Ryan's Bordeaux Blog

On Monday morning the week began with checking in to the office at 8 am and using the CIVB system as I'd been trained to the week before. With the tutorial that I'd had on Friday I found the work much less arduous and it was also nice to have dodged another 5 am "lavage" start. Working on the computer the time passed quickly and I was looking forward to a dinner/tasting that night that Buba had invited me to at his house located just beside Thierry's, a day earlier. Buba is in charge of the vineyard work and helps coordinate all of the vineyard workers with Nathanael. He doesn't speak much english but with my broken french we manage to understand each other and seem to get along well. Buba's an interesting character - he just finished competing in a 6 day long run, taking 4'th place out of 80 participants. He'll also kill you if you forget to take your shoes off before entering his house. During my last dinner with Thierry I tried to explain about how I love to cook and am interesting in picking up some french techniques while I'm here, and Thierry let me know that Buba was an excellent "cuisiniere" so I was eager to see for myself and perhaps learn something.

After a short drive in the humble Peugeot I found myself at Buba's doorstep, and carefully removed my shoes before entering said sacred domicile, finding Buba busy cooking up a storm inside. The first surprise of the night was that the tasting was to be single blind, meaning that I'd know the list of wines that I'd be tasting but I would have to try to figure out which was which. I helped to prepare the tasting while Buba was occupied in the kitchen. The second surprise came when some of the other guests arrived and I was very pleased to meet a woman with a tattoo of a horse on her shoulder and a tall, athletic looking man who turned out to be the proprietors of Domaine de Chevalier, located in Pessac Leognan. Thierry arrived shortly afterward and the evening was off to a great start with a glass of the 2'nd white of Domaine Chevalier from the 2001 vintage. Interesting stuff! I didn't know that Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon combo could taste like this! Truffle and lemon, with some seashells on the nose and very elegant and crisp on the palate - this reminded me of a Hugel riesling with some age on it. The first course was a peanut coated fish dish served with foie gras on top and courgette puree. I wouldn't have necessarily thought of this combo in particular but I'd be willing to put foie gras on top of just about anything, and it also was very well prepared. The next course was sliced cote de boef with a sauce made from shallots, which was quite good, along with some mash potatoes. Dessert was a small chocolate cake with a molten center, followed by a cheese course along with some Mumm Champagne. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening and I was very happy to have had the chance to meet the owners of Domaine de Chevalier.

Tuesday was "Bastille Day" and a celebration of the french revolution, so there was no work that day. In the early evening while I was writing to friends on the computer I could hear Midoux begin to excitedly spout off his english phrases that we'd been working on to some poor, unfortunate soul who happened to pull in to the chateau. Figuring that I should go and try to save this person from Midoux's frenglish-laced rampage I met a wonderful woman from Houston, Texas, who was interested in a tour of the chateau. Having an education in architecture she echoed my own amazement at the detail of the castle and made a number of great observations that had escaped me until that point. On the second floor we eventually came across a "trap door" in the middle of the wooden floor and I decided that, as a good tour guide, I should probably look like I have more than a passing familiarity with the place and upon opening the door discovered a wooden staircase leading down a small, dark room. Summoning the best of my courage I descended down into the blackened room, feeling for a light switch on my way down and rejoicing when the thing that my hand was grasping turned out to actually be one, as opposed to any number of creepy crawlies that may have been living there. The now-illuminated room was filled with a "melange" of old junk and a number of interesting looking antiques. Standing in the small room with Susan now having a look for herself I got to enjoy a full 15 seconds of being quite pleased with myself before I suddenly noticed something black dart across one corner of the room. Susan hadn't yet noticed and not sure about how she would react I posed to her as delicately as I could: "ahem, are you afraid of bats?" Luckily, the answer was no but we hurriedly made our way back up the wooden staircase just the same. The tour was concluded shortly after and hearing of Susan's interest in visiting some chateau in St. Emilion I invited her to come with me the next day on a tour at Troplong Mondot, and she accepted.

