There are thousands of châteaux throughout France --  private family homes, historic monuments open to the public, and bed and breakfasts like those on this web site.   But, perhaps the world is most familiar with French châteaus that are wine producing estates.  Châteaus adorn French wine labels,  and wines that are château bottled have great prestige.

This page presents a sampling of  French wine châteaus  --  some are members of au Château.  But,  there are those that do not provide accommodations and will appear here because they offer visitors the opportunity to tour their estates and sample the wines they produce, or may offer gourmet cooking courses or art classes -- something you may have always wanted  to try, especially at a wine estate in France.

The French château experience has many facets,  and au Château  wants to help make it possible for you to experience all of them!

Wine Spectator magazine has listed several of our presitigious member properties in their Top Scores 2007 List. Among those are the following (their rating on a scale of 100 points is in brackets following the name of the wine/champagne):

Château Meyre  (Bordeaux)                               Haut-Médoc 2004  [84]

Château de Chorey  (Burgundy)                        Beaune les Cras Vieilles Vignes 2004  [84]
                                                                                  Beaune Les Teurons 2004  [88]
                                                                                  Bourgogne Château Germain Vieilles Vignes 2004 [83]

Domaine Ployez-Jacquemart (Champagne)    Brut Champagne NV   [87]
                                                                                  Brut Champagne L. d'Harbonville 1996  [93]
                                                                                  Brut Rosé Champagne Sélection NV   [91]

The wine growing region between the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers of southwestern France is called Entre-Deux-Mers ('between two seas'). and it is here that you will find Château Soussac, a gorgeous 19th century château producing fine wines grown in natural conditions without added fertilizers or chemicals.  Joe and Nell Beattie, your hosts and the vintners, have a web site that states, "Château Soussac ~ where the great wines of Bordeaux and we are waiting to welcome you." That sums up the warm hospitality you can expect at the château.

Beyond the fine guest rooms for your comfort and an on site masseuse who can help you to relax and forget the stress of day-to-day living, guests can also take cooking courses with a professional chef and have free wine tastings at the château.  However, the feature attraction for wine lovers is the opportunity to take organized Wine Courses to discover the world of great wines and to taste and learn about them as you stand in the vineyards among the vines. As Château Soussac is in the heart of Entre-Deux-Mers and close to St-Emilion and Sauternes, they have on hand a team of experts who will introduce the novice wine drinker to the delights of wine and show them how to differentiate between wines.  For the serious wine lover, the château's experts will explain the complexities of the grand crus and how a really great wine is created.

Wine Tours to the great Chateaux of Bordeaux are available to guest of Château Soussac, including St-Emilion/Pomerol, Sauternes and the Médoc. Tours are priced based upon the number of guests in the party and the regions visited.  The Beatties will be happy to arrange tours to their guests' preferred regions and put together an itinerary. Only one region is possible per day.

We hope you will visit Château Soussac on our web site to see this beautiful wine producing estate for yourself, for contact information, to learn more about their offers, or to arrange participation in a Wine or Cooking Course.  The château is the perfect venue for weddings and family gatherings in a region of France that has so much to offer both the wine connoisseur and the novice, as well as other visitors who are happy exploring castles and small villages, the Atlantic beaches of the Médoc and the stimulating city of Bordeaux.
 
 

 Champagne Country  ~  The Beautiful Domaine Ployez-Jacquemart

We are extremely pleased to welcome Domaine Ployez-Jacquemart to au Château ~ our first member in the Champagne region and a producer of superb Champagnes.  It is just recently that the proprietors of the Domaine, the Ployez family, made the decision to create guest rooms in their château at the suggestion of many visitors to their vineyards.

The soul of the estate is characterized by the Champenois terroirs, now in the capable hands of the third generation:  Gérard and Claude Ployez, who carry on a family tradition.  Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne can be found at many of the best restaurants of France and in fourteen countries.  Visitors to the estate will experience tastings in fine vaulted caves, some 75 feet deep, as well as enjoy these fine wines and elegant dinners organized at the Domaine.  Harvesting and sorting by hand, cold deep cellars, and traditional yeasts produce a Champagne with very fine bubbles ~ a Champagne that is very aromatic, fruity, rich, fresh and that offers a fine balance between alcohol and acidity.

Three double guest rooms and two suites, all with en suite bathrooms, are awaiting guests at Domaine Ployez-Jacquemart.  All rooms are non-smoking.  Guest can not only enjoy fine Champagne, wines and cuisine at the Domaine, but also experience the many activities offered in the area from hot air balloon rides to golf, visits to the great city of Reims or to the center of Champagne country, Epernay, and the charming village of Chalon-sur-Marne.

Visit their pages on our site today to see the beautifully decorated, spacious accommodations, the lovely salon and dining room, and read all about this unique destination and the exquisite wines awaiting you in Champagne country!
 
 

We can sign you up today for exciting cooking or cooking/painting workshops in an historic château on a wine estate in the beautiful Luberon not far from Aix-en-Provence and Marseille  --  guaranteed to give you a substantial introduction to the art and craft of French cuisine or improve upon your own culinary skills, and painting lessons from a professional!

The family says, " We will be pleased to welcome you to our 17th-century estate, to enjoy your own prepared quality meals matched to our excellent wines. You will discover the atmosphere and aromas of Provence.  With the help of our chef, you will create traditional recipes based on seasonal fresh products coming from regional markets."

