By AJ McClellan
Our second day in Bordeaux started with a great breakfast in the hotel followed by a quick lesson in the basics of Bordeaux wine regions and how to taste wine. One fact that I learned was the difference between the first nose and the second nose. The first nose is taken before the wine is swirled; this allows you to detect flaws more easily as you will detect the wood and spice of the wine on the first nose while the second nose, after you swirl the wine, will bring out the fruit. With our newfound knowledge of how to taste wines we proceeded to blind taste through several for practice. The first was a 2008 Chateau Montdoyen Divine Misericorde Bordeaux Blanc, a very crisp white with almost 20% Semilion giving it a light waxy feel in the mouth with the Sauvignon Blanc bringing out big grapefruit and lemon zest. Next on the lineup was 2008 Chateau Mons Delaunay a fun little bottle of village wine that was very pleasant but not overly complex. Our third bottle was one of my favorites the 2006 Goulee, which is a second label of Cos d’Estournel. Soft and supple with great black and red fruits and a classic Bordeaux Terrior, not one for aging more than 15 years but a great bottle to sip on while you are waiting for others to evolve. The last wine of our blind tasting was the 2001 Chateau Cadet Piola, another easy drinking Bordeaux with the Cabernet Franc showing great chocolate and coffee notes.
After our wine class we headed over to Giron’dines for lunch. We started our meal with foie gras served cold with apricot preserves, paired with a 2008 Chateau de Crabitan from the Sainte Croix du Mont. The wine was full of huge citrus notes and a subtle touch of honey. The sweet notes of the wine and the great acidity complimented the foie gras perfectly. Next was a roast duck served with a drizzle of aged balsamic and vegetable medley. The duck was served with a duo of St Emilions. First, a 2001 In Rose Cotes Roi with big chocolate and tobacco notes followed by spice box. Second was the 2001 Roc de Joanin, which was slightly softer and more round in style with plush fruit and a savory churned earth finish.
With full bellies we took a stroll across St Emilion to Chateau Canon, stopping in at the vineyards of Ausone and several other great vineyards. One thing that was amazing to me was how close all of the vineyards were to each other – literally across the street or only separated by a fence. Once we got to Canon we were ready to try some wine! The Chateau was absolutely beautiful with a grand tasting room and beautiful vineyards. After seeing the fermentation tanks and the barrel aging room we got an extra little treat when our guide took us more than 10 meters underground to show us the old mining caves under the vineyards. We finished with a tasting of the 2006 Chateau Canon in a beautiful courtyard overlooking the vineyards.
After Canon Ivan hooked us up with his friend Nickolas and we went to Pavie Macquin to taste through the 2010 barrel samples of Chateau Puygueraud, George, La Prade, Berliquet, Larcis Ducasse, Beausejour, and Pavie Macquin. The barrel samples were all powerful and inky in the glass, showing huge red and black fruits with giant oak spice and massive teeth-staining tannins.
After our vineyard adventures it was time to stop in at a local cafe in St Emilion to grab a bite to eat for dinner. Simon and Dave ordered the Andouiellette Sausage and when it came out it we immediately knew something was wrong. When Dave cut into his sausage what looked like cadavers intestines spilled out releasing the smell of death and decay. Unfortunately Simon was not paying quite as much attention to what he was doing and managed to take a bite of the sausage before realizing that it was rancid; the look on his face was classic. We fled the diner in St Emilion and retreated to the safety of the hotel dinner room.