On Wednesday morning I was up at 8 am and after getting ready for my tour, met Susan in the courtyard at 9:10 am and then headed off to Troplong Mondot for 10:00 am. I brought my trusty book "The Wine Atlas" along since it has an exquisitely detailed map of St. Emilion with the location of most grand cru chateau. We drove along the winding hillside to the South-East of the town with Susan in the driver seat and me studying the map and successfully managed to get ourselves to the stunningly beautiful chateau just in time for our tour. Since Troplong Mondot is closed to the public I'd been coaching Susan the day before on how to look like she was critically assessing a wine with the routine of looking, swirling, sniffing, tasting, and spitting (while looking contemplative) that wine journalists seem to do as effortlessly as breathing - it was great fun. After circling the chateau and finally locating the door to the "bureau" we made our way inside and after announcing myself we were greeted a few minutes later by a rather standoffish lady who was not looking pleased to see us and let me know that although Sylvie had requested a technical tour, she was not technical, and that was that. We were briskly led through the office to the chai, observed the bottling line, and then to the cellar where the 08 vintage was being aged in mostly new oak barrels. The architecture of the chateau was a gorgeous marriage of the ancient with the ultra-modern, and it was a prime location to observe the surrounding hillside and town of St. Emilion. I asked a few questions, some of which our gracious host made no bones about letting me know that she thought I already knew the answer to, until it was time to taste the '04 Troplong Mondot. I was quite excited to taste the wine since, unlike our host, I was very impressed with it when I had a chance to taste the '08 vintage at the UGC tasting just a few weeks prior and the '05 vintage last year. Both times it came out near the top of the pile. The '04 we tasted didn't blow me away like the other two had, which was unsurprising given the relative strengths of the vintages, but it was still a very good (more traditionally styled) wine that could potentially be excellent with more time. Susan did wonderfully and could have easily been confused with british wine critic Jancis Robinson, only with far better teeth. Our chilly hostess warmed slightly during the ensuing conversation of vintages during our tasting but overall I was still unimpressed. Our visit ended shortly afterward and Susan let me in on an expression her mother used to use that would have worked quite well - "who licked the sugar off your candy?" Susan was great company so I decided to invite her to the rest of planned tastings in St. Emilion the next day.

On Thursday I was up and ready to go in much the same fashion as the day before, as on this day we had tastings at both Angelus and Figeac. First up was Angelus, and arriving a comfortable 10 minutes before the scheduled tour we had the opportunity to enjoy a stroll around the beautiful property, snapping pictures where we could. This time it was a group tour and so I was joined by a group of American tourists who seemed to have hired a high powered english woman as a tour guide. Lots of money judging from their recounting of recent, trophy-wine laden dinner parties, but I'm not sure how much wine sense. Unlike our host from the previous day, the lady guiding us through the property at Angelus couldn't have been friendlier or more welcoming, which was a nice switch. Evidently nobody had licked the sugar off of her candy just yet, and I was glad for it. At the conclusion of the tour we had the chance to meet the estate manager Hubert de Boüard, which was nice, and a taste of the '04 vintage which I found impressive.

Next was Figeac. I found it interesting that, counter to the overall trend in St. Emilion and the right bank region, the terroir of the property on which Figeac sits (neighboring Cheval Blanc) is actually better suited to Cabernet Sauvignon as opposed to Merlot. For this reason Figeac stands out as having a Cabernet dominated blend in an appellation of Merlot-based wine. For this tour we were again blessed with a very humble and down to earth guide who seemed thrilled to have us, which made for another very pleasant tour of the beautiful property. It was also quite interesting to learn that the biggest market for Figeac is actually Asia. This should have immediately prompted a question from me about whether they purposely tailor their wines so as not to throw a sediment as we do, but it just didn't occur to me at the time, sadly. With an almost identical format as the last two tours we observed the bottling process, the chai, the cellar, and at the end of the tour we had the opportunity to taste the '99 vintage. The '99 Figeac was a nice change from the tighter and more tannic and primary wines of the previous tours offering up (if memory serves) notes of incense, tobacco, damp earth, set in a background of red fruit.