In cooperation with FRANCE On Your Own and au Château, this beautiful Provençal château is proud to present a new and creative chef from the region, Caroline MIQUEL, and to help you discover the harmony of wine and gastronomy at their wine-producing estate.

• Cooking on a Theme:  This workshop is particularly designed for food lovers wishing to improve their knowledge and food and wine societies or culinary organizations.  Object:  Over a  5- day period, in this hands-on cooking workshop, using local and seasonal produce, you will discover Provençal recipes, master new and basic culinary techniques, and savor your recipes in a pleasant environment.  The schedule is as follows:

Monday:      Welcome and first cooking class at 4.30 p.m. and dinner
Tuesday:     9 AM Meet at the Aix market. Cooking class for a light lunch, followed by Château wine tasting.
Wednesday: Visit to a local craftsman (cheese maker, oil mill, for example) Cooking class at 4.30 PM and dinner
Thursday:    9 AM visit to the fish market and lunch in Marseilles.  Cooking class at 4.30 PM and dinner
Friday:        9:30 AM cooking class, lunch, summary of the week's cooking workshop. Free evening.

Price per person -  2 persons in class                800.00 € / person
                          4 to 8 persons in class          600.00 € / person

To schedule your visit (and see what dates are available) contact us at email at the end of this offer.

• Provençal Market Country Cooking Workshop: This workshop is designed for French and English speaking people with our bilingual managerial staff. Object: From local and seasonal produce, Provençal recipes are created demonstrating culinary techniques. After completion, savor these menus in a pleasant environment. You will leave this workshop with the recipes that you prepared and a free wine pack from our wine estate. 

Schedule:
   9:00 AM   Gather at the marketplace in Aix en Provence, discover the local produce,
                 choose while comparing prices and the chef will purchase.
 10:00 AM   Travel to the Château
 10:30 AM   Assemble in the kitchen for your cooking lesson: chopping, preparation, cooking and tasting.
   1:00 PM   Time to enjoy an apéritif, then to sit down and enjoy the meal you have prepared.
                 You will also taste wines from the Château.
OPTIONAL: To complete your day, visit of the wine cellar.

Price per person with 4 people in the class:   145.00 € / person
                             5 to 8 people in class:  105.00 € / person
                             over 8 people in class:   90.00 € / person

To schedule your visit (and see what dates are available) contact us at email at the end of this offer.
 

• Workshops for adults and (when appropriate) curious children:

One morning to work seriously to discover the cooking of yesterday and today, around seasonal and fresh products. Lunch in our old Provençal kitchen, matched by the wines of the estate..

The menu depends on the season - and could be based upon citrus fruits, pastry, pistachios, almonds and hazel nuts in the salted cooking. # cooking for children, etc.  This workshop is held on the dates below.

Dates and theme (dates are for 2007; 2008 dates will soon be available):

Saturday April 21st :                      small growths & germinated seeds : green Spring
Saturday May 19th :                      original apéritifs
Saturday June 9th :                       pink and black for "smart" table
Saturday August 11th :                  initiation to asian cooking
Saturday September 15th :             cooking with the wine

Accommodations of high quality close to the château and recommended by the Château, are offered at Le Relais du Grand Logis.  Apartments for up to 12 people or nightly bed and breakfast accommodations are offered at this lovely, restored property.  Apartments are available for up to 12 guests in an apartment, and four bed & breakfast guest rooms are also provided.  Click here to make your inquiries and reservations at Le Relais du Grand Logis.

For available dates, accommodations, detailed course descriptions, information on location, to make your reservation or to ask any questions you might have, please send an email to cooking@franceonyourown.com, and we will promptly respond.  We will be happy to assist in any way we can to ensure your place in the château kitchen!

The lands of Sologne and the Loire Valley were those of predilection for François I who lived in Romorantin during his early years and where Claude de France, who became his wife, was born.  In 1517, he ordered Leonardo da Vinci to design a palace for his mother, Louise de Savoie.  François I decided that it was here at this palace that he would have his royal vineyards.

In 1519, on a royal order, 80,000 vines were brought from Burgundy to be planted around what was to become the Château de Romorantin.  The death of Louise de Savoie canceled the purpose of building a palace, so it was in Chambord that François I built his manor, but without Leonardo's help as he had recently died.

The vines prospered, and as time went by this grape variety would fit so well with the terroir that it would take on the name of Romorantin fighting over the territory with its illustrious 'elders', Chardonnay and Pinot (Auvernats white and red), and Sauvignon (Surin).  It would definitively put its mark on the history of the vineyards in the region.  The vineyard market beginning in the early sixteenth century would establish its reputation by primacy of its white wine.

In 1875 the phylloxera struck.  But, thanks to its silicious soils, the Sologne in the region of Blois managed to come out of the calamity.  The vineyards of Cheverny includes 22 villages and covers over five hundred twenty hectares.  The wine concentrates on a very small number of grape varieties and obtained the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) in 1993.

The Cour-Cheverny,
a Romorantin Varietal Wine

The grape variety Romorantin successfully managed to integrate with the soil and prospered as it gave birth to a unique and original white wine.  This variety incontestably had a great impact on the life of the vineyard and its vignerons.  With the passing of centuries, its existence became the determining factor in establishing its history and behavior.  Traditionally exclusive, the zone of production included eleven villages representing fifty hectares marketed under the AOC Cour-Cheverny.

