Find French wine newsletter, luxury France wine tasting tours, gourmet trips

French Wine Explorers Wine e-Newsletter
www.wine-tours-france.com - April/May 2005
(late delivery due to technical problems - our apologies!)

(We generally mail to this list once per month; please click on the following link to be removed immediately: Remove Me.
If you'd like to receive this Wine e-Newsletter, you can subscribe here.)

This month's wine explorations:

AOC Focus: Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy
Last Chance for Burgundy & Champagne Prestige Tour
First Look at Bordeaux 2004 Vintage
Tasting Historic War-Time Champagnes

A.O.C. Focus: Clos de Vougeot

It's true that Burgundy can be a rather confusing wine region. All those appellations (99 of them!), not to mention all of the "climats", those specific place-names (lieux dit) you see on the lables (Meursault Charmes, Beaune Clos de la Mousse, etc.). In general, the Grand Crus are a little easier, because only the climat appears on the label, like Chambertin or Montrachet. Things get a bit confusing, though, in one particular Grand Cru, namely Clos de Vougeot. Not only is that the name of a Grand Cru vineyard, it's also the name of the chateau (a historic monument) that sits in the vineyard. Let me explain.

Clos de Vougeot is one of the great Grand Crus of the Cote de Nuits, the northern-most subregion of the famous Cote d'Or (Golden Slopes) of Burgundy. The Cote de Nuits is known for its powerful red wines, and Clos de Vougeot is definitely one of the best. This vineyard was founded in 1098 by monks of the Cistercian Abbey of Citeaux, who produced mostly WHITE wine there (wine used for the Eucharist during the mass is always white wine, to avoid staining the white cloths on the alter), but also red wine that they eventually started selling to the local nobility. Tired of commuting to the vineyard from Citeaux (some 20km away), the Cistercians decided to build a winery right in the vineyard in the 12th century, with four enormous grape presses that still exist today. In the 16th century, the Abbey (now quite rich due to the success of the vineyard's wines) built a chateau next to the winery. After the French Revolution in 1789, the vineyard was seized, divided into small pieces and sold at auction to a number of local winemakers. In 1945, the famous wine brotherhood of Burgundy, the Confrèrie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, bought the Chateau de Clos de Vougeot (the buildings, NOT the vineyard) and made it their international headquarters. It is the site of their "chapter" meetings, black tie affairs that take place 18 times per year, during which they induct famous men and women as members. The Chateau was declared a historic monument in 1949 and has been open to the public as a museum since that time.

But what about the vineyard itself? The Confrèrie itself does not own any land in the vineyard, not even one vine. The 50 hectares of vineyard, enclosed by walls (thus the name "Clos"), are owned by 82 or 86 (accounts vary) winegrowers, some of whom make wine under their own label, and some who sell their grapes to the négociant houses. Some of these owners have only two rows of vines. Chateau de la Tour, owns the biggest parcel in the vineyard (6 hectares), and is the only working winery actually located in the vineyard itself.

Visit the fascinating Clos de Vougeot and taste its fabulous wines on our Burgundy & Champagne Prestige tour (May 30-June 5) and our Best of Burgundy tour (Aug. 29-Sept. 2). Or ask us to create a private, customized wine tour for you in Burgundy including some of the best estates of the region.

Last Chance for Burgundy & Champagne Prestige Tour

We have just a few spaces left on the May 30-June 5 Burgundy & Champagne Prestige Tour. If you're looking for a wonderful last-minute getaway, this is it! This tour features some of the most prestigious wine estates of the Côte d'Or, including Grand Cru producers like Prieur, Rebourseau, Bertagna and more, a professional tasting with one of the winemakers at Veuve Clicquot, and much more. Luxury accommodations are at historic Le Cep in Beaune and the Relais & Chateaux member Royal Champagne near Epernay. And the food! You'll enjoy fabulous gastronomic meals at a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, including one of the best restaurants in France, Lameloise in Chagny.

Don't miss out on this extraordinary tour! For more information, see the Burgundy & Champagne Tour page on our web site at http://www.wine-tours-france.com/BurgundyWineTours.htm. You can find the reservation forms on that same page, or drop us a line and we'll be happy to send them to you. Join us for a fantastic time in Burgundy & Champagne this May!

First Look at the Bordeaux 2004 Vintage

During the recent Wine & War tour (see more below), we had the opportunity to taste the 2004 vintage in Bordeaux in barrel samples. We arrived at the tail end of the annual "primeurs" (futures) tastings, the time when journalists, wine critics and wine merchants from around the world come to Bordeaux to taste the most recent vintage and make judgments that will influence the price offered to the public for these wines. It was my first time tasting the top Bordeaux wines so early in their lifespan (merely 5 to 6 months after they were vinified).

We tasted the 2004 Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Both wines showed their usual power, complexity and distinctive character. But there was definitely a huge difference between these wines and last year's vintage. 2003 was such a hot year that the wines were huge, alcoholic, literally bursting with fruit and, as a result, unbalanced (too much alcohol, too heavy). Judging from these two 2004's we tasted, it looks like the 2004's will be much more in the classic Bordeaux style. While they are more elegant than the 2003's, they also were lacking a bit in concentration (there were pretty high yields in 2004), and seemed somewhat austere (even bearing in mind that barrel samples at 5 months are pretty raw - one has to get beyond a lot of wood and strong tannins to come to a fair judgment). That austerity reminded me of the 1999 vintage - lacking a bit in roundness, lacking a bit in balance (a little more acidity than usual). So far, I would say 2004 is a good year, but not a great one. But I'll tell you more after our Bordeaux Prestige program at the end of May, where we'll taste a greater number of top Bordeaux's (including Latour and Mouton - it'll be interesting to see how they've developed 6 weeks later).