Friday provided a break from the touring of the previous two days, not that I needed one. After the usual work of CIVB was finished I decided to head to downtown Bordeaux later that night to enjoy my weekly visit to the old converted church housing Cinema Utopia. This week it was Woody Allen's "Whatever Works" and I enjoyed a beer in the patio area outside the theater before heading in to see the film. Some of Woody Allen's films, I love (see: Annie Hall), and others not so much. I would have to place "Whatever Works" solidly in the former category though as I found myself really enjoying it throughout. Afterward (following some recommendations) I walked over to the Opera House area and inside Le Regent for a drink at the Orangerie. L'Orangerie is a very swanky, gorgeously decorated little bar that was practically empty. Scouring the wine list I located exactly what I was looking for - a glass of Sauternes. Listed simply as "Sauternes," I was convinced after tasting it that I'd had before from the '01 vintage from the fact that it needed far more air time than I could possibly give it, the 15 euro price tag, and sense memory. It was an experience and I'm glad to have had it.

On an overcast Monday morning we began bottling the 2007 vintage "Prince Noir" cuvee at the Chateau. I was quite interested to learn from out winemaker Jean Louie about how SO2 is added just before the wines are bottled in order to keep them fresh. He also explained to me that while sediment is natural and accepted in Europe and North America, the Asian market believes that the deposit of naturally occuring sediment in the bottom of a bottle over time indicates that somehow the wine is rotten. I'd like to serve notice right here, right now, that anybody currently residing in Asia that's gotten one of these rotten bottles can send it "toute suite" to the care of Ryan Speller, who will see that it gets disposed of properly... For this reason, Jean Louie explained to me that rather than educating about a billion people they've decided to use a certain acid that prevents the bottle from throwing a sediment so they can do business in the Asian market.

After work I enjoyed spending the afternoon selecting some (in my humble opinion) of the most exciting properties in neighboring St. Emilion to visit for my upcoming tour through the appellation. One of the perks of this job is that I can now get into grand cru chateau that I would have otherwise never been able to as a "civilian" not working in the business. Currently the plan is to visit chateaus: Pavie, Ausone, Angelus, Troplong Mondot, Clos Fourtet, and Figeac, with the possibility of the greatest of the St. Emilion chateau, first growth Chateau Cheval Blanc run by Thierry's cousin Pierre Lurton.

Tuesday morning is was back to the familiar work of lavage. After about two hours Nathanael rescued me so that I could tag along (and be his chauffeur) to visit all of our other vineyards to check on their general health and well-being. Having been so taken with the beautiful Cinema Utopia in downtown Bordeaux the previous week, I decided that I'd take the tram into Bordeaux that night to see another film at the old church that had been renovated into a movie theater. From a consultation with one of my close friends who happens to be a real film buff I decided I was going to see "Les Vacances des Mr. Hulot," a classic french film by director Jacques Tati. I enjoyed a beer and some smoked salmon in the cafe inside the theater before I proceeded into the movie hall to watch the film. It certainly didn't disappoint either, and after seeing this charming film I can see why my friend considered it quintessentially french and why it was one of my favorite director (Ingmar Bergman's) favorite films.

Wednesday morning brought more lavage and after work our secretary Sylvie helped me to call and book tours at the chateau that I'd picked out on Monday evening. So far I'd gotten into nearly all of the chateau that I wanted, with the exceptions being Pavie and Ausone, which I later learned were difficult even for the professionals. Sylvie was also able to confirm the first of my tours for the next day, at Clos Fourtet.

On Thursday morning I was introduced to a digital cartography system called "CIVB" used in Bordeaux as a means of collecting and organizing viticultural information for governmental control and bureaucratic purposes, about which France is probably the most rigid country in the world. The interface is somewhat like Google Earth and users can outline vineyards on the digital map and enter almost any kind of information imaginable about that particular plot. After a few hours with CIVB it was time to get ready for my first tour of St. Emilion and so I got dressed into somewhat more formal clothes and hopped into the Peugeot to make the drive to St. Emilion to visit Clos Fourtet. Not knowing exactly how to get to St. Emilion but with a map in hand and some hand-wavy advice from Nathanael about how to get there I was off. It wasn't long before I'd passed through the small town of Branne, signaling I was nearly there and on the windy country roads could make out St. Emilion sitting on a plateau in the distance.