Revealing the authenticity of the land of Sologne and having grapes ripening later than the others, it yields an original wine:  dry and lively and characterized by its very length on the palate.  Pleasant in their youngness when tasted ''on the fruit", they are particularly able to age.  Their color takes on golden lights and touches of acacia honey with fine mineral balance.  A unique wine produced in limited quantities, the Cour-Cheverny is sought by collectors of rare vintages.

The Field of the Plante d'Or

A short distance away from Château du Breuil, the Domaine de la Plante d'Or (the yellow lupin) appeared in 1970 on the family wine producing farm of la Démalerie.  The vineyard of twenty hectares is comprised of the best soils of the two appellations Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny.  The running of the vineyard is based upon the conversion to a biological agriculture with the right balance between the plant and the soil.  The wealth of the Sologne region offers floral, mineral and fruited, fresh or wooded ~ all persistent savories.

A meeting with vigneron, Philippe Loquineau, will help you to appreciate the subtleties that makes magic of this royal land.  For visits to Domaine de la Plante d'Or which include tasting some of his incredible wines, contact M. Loquineau at 02.54.44.23.09 from inside France.  To have an enjoyable stay in the region, do consider Château du Breuil next door.  You can visit the château on our web site for details about the accommodations, the region, and for prices and contact information.
 

The  Château de Chorey in Burgundy invites you to taste its exceptional wines.  Over 42 acres of land are planted in vines, producing 11 wines, both red and white, and a Vieux Marc de Bourgogne.

François Germain has run this estate since 1969.  In 1993 his son, Benoit, joined the team, and his daughter, Aude, in 2001.  The estate makes high quality wines, employs traditional  vinification methods and allows the wine to age in oak barrels.

One of the labels is named for the château itself, Château de Chorey-les-Beaunes.  This is an assembly of wines coming from different plots situated in many climates:  Beaumont, Bons Ores, and Confrelins (from the name of  the family Frolois who built the very first château in Chorey-les-Beaune during the 13th century). Some plots were planted recently. The average age of the vines is 20 years.  The wines of Chorey-les-Beaune may not have the complexity of premier crus from Beaune,  but they are fine, elegant and typical of the Pinot Noir grape. They are drinkable earlier but can keep for up to ten years in a good cellar.

The vineyards at Château de Chorey (some a distance away from the château) are worked in a traditional way and no chemical herbicides are ever used;  the soil has natural microbial life and is healthy.  A mixture of sulphur and copper are used for treatments, and all are applied before the "varaison" -- when the grapes turn from green to dark red.

Small yields are necessary to make great wines that will keep for many years.  Therefore, Chorey's vines are severely pruned and the young vines are tended in the "Cordon de Royat" fashion to limit yields.

Château de Chorey's wines are served in France's best restaurants.  In Paris, you will find their labels at Taillevent, L'Arpège, La Tour d'Argent and Pierre Gagnaire among others.  In the provinces, their wines are found at the restaurants of Marc Meneau, La Chevre d'Or, Troisgros, Bernard Loiseau, Michel Bras and many others.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful experience to spend time as a guest of the château, tour the vineyards and enjoy a wine tasting?  It's easily done.  Just click here to visit the château to see the rooms, learn about the region and make a reservation. We know you will enjoy meeting the Germain family, find their lovely home very comfortable and a visit to their vineyards an experience remembered.

In the Loire ~Please visit the pages on this web site of Château de La Barre in the Pays de la Loire region of northwestern France ~ your hosts offer theme weekends, and their expertise makes the wine appreciation weekend most enjoyable.   Château du Breuil in the Loire-et-Cher will introduce you to the local Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny wines produced by the vineyards surrounding this beautiful chambres d'hôtes. Château de Reignac, offering fine wines and cuisine to their guests, is conveniently located for wine tastings at Montlouis, Bourgueil, Chinon, Saumur, and, of course, Vouvray and its vineyards on the right bank of the Loire.

In Burgundy ~  Dinners at the magnificent Château de Villette in Burgundy are accompanied by carefully chosen regional wines such as Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise.  Please read farther down on this page about Château de Chorey, producers of their own Côtes de Beaune wines.  Guests will enjoy beautifully appointed and recently renovated en suite rooms with views over the vineyards.  The history of growing grapes for wine in the Centre Loire region has its origins in medieval times, and AOC labels of quality include the wines of Pouilly, Sancerre, Menetou Salon, Quincy, Côteau du Giennois and others.  Especially interesting is the Oenological Escapade offered by the owners of Château du Four de Vaux.  This includes two nights stay with breakfast, a four-hour wine appreciation and tasting experience, finished with a Burgundy buffet for six to twelve people.

In Provence ~ For those of you who are drawn to Provence, don't miss the opportunity to visit Château Juvenal, a warm and welcoming chambres d'hôtes not only surrounded by its own vineyards but olive groves as well.  It is at Juvenal that you can sample both their wines and their wonderful olive oil!  Share in the expertise of the Vogt family at Domaine le Vallon, a Provençal estate surrounded by the vineyards of Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Beaumes de Venise, while Châteauneuf-du-Pape is less than eight kilometers away.  A stunning château wine estate, also in the Vaucluse, is Château Talaud and you can read more about it below on this page.  When in Provence, you might also be interested in Le Pavillon de Galon, an exquisite residence offering spacious guest accommodations, occasional wine appreciation and cooking classes, and set amid the most beautiful gardens of native plants and spring-fed pools in the region.  The incredible Château de Seillans, perched atop a medieval Provençal village and surrounded by Côtes de Provence vineyards, olive groves, fields of lavender and wooded hills can be rented by the week for family vacations.