By the way, we still have a few spaces left on our Best of Bordeaux tour, Sept. 5-10, 2005, if you'd like to taste the 2004 vintage for yourself and form your own opinion!

Tasting Historic War-Time Champagnes

It's not often one gets to taste very old wines, let alone very old vintage Champagnes. Wines from the First and Second World War years in France are even rarer. Our Wine & War tour this April offered us one of those extraordinary occasions, thanks to the generosity of Christian Pol-Roger, president of Champagnes Pol Roger, who graciously spent several hours with us during our time in Champagne.

The story of these Champagnes is as extraordinary as the Champagnes themselves. Mr. Pol-Roger explained that in 1914, nearly all the able-bodied men were fighting in the trenches, leaving the women to harvest the grapes and make the wine. 1914 was one of the greatest vintages of the century, but not all of the Champagne houses made great wines that year. As the area was being bombed at the time of the harvest, many houses had to harvest before the grapes were truly ripe. Others had to wait to long to harvest for the same reason, and ended up with rotten grapes. Only those who had the good fortune to be able to harvest just at the peak of ripeness were able to make a memorable Champagne, and the house of Pol Roger was one of them. When describing the 1914 vintage, people in the region say "the blood of France runs through this wine."

When Mr. Pol-Roger opened the bottle, it barely made a sound. The cork had lost nearly all its elasticity over the years and had shrunk, allowing the CO2 to slowly seep out of the bottle. The seepage must have been very gradual, because there was no negative oxidation of the wine. It had definitely evolved and aged, but what we drank had all the characteristics of a great, old white Burgundy (it was mostly Chardonnay). Deep gold in color, the first impression was of café moka, indicative of the oak that was used at the time during the first fermentation. Other tertiary aromas of leather and tobacco opened into notes of dried pear and quince, almond and strong, dark honey upon aeration. Although there were no bubbles visible in the glass, a slight prickling on the tongue attested to their ghost-like presence. The wine was full-bodied and rich on the palate, with a very long finish. Surprisingly, it remained fresh in the glass for a good hour (often, very old wines can become oxidized quite quickly and end up losing all flavor and aromas after just a few minutes). The Champagne had been disgorged (i.e., the sediment had been removed) in 1944, probably the reason it was less fragile than we might have expected.

Next came the 1945. The war years had been disastrous for the French wine regions: no supplies left to treat the vines, all the men gone to the front lines, the German occupation hindering work in the vineyards, etc. In addition, the weather had been terrible, producing some of the worst vintages on record, as though nature itself were showing its resistance to the occupying forces. 1945 brought the end of the Second World War, and with it came the return of the men to the vineyards and the reappearance of the sun, creating a wonderful vintage. When Mr. Pol-Roger opened this bottle, we immediately saw that this bottle had not lost its fizz. A beautiful gold color (but nowhere near as deep as the 1914) greeted us, with thousands of very, very tiny bubbles. The bottle had been disgorged in 2000, and if we needed proof that leaving a Champagne on its yeast sediment retains the freshness of the wine, this bottle provided it. The wine was amazingly fresh, even though the years had brought with them an evolution in the aromas of the wine. The citrus flavors of grapefruit and lemon we often associate with Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes was definitely there, coupled with aromas of caramel and soft spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It was very creamy and velvety in the mouth, with a very pleasant, fresh rush of acidity behind it and a very, very long finish.

It was quite an emotional experience tasting these great wines, the product of a combination of love of country, terroir, and tradition from the people of Champagne. That love inspired them to produce something beautiful even in the worst of times. As we drank those great Champagnes, we felt for a short time that we shared their vision, that we walked with them in the ruined vineyards with the bombs falling all around. It was an incredible privilege to receive in our glasses the result of that love and that struggle, almost like a benediction, through the golden liquid that we drank together, gathered around Mr. Pol-Roger as he lovingly and reverently recounted their, and his, story. We are indebted to him for allowing us to share such an inspiring moment together.

The Wine & War tour was an exceptional experience, and alas, one that cannot be duplicated and will not be repeated. However, we share many inspiring and unforgettable moments with winemakers in the great wine regions of France during our tours. These experiences often go well beyond a simple winery tour and wine tasting and offer opportunities to touch on fascinating and moving aspects of the human experience we all share. It's a journey we look forward to sharing with you.

Send to a Friend

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend, family member or colleague who loves wine!

Contact Us!

I'm always available to answer your questions about our wine programs, our company, and wine in France in general. Please feel free to contact me at lgreene@wine-tours-france.com, or toll free at 1-877-261-1500.

Best regards,

Lauriann Greene-Sollin, Sommelier-Conseil
President/Founder

Subscribe to this Wine e-Newsletter here!

FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS
info@wine-tours-france.com
www.wine-tours-france.com
Tel: 1-877-261-1500
Fax: 1-253-423-5316