Driving along the steep, narrow streets of the town it wasn't until the last minute when I actually located Clos Fourtet in the North-East corner of the town and after parking the Peugeot, hurriedly made my way inside the closed gates and into the office to meet Corrine, who was to give me a private tour. We commenced in the vineyard, with Corrine telling me that they had 20 hectares, which seemed small to me given that our own vineyards total about 80. I was also very pleased to learn that the property had actually been in the Lurton family prior to 1950 ... Which practically made us cousins! Almost... Corrine then led me to the beautiful chai where she explained about their green harvest, stringent selection of grapes at harvest, and plot by plot vinification in small vats. It's the usual grand cru property schpiel but I was thrilled to be there and ask as many questions as came to mind. Corrine then led me down to the underground caves, where the the oak barrels are kept and back vintages are stored at nearly constant temperature year-round.


The tour came to it's conclusion as we finally made our way back up the spiral staircase and to the beautifully decorated tasting room, where Corrine poured me a sample of the '05 Clos Fourtet. Given the strength of the vintage I was very eager to taste and it did not dissapoint, with pure blackberry/blueberry licqeur and smoke on the nose and a plush, round palate that although St. Emilion's wines drink well young, surprised me with it's approachability at this early stage.


After the tour I took the next couple of hours to wander the narrow, winding streets of St. Emilion and take in the beauty of the town.


Saint Emilion's history goes back to ancient times, with beautiful Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets. The vineyards were first planted by the Romans as early as the 2nd century AD and the town is named after the monk Émilion, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.




I wandered into just about every wine store I saw (and there were many). Krista knows well that I'm like a man possessed in this 'kid in a candy store' situation, but unfortunately I didn't find anything worthwhile as the wine prices seemed to be in the same spirit as just about everything else for sale in the town, as being "tourist" priced.


The next morning I went to Bordeaux to the "Maison du Vin" for a tutorial on using the CIVB system. The Maison du Vin is housed in a beautiful 18th century building hosting the "Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin", an organization of the region's winegrowers. After spending a few hours learning how to use the system I bought lunch at "Place des Grand Hommes" and took it to the beautiful park located at the city center "Place Gambetta." After arriving back at Chateau Camarsac some time later I spent the rest of the afternoon applying what I'd learned and had a quiet evening.

The weekend arrived with the usual activity of reading Descartes, getting groceries, and helping Midoux with his english in return for Moroccan tea and the pleasure of his company. I sincerely look forward to next week as it brings more tours and tastings in the St. Emilion area.

On Monday it was back to "levage" ... Work I know all too well, which consists of stapling the training wires to lift the vines for the purpose of more sunlight exposure, and pruning the stock. I was glad that instead of traveling to one of the three other vineyards, I got to work in the vineyards of Chateau Camarsac, and just directly beside my house. As Habier is now retired it was Jacqueline, Jacqueline's daughter, and Sebastian that I was working with. The working day at Chateau Camarsac often seems miraculously shorter in comparison to working at the other vineyards, so the day seemed to pass rather quickly. After work I spent the night cooking some of my beautiful finds at Le Capucin market and working around the house. I think that Nathanael and Thierry have come to the consensus that since I've had a month of levage I should be used elsewhere in the winery now, and I'm grateful that they're as conscientious about giving me a great stage experience.

We're planting new vines to make a white blend in a few years. It's the typical Bordeaux white combo of Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc, and so on Tuesday following the instructions of Nathanael I ventured out to the far edge of the Chateau Camarsac vineyards to concentrate on watering a plot of Semillon vines immediately after being planted by a group of Portuguese workers. Our small group took turns driving the tractor carrying the large watering tank, and using the hoses to water the vines. This was my first time driving a tractor that hadn't been found in the median of the Trans-Canada highway in the middle of the prairies in Saskatchewan and subsequently hijacked by Brett and I, and it was nearly as fun!