In Languedoc ~ You will enjoy a stay at Château de Grézan, a fascinating château with its origins in Roman times and a history that includes the Knights Templar, adjacent to vineyards producing quality Languedoc wines.  Inside the entrance gate to the château, which is called 'La Petite Carcassonne', is a fine restaurant serving excellent cuisine and the regional wines.

In the Rhône-Alpes ~ Experience the wines of the upper Rhône Valley and the Savoie with stays at Château de Chambost near gastronomic capital, Lyon, and the Beaujolais vineyards, and Château des Allues at the foothills of the Alpes near Chambéry which offers lovingly-prepared dinners accompanied by regional wines.

In Bordeaux ~ Although they do not produce their own wines, don't miss the opportunity to stay at the very popular and charming Château du Foulon when you are planning to tour the vineyards of the Médoc Peninsula! Convenient to all the famous wine estates of the Médoc, this château is an exceptional base from which to explore the region.    For a Bordeaux wine experience you won't soon forget, visit the luxurious Château Meyre on the Médoc peninsula.  Award winning Margaux and Haut-Médoc wines are produced on the estate, and the accommodations for guests are exquisite. Off the Médoc Peninsula you can rent a château: Château Lagorce, which is large enough to accommodate thirty-seven people in fifteen en suite guest rooms, near Bordeaux and St-Emilion for visits to vineyards and wineries, and convenient to the city of Bordeaux, local historic villages, the Atlantic Coast, Arcachon and more! The proprietors of Château Coulon Laurensac,  just outside of Bordeaux,  offer visits to their private cellars, wine tastings before dinner,  and provide organized tours of the Bordeaux vineyards for their guests.  They will take their guests on tastings in the Bordeaux region including a visit to an Armagnac distillery. The wine producing estate of Château Soussac in Entre-Deux-Mers near St-Emilion will enchant you with its beautifully appointed guest rooms, free wine tastings, tours of the vineyards and cooking classes with a professional chef.  You can read more on this page.

The wine region surrounding Bordeaux has always been a magnet for visitors to France, not only for its vineyards producing world-famous appellations, but for its proximity to both the sea, the exciting city of Bordeaux and the many fascinating and enchanting villages such as St-Emilion.  At the heart of this region is Château Coulon Laurensac, a classical residence whose owners warmly welcome guests.  Your hosts are eager to introduce you to their wine country -- and their personal cellar -- and they are both certified by the Dutch Wine Academy.  Guests are invited to participate in personally escorted, informal wine tours -- they have just created a Bordeaux Wine Experience web site --  or use their château as a base to explore the region on your own.

Fine cuisine is a part of your visit to Château Coulon Laurensac -- memorable evening meals that will be accompanied by perfect wines.  Your host and hostess are justifiably proud of their fine wine collection and will apprise guests of those served at their table.  Naturally, the main focus of Monsieur and Madame RENS is providing luxurious and comfortable accommodations for their guests -- guests who have come to the Bordeaux region to explore the vineyards, experience the vintages and enjoy the magnificent climate.

So, when you next plan a visit to French wine country, don't forget that southwest corner where terroir comes together perfectly with climate to produce the perfect wine producing conditions -- amid magnificent villages, fine château domaines, and knowledgeable, friendly people!  Visit Château Coulon Laurensac on our pages today to see photos and read detailed information regarding this fine establishment.

To participate in personally-escorted wine tours with the proprietors of the château or to learn more information about the tours, please click on their new Bordeaux Wine Experience web site where you will discover the carefully-designed vineyard visits created just for their guests.  You'll find it at: http://www.TheBordeauxWineExperience.com.  You are sure to be pleased that you did!
 

 The following article appeared in an issue of the newsletter FRANCE On Your Own
 in their column, French Wine Report.  We hope you enjoy it and will try to
pay Marcel Deiss vineyards a visit on your next trip to the Alsace region of France.

                                                                                   by Panos Kakaviatos
Should  Alsatian Riesling wine not be called Riesling?

According to Jean Michel Deiss, high-end wines from Alsace should follow the lead of other French wine regions and omit the name of the grape on their label, all in the name of terroir, but other winemakers are crying foul.  Enologist Marie-Hélène Christofaro just finished a phone call to a sommelier in a Cote d’Azur restaurant, explaining why the wine she sent from Alsace had no mention of the grape variety.

“It’s a matter of education,” she said. “People are beginning to learn, and then they appreciate it.”

Christofaro works for Marcel Deiss in Bergheim, one of the top wine producers in the northeastern French wine region of Alsace, historically known for wines named after the grape varieties – and not after the places where the grapes are grown.  Although wines named after grape varieties, or varietals, are common in what professionals call New World wines — from places like California, South Africa, Chile and Australia — most French wine regions, from Bordeaux to the Loire Valley, name their wines after place names, stressing what the French call terroir over the grape, or grapes, used.

“And, it is high time that all of us in Alsace do that too,” says Jean Michel Deiss, the forty-something owner of the 27-hectare domaine, always dressed in blue overalls, and always using mystic terminology to defend his technically illegal practice of not putting the name of the grape – be it Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris – on the labels of his Alsatian wines.

