with a few heavy weights, Châteauneuf du Pape, Languedoc and Bourgogne, Italians, etc… and on the left, Bordeaux. With the large number of stands and the time needed to visit every stand, one would have to be very strong to stay 6 to 8 hours straight in this hall. In addition, the many events planned and organized in this trade show pushed the Bordeaux even further away. Other than that, it is worth noticing that the number of classified growth represented by their owners was a great luxury for connoisseurs. You just have to read the comments on Mark Squires BB or the Passion du Vin, or on Hervé Bizeul’s blog and the comments of François Audouze.

Yesterday, good news from Jean-Roger Calvet: the Wine Spectator gave 90 points to the Cuvée Dentelles 2002 from the Domaine Calvet-Thunevin ($30 retail in the US).