Wednesday was spent working three hours in the vineyard and then being called to go with Nathanael, our winemaker / cellar-master Jean-Louie, and Thierry to the oenologist and taste some of the 2007 and 2008s sitting in our vats in the cellar. It was a very interesting tasting, as I got the spectrum of flavors (and took tasting notes on everything) from the young Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from our barrel samples of different plots and vintages - from black currant to blueberry, blackberry, and vegetal. All of the conversation was in French and among the more interesting bits, I thought, was that the oenologist seemed to prefer Climens to D'Yquem! I had a discreet chuckle at the thought of walking out.

Thursday began with a comfortable 6 am start. I noticed that it was quite stormy outside and making my way into the courtyard around 7 am I noticed both the chateau and the entire courtyard eerily devoid of workers and in the midst of a big thunderstorm. About 5 minutes later Nathanael showed up in the junker utility van with one of his young daughters in the passenger seat and I hopped in. In the hard rain we drove out to the new Semillon vines, getting soaked in the process. Work was called off until about 10:30 am when the storms subsided and the clouds began to clear, and afterward I gave a tour of the grounds to a British family and then spent the rest of the day working in the cellar. After I had a quick shower and change of clothes back at my place I was greeted by a young man named Bertile in the office. Earlier in the week Thierry had let me know that Bertile is going to represent Lucien Lurton in the US and will be staying at Camarsac with me for a few days. Later that night Bertile and I drove to downtown Bordeaux and enjoyed a wonderful meal courtesy of Chateau Camarsac at a restaurant in a very quaint square in the middle of Bordeaux. Bertile grew up in the Champagne region and will be living in Florida and offering the Lurton negociant house (Les Passions des Terroir) portfolio to the American market. Bertile's well mannered, well spoken, and we get along just fine. I look forward to his future visits to the Chateau.

On Friday after work I drove with Thierry back to his house, where we were to meet Bertile and have a tasting of the wines of Chateau Camarsac along with dinner. During the ride I got to spend some valuable time picking Thierry's brain and examining his thoughts and convictions about his wine, and the subject in general. It was surprising to learn that he actually owns some grand cru property in Margaux, but has instead elected to work with the vineyards of Camarsac since he felt that it was a harder road to follow but he could potentially go further with it than the already established grand cru property. It wasn't long after I got out of the car that Ines tracked me down with the skill of a seasoned bounty hunter, and commenced with the usual swooning. I gave Bertile a tour of the "Le Bedat" vineyard just next to Thierry's beautiful home, converted from some sort of ancient stone warehouse to a very modern home, and afterward played soccer with one of Thierry's young sons until dinner was ready. The tasting commenced with the rose and clairet, and was followed by three cuvees of the red Bordeaux blend, along with a wonderful meal of rare ribeye steaks (cooked with garlic and rosemary from what I could tell), potatoes au gratin, and salad. Of the lineup of presented wines I'll say that I much prefer the crisp, fruit forward rose and two of the three red blends - the "selection" and "prestige," which offer surprising quality for Bordeaux Superieur, especially the 2005, which I was unable to get my nose out of for a long time. The caveat is that Thierry hadn't taken ownership and thus they weren't truly his wines (but those of his sister Berenice Lurton of Chateau Climens fame) until the 2007 vintage, so judging the wine under his ownership is tough because there's not a lot of it out there yet. Thierry has only been in the family business for a relatively short time, and I've come to learn that he was educated and spent years in social work beforehand. I know that he used to be the president of a large institution for individuals with both physical and mental challenges, and used to work at an orphenage in Brasil which is where he met Nathanael. In talking to Nathanael, who followed Thierry into the wine business out of affection and fierce loyalty, I've also come to learn that in his younger days Thierry could always be seen having a group of disadvantaged with him. In fact, Nathanael was able to recall christmasses at the family's grand chateau in Margaux where the Lurton family would be assembled, including Thierry with his band of underprivileged. As I've said, I like Thierry and I'm intrigued by his philosophies, and so I hope that I can spend more time with him and see our relationship develop further.

The weekend was fairly quiet and since a delivery truck managed to crack one of the telephone poles on the property on Friday I was without telephone or internet, and so lots of time to spend reading Descartes. There had been plans in the works to go with Midoux's son Rada and his friends to the beach but the weather didn't cooperate fully. I'm very much looking forward to next week as I'll be starting my tour through St. Emilion by visiting a number of grand cru chateau.