Harking back to the religious origins of winemaking in Alsace, Deiss compares each of his vines to ascetic Benedictine monks attempting to reach spiritual heights in just the right plot.  But his monkish vines have more than just nature to contend with: the national French wine appellation authority, INAO, has specific rules for high-end wines in Alsace known as grand crus – or wines grown from particularly good locations.

First,  only  three  grape  varieties can be grown in grand cru vineyards (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer), and second, the name of the grape must be on the label of any given grand cru wine.

“WhatMarcel Deiss is doing is totally illegal,” says Pierre Trimbach, winemaker for Maison Trimbach, another highly rated Alsatian winery, who, like many others, oppose Deiss’s crusade.

“It’s of course a question of style,” says brother and manager Jean Trimbach, “but it is impossible to adapt that to Alsace entirely.”

“Why oppose the grape variety against the terroir? When I drink an Alsatian wine, I would like to know first and foremost what I am drinking,” Jean Trimbach explains.  “Even at a restaurant, I would like to know the grape variety so that I could know what to order with it…”

But Deiss insists, and the law has been looking the other way.  Go into any wine store, from nearby Strasbourg to Washington DC, and you can buy a Marcel Deiss wine from Alsace, whose colorful label with medieval-like scenes and calligraphy mysteriously leaves out the grapes used to make it.

“We are left alone because we have formally asked the INAO to change its rules, and it’s under consideration,” Deiss says.

But who are “we”?   According to Olivier Humbrecht, a winemaker internationally known for the quality of his Zind-Humbrecht wines, Deiss only has a handful of small vineyard owners who support him.

“I never paid much attention to what he was doing, but now I want people to know: it is ridiculous,” Humbrecht asserts.

“The only reason one would want to mix grape varieties is to correct an error,” says Humbrecht, who is known to have some of the finest wine plots in all of Alsace, where he grows 100% single varietal wines.

“Alsace is all about the purity of the grape. A Riesling wouldn’t be a Riesling if you started adding other varietals in the mix,” he explains.

Deiss counters: “What kills terroir today is the délire de la pureté, French for “the obsession with purity.”  To him, one grape variety is just one syllable.

“How can you write poetry with just one syllable?”  Deiss also claims that by co-planting different grape varieties in one plot, they tend to ripen at the same time – an argument Zind-Humbrecht finds crazy.

“I tell you, we tried that many years ago, and when the Riesling is ripe, the others are green, and when the others are ripe, the Riesling is spoiled. We’ve tried it and it does not work,” he countered.

Another respected winery, Albert Mann in Wettolsheim, also disagrees with Deiss.

“We are going to declare co-planting illegal in Hengst [a well-known vineyard in Alsace],” said Albert Mann winemaker Jackie Barthelmé, for the same reasons.

But the fact remains that the most highly rated – and most expensive – Marcel Deiss wines are all grape blends grown from the same plot, such as Schoenenburg or Altenberg de Bergheim, both grand cru vineyards.  International wine critic,  Robert Parker,  gives notes in the mid 90s (out of 100) to both, which are composed mostly of Riesling, but including Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, each costing about $60 a bottle.

“In all fairness,” admits Humbrecht, “only time will tell how well his wines age.”

“So in say, 20 years, if his wines turn out really fabulous, then maybe we will all adapt his methods.”

“But I would not bet on that.”

We invite you to visit Château Talaud. The setting is superb if you are seeking a warm and inviting place to stay among the vineyards of Provence.   In the sunny climate of southern France you will be able to visit the vineyards and villages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Beaumes de Venise, as well as the vineyards producing Côtes du Luberon, and  have the exceptional pleasure of living among Château Talaud's own Côte du Ventoux vineyard.

This beautiful château, dating from 1732, offers guests exquisite rooms and suites (decorated by Conny Deiters-Kommer, your hostess)  a unique swimming pool and the opportunity to learn more about the growing of wine grapes in Provence.  Hein Deiters-Kommer, your host at Château Talaud, is the vintner.  He is understandably proud of the estate's thirty hectares, fifteen (thirty-seven acres) of which are planted in vines.  The view over the vineyards from the dining room and the opportunity to enjoy wines from the château's exceptional cellar add to the pleasure of your visit.  Another advantage of staying at Château Talaud is the international atmosphere created by the owners who are world travelers.  Six languages are spoken  --  Dutch, English, German, Spanish, Russian and, of course, French --  every visitor will feel right at home! 

Château Talaud is in the heart of the Vaucluse --  Avignon, Carpentras, Arles, Nîmes Aix-en-Provence,  Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Wednesday market), Les Baux de Provence, Marseille, Orange, Gordes, Vaison-la-Romaine, Isle sur la Sorgue (famous antique markets and fairs at Easter and in August) are all within easy reach.  Château Talaud makes an excellent base for visiting the most interesting places in Provence.   Roman ruins are abundant in this region, including the arenas at Orange, Arles and Nîmes, the dramatic Pont du Gard,  Glanum near Saint-Rémy de Provence and others.

For wine lovers, this is wine country!  The variety and abundance of wine results in excellent wine lists in local restaurants offering a wide choice of Rhône and Provençal appellations.  And the opportunity for dégustation  (tasting) the exceptional wines of the region are endless.

Château Talaud is open eleven months of the year to warmly welcome guests.   The château glimmers in the Provençal sunlight, its manicured gardens perfect for quiet strolls, and its guest rooms cozy and comfortable.  To visit Château Talaud on our web site for more photos and information about becoming their guest, simply click here.  Reservations can be made by a click on  their email address or by sending a Fax to the number on their page.  The Deiters-Kommers are ready to welcome you to their estate and are waiting to hear from you!

Château Meyre couldn't be more appealing!  For those interested in the incredible Bordeaux wine country, the location on the Médoc peninsula is perfect, not just for a long stay but perhaps for visits to Margaux and St Emilion vineyards, lovely cycling trips on the peninsula or pleasant drives to the nearby Atlantic coast for dinner at the beach!

The web site,  Wine Express,  (http://www.winexpress.ca) offered the following:

"The winemaking is traditional at Château Meyre, but the innovative owner does her own international distribution/marketing and has established a successful wine-tourism destination.

"Our enologist, Jacques Boissenot, does everything by the book, including racking (clarifying) the wines using the light of a traditional candle (to monitor the sediment) and fining with egg whites",  says owner Corinne Bonne.  Boissenot, a Left Bank specialist in Bordeaux, known for the finesse and elegance of his wines, is also enologist for Margaux and Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Palmer. He was the business partner of legendary Bordeaux enologist Émile Peynaud.

"Bordeaux has always been resistant to women in the trade and I was not at the top of Jacques’ list,  but he was sold on the Meyre project itself and now Jacques’ son, who’s more my own age, is preparing to follow on in the family business, which is great.

"As opposed to many estates owned by out-of-towners, we wait patiently and monitor for perfect maturity before picking. I spend lots of time in the vineyard and we employ the same picking team every year, older ladies from nearby villages.

As for the wines themselves, the ’96 Meyre is lovely now and the ’98 is starting to drink well. The 2000, similar to the ’98, will benefit from three or four years of cellaring and last about twelve years.

The 2000 is tauter than ’99, which was a more successful Merlot rather than Cabernet vintage, perfumed and voluptuous, smoky and plump. [It’s showing mocha, plum,  blueberry and smoky cedar. Delicious! Due here in April at $22.

"2000 was an easy vintage to make", said Madame Bonne.  "The color was intense with terrific sugars and perfect acidity levels. It was so good that the winemaker and I just stood there and laughed and said: ‘What do we need to do?’ The ’01 and ’02 are also very good."

"The tiny-production L‘Enclos Gallen, 'our fun project', is a more upscale appellation Margaux, and some 2000s are still around from the June release. They’re marked down from $59 to $49."

The 2001 Gallen is a vibrant claret with intense mocha-cassis and subtle raspberry notes and oak nuances (91). It’s 80/20 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon.

We thank Frank Baldock of Wine Express for the above.  His interview with Corinne Bonne has given us all some insight into the fines wines of Château Meyre.

Check out the wines at http://www.chateaumeyre.com and accommodations at the beautiful Château Meyre on this web site with just a click on the name.  You will not be disappointed if your next Bordeaux stay is at Château Meyre!
 

 The following article appeared in an issue of the newsletter FRANCE On Your Own
-- the first in their new column, French Wine Report.  We hope you enjoy it and will try to
pay Château Léoville Barton a visit on your next trip to the Bordeaux region of France.

                                                                        by Panos Kakaviatos
 

Anthony Barton is exhausted, and slightly upset. At 72 years old, he just finished his 50th wine harvest at his 45-hectare (112.5 acre) wine estate in Bordeaux bearing his family name, Château Léoville Barton, a highly-rated Bordeaux red wine in the commune of Saint Julien.

“Why can’t journalists just wait,” he complains about an article from the latest issue of the UK wine magazine, Decanter, reporting a poor 2002 harvest.  “The article was written three weeks ago, and it has been published as if it is up-to-date news, “ says the Irish winemaker whose family constitutes a Bordeaux dynasty stretching back to 1725.

“The level of fruit concentration for this vintage has turned out exceptional, “ he claims, filling a glass with the recently fermented wine drawn from one of his oak casks, “which proves that it is better to wait until after the harvest before drawing any conclusions.”

Recent press has focused on how the Merlot grape suffered from uneven growth and bacteria,  due to an uneven flowering,  along with cold, damp weather in much of the summer.  But Barton, like other chateaux owners in Saint Julien at least, emphasizes the warm month of September which led to fine maturity for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.

No, he is not talking about two different wines.  Bordeaux wine has always been a blend of grape varieties now found all over the world.  His Léoville Barton, for example, is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc.  Considered by connoisseurs to be among the top twenty wines out of thousands in Bordeaux, Château Léoville Barton retails for  upwards of 60 euros per bottle.

“People often say that Saint Julien wines represent the quintessence of what a fine Bordeaux should be, “Barton explains.  “ Finesse and elegance, yet also power and structure.”   The richness of the wine at Léoville Barton is matched by the Barton family's long and eventful ties to Bordeaux.

Barton calls himself a bog frog. “That term I suppose defines my background: a mixture of the bogs of Ireland and the frogs of France,” he explains.

Thomas Barton began buying and shipping wine from Bordeaux in 1725. His grandson, Hugh, further developed the family holdings, including the purchase of the current château, but was thrown into prison by French Revolutionaries in 1793, because he was a foreigner.