Having been charmed by the "Capucin" market just 100 m up the street from the old church in downtown Bordeaux on my little expedition the previous day, I decided that I'd return Saturday morning to do my grocery shopping there. By 8:00 am on Saturday morning I was surveying the local produce in the market, where for dirt cheap I was able to pick up: a duck leg, some chorizo sausages, 2 small fish, a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, some herbs, 2 baguettes, and Roquefort and Manchego cheeses. Most people that know me well know that I love to cook, and so for me a good market is one of the best places for inspiration.

The rest of the day was then spent helping Nathanael with his roof - chisseling away the old mortar that seemed to be about 10 parts sand to 1 part cement, and redoing the job properly. This also included his chimney, which comprised the majority of our effort, with me standing on a higher level and lifting the big stone blocks off, helping him put the fresh mortar down, brushing the carbon off the blocks, and then putting the blocks back in place. All told it was about 11 hours spent on his roof, and I was happy to do it in return for the warm hospitality I was shown during my stay that week. Later that night, we went to meet his wife and 3 children at a local park overlooking the Garonne river where some fairly amateurish but still entertaining performers from Quebec put on a small show.

On Sunday I was up bright and early again, and hurriedly getting ready to be picked up from Nathanael's place by Thierry, as yesterday Thierry called to let Nathanael know that he was coming to pick me up so that I could attend a familly meeting. An amazing opportunity, and Thierry was true to his word, showing up at about 10:30 am with familly in tow. I learned soon after climbing aboard the van that it was his brother Denis' surprise birthday party and that he was bringing me so that I could meet some of his 10 brothers and sisters, as well as his parents. Destionation: Chateau Brane-Cantenac, a Grand Cru Chateau situation in the Margaux appellation that achieved 2nd growth status from the classification of 1855. We arrived at Chateau Brane-Cantenac after a drive in the country, and stepping out of the van with Thierry's daughter Ines clinging to me as usual, I was led inside the very classically decorated Chateau where I met Thierry's mother and father. Standing in the foyer admiring my surroundings I then met Thierry's sister Marie-Laure Lurton, who owns three Chateau: La Tour de Bessan, De Villegeorge, and Duplesis. I had some excellent conversation with Marie-Laure, and was very surprised to learn that she once did a "stage" in California working for Joseph Phelps vineyards in 1985. As an aside, Phelps' wines like Insignia are monsters and in stark contrast to the usually polished and elegant style of wine made in Bordeaux, so I found this fascinating. A Lurton at Joseph Phelps, imagine that! It wasn't long before I met up with Thierry in the tasting room, where the party was to be held. Since at that time there weren't many who'd arrived just yet, Thierry offered to take me on a small tour of Margaux and to have a look at the first growth property of Chateau Margaux - needless to say, I gladly accepted and we were off in the van once again. It was just 5 minutes to the beautiful Chateau Margaux, with the almost equally stunning Chateau Palmer practically next door.

When Thierry and I got back we found that most of the clan had assembled, and the party was started with a glass of 1996 Climens. Before lunch was served I was introduced to Henri Lurton who owns Chateau Brane-Cantenac, Gonzague Lurton who owns Chateau Durfort-Vivens (also a 2nd growth), and Sohpie Lurton who owns Chateau Bouscaut. During lunch I sat with Gonzague, Henri, and Thierry's mother and aunt, who were both very warm and took it upon themselves to make sure I was eating enough. I was introduced to Denis Lurton who owns Chateau Desmirail after he showed up about half way through the lunch, looking very surprised but not altogether thrilled. Lunch was served with a 2001 Bouscaut that was drinking very nicely, followed by 1959 Brane-Cantenac as it's a birthyear wine for Denis Lurton, who was turning 50, and the second oldest wine I've ever tasted. I also spoke with Thierry's father who was a very gracious host with excellent english, and at one time owned all of these chateau. After lunch was over it was a pleasure to talk with one of Maurie-Laure's daughters over a glass of Billecart-Salmon champagne, who's a medical student at the University of Bordeaux.

Having the chance to meet with this part of the Lurton family was incredible, and I hope to have more contact with them during the remainder of my time here.