Ronald Barton, Hugh’s great grandson, fled before invading German troops arrived in 1940. When General de Gaulle made his famous call to arms, Ronald’s request to fight with the Free French was refused, because he was a foreigner.   He subsequently fought as a liaison officer between the British and Free French forces in North Africa and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur and the Liberation Medal.

Anthony Barton represents the eighth generation. Born in what was the family home, Straffan House in Kildare, Ireland,  he  went  to France at the age of  twenty to work with his uncle Ronald in the wine business.

To celebrate the end of the 2002 harvest, he and his Danish wife Eva invited 120 guests, including the grape pickers, to lunch at his château, a classical, single-story 18th century chartreuse with impeccably kept English-style lawns and gardens, flanked on both sides by wine cellars and offices.

“The harvest reminds us that people in the end make wine, and we were very happy to have given a medal to one grape picker who has been with us for his 30th harvest, “ Barton says.  Optimistic about 2002, he opens a bottle of 2000, a vintage which has been universally praised, to celebrate.  Such a bottle is priced at about $130!

“Santé,” he says lifting his glass, and quickly adds “Slainte” [pronounced shlanté] – Gaelic for “to your health.“

Should you wish to visit the château and try some of the wine during your stay in France, please contact Château Léoville Barton, 33250 Saint Julien Beychevelle, France by mail or from outside of France by Fax at 33.5.56.59.14.29,  by Phone at 33.5.56.59.06.05 or by email at chateau@leoville-barton.com.

Château du Foulon does not have vineyards, but it is perfectly located for your visits to the tantalizing Bordeaux wine country, and more specifically the Médoc Peninsula.   We are all hearing about the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux -- some say the best in decades -- and for those of you who think the best wines in the world come from Bordeaux, this is the perfect time to visit.

We have been guests at Château du Foulon , so our recommendation comes from very fond memories.  In fact, our next trip to France will find us back in Aquitaine and, hopefully, at Foulon once again.  The rooms are all large and freshly decorated, the bathrooms modern and en suite, and the grounds are vast and peaceful  -- just perfect for relaxing strolls to discover the lush plants and ancient trees that call this place home. As friendly peacocks and peahens roam freely (occasionally you will find a feather too beautiful to leave on the ground), a pair of much less amiable swans float along in their sparkling pond.  Their beauty and majesty compliment the classical château across the wide, green lawns.

A stay at Foulon will enable easy visits to all the grand château wines estates of Bordeaux.  Not far from Foulon to the north are the vineyards of Pauillac,  Moulis, Listrac, St Julien, Mouton Rothschild and many more.  Directly east about ten kilometers is the famous Château Margaux.  On the other side of Bordeaux off the peninsula, you will find St Emilion, Pomerol,  and Côtes de Blaye vineyards among others.  These are all so close by, that you will truly be surrounded by the most famous wine appellations in the world!   Notable wine châteaux pepper the area and are open for tastings and tours.

The city of Bordeaux itself is not to be overlooked offering visitors parks and fountains, great museums and a fascinating historical past.   Naturally, fine restaurants with exceptional wine lists are in abundance.  For those who prefer the Atlantic coastline to the streets of a city, drive west from Foulon a mere 24 miles,  and you will find the shore is dotted with small resort towns south to Cap Ferret and north to Soulac-sur-Mer and Point de Grave.  Between each are pine forests, a continuation of the largest pine forest in Europe which lies in a southerly direction toward the border with Spain.    Because of the flat terrain, this is superb cycling country.

Although Château du Foulon is open year 'round, reservations should be made well in advance for stays during the winter months.  You can click on our easy to use French / English FAX form, print out a copy and then fax the completed request to the château at 33.5.56.58.23.43.  You will not be disappointed with your accommodations, the ambiance, your charming host and hostess,  or the world of Bordeaux wines that surround you in this very special corner of France.
 
 

Vous vous demandez peut-être pourquoi depuis quelques temps les bouchons synthétiques ont remplacé la plus part des bouchons naturels en liège des bouteilles de vin.

La raison est en fait multiple:

La plus évidente aux yeux de tous est l'élimination des goûts de bouchons que le liège peut apporter au vin et qui est si frustrant,  surtout lorsque la bouteille est spéciale.  Une autre explication provient du fait que la production mondiale de liège est limitée, d'autant plus que ces dernières années, le Portugal qui en est le premier producteur, a été ravagé par des feux qui ont détruit une grande partie de ses chênes lièges.

Dans un même temps, la production mondiale de vins n'a cessé d'augmenter avec l'arrivée des vins du nouveau monde. Il a donc fallu trouver d'autres solutions pour boucher les bouteilles de vin.

Mais la raison principale provient de l'utilité même du bouchon. A l'origine, il permettait non seulement de boucher la bouteille mais aussi de permettre au vin d'être en très leger contact avec l'air et donc vieillir lentement dans les meilleures conditions. Il faut dire que dans le passé (jusqu'au milieu des années 80), les vins étaient élaborés « à la dure », et il fallait attendre quelques années avant de pouvoir les boire et les apprécier à leur juste valeur. Le bouchon en liège avait donc toute son utilité. De nos jours, les habitudes de consommation de vin ont bien changé. On achète un vin à 19H00 et on le boit à 19H30. Si cela est quelque peu caractérisé, il faut bien constater que les vins sont bus rapidement. Et pour cela, il faut donc les élaborer de façon à ce qu'ils puissent être apprécié dans leur jeunesse. Ces vins sont moins concentrés, plus fragiles à l'oxydation et n'ont aucun intérêt à vieillir. Un bouchon en plastique, qui est presque totalement hermétique, permettra alors au vin de garder toute  sa fraîcheur et son fruit. Bien sûr, ce raisonnement n'est pas valable pour les grands vins de garde qui continuent à être bouchés avec du liège.

Enfin, le bouchon en plastique permet au marketing, élément devenu si important dans les aspects commerciaux, de s'exprimer notamment par le jeu des couleurs et par un marquage personnalisé beaucoup plus facile à réaliser.

Maintenant, si vous avez des bouteilles avec des bouchons plastiques qui traînent dans votre cave, vous pouvez sans hésitation allez en cherchez une et boire à ma santé.

. . . en anglais

You may ask yourself just why, for awhile now, synthetic corks have replaced most of the natural corks in bottled wine.

In fact, there are many reasons:

The most obvious reason of all is the elimination of the taste that cork can bring to wine ["cork taint"] which is so frustrating, particularly when the bottle is a special one.  Another explanation comes from the fact that world production of cork is limited, especially these last few years, as Portugal, which is the leading producer, has been ravaged by fires that have destroyed a great part of these cork oak trees.

At the same time, world production of wines has not ceased to grow with the arrival of wines from the new world (North America, Chile, Australia, South Africa). So it was necessary to find other solutions for sealing bottles of wine.

But the main reason comes from the actual utility of the cork.  Originally, it permitted not only closure of the bottle but also for the wine to be in slight contact with the air, and therefore age slowly and in the best conditions. It should be noted that in the past (up until the 80's), wines were made the hard way and it was necessary to wait a few years before being able to drink and appreciate them at their true value. The natural cork, therefore, had its usefulness.

Today, wine consumption habits have greatly changed. We buy wine at 7 p.m. and drink it at 7:30 p.m. If that's not such a typical scenario, then one should simply note that wines are quickly consumed.  And for this, they must be made in such a way that enables them to be appreciated young. These wines are less concentrated, more fragile regarding oxidation and won't get better with aging. A plastic cork, which is almost completely hermetic, permits these wines to keep their freshness and fruity taste and will also better protect them from oxidation which might degrade them. Of course, this reasoning is not to be used for great wines (ones which should be aged) which continue to be sealed with real cork.

At last, the plastic cork enables marketing, an element that has become so important in commercial aspects, to express itself, notably by the range of colors and by a personal logo which is easier to create on the plastic cork.

Now, if you have plastic-corked bottles hanging around your cellar, you can, without hesitation, go and grab one and drink it to my health.

                                                                                                        Cheers !

                                                                                                             Jean-Marc

                                                           by Panos Kakaviatos

Red may be the color that comes to mind when one thinks of Bordeaux, but French wine journalists will gather January 22 in Paris to taste and judge the already legendary 2001 vintage of one of the finest white wines in Bordeaux:  Sauternes.

For this sweet white Bordeaux variety, 2001 featured ideal weather conditions which allowed for the special mold called botrytis cinerea to concentrate grape juices just perfectly.  Harvesters had a field day at Château Raymond-Lafon, one of the top Sauternes producers, which will be the appellation standard bearer at the Paris tasting this month.

“In 2001, we were able to pick our maximum yield, which will result in about 30,000 bottles, “ says Charles Henri Meslier, the château’s wine maker.

The entire Sauternes appellation includes some 6000 acres of vines in what is, arguably, the most beautiful of the Bordeaux appellations:  gently rolling hills, foggy mist from the nearby Cerons  stream, and a charmingly small and authentic town center.

Château Raymond-Lafon’s 50 acres are preciously located right near the world famous Château d’Yquem.  Pierre Meslier used to make wine for d’Yquem from 1961 until his retirement in 1990;  he bought Raymond–Lafon in 1972, and he and his family have ever since been responsible for making Sauternes wines approaching the quality of d’Yquem, at about one-third its price, according to American wine critic Robert Parker.  French critics also laud the quality of this Sauternes, and the Swedish government selected Raymond-Lafon for its Nobel Peace Prize dinner in 2000.

The château will represent the Sauternes appellation at the January 22nd wine tasting in Paris, to include not just a 2001 barrel sample but celebrated vintages such as 1921, 1929 and 1949, as well as most vintages from the 1980s and 1990s.

A challenging wine to make...

At its best, Sauternes is famous for wines that are balanced in their sweetness with enough acidity and barrel aging to match the high levels of excess sugar that make Sauternes a sweet white.  Many common Sauternes can be heavy in their sweetness, but châteaux like Raymond-Lafon   produce  wines  that  can  only  be  described as elegant in their sweetness.

Such high quality Sauternes (a bottle of Raymond-Lafon costs about $60) are more difficult and costlier to make than red Bordeaux.  Although the health and ripeness of the grapes are, in general, important, just as for red wines the adventure of making Sauternes only begins after  the harvest for red wines.  Workers run a greater risk of running into bad weather conditions as they have to make several pickings of only those grapes affected by the botrytis in October, November and sometimes even into December.

Marie-Françoise Meslier, who manages Château Raymond-Lafon, explains, “If you want to make a high quality red wine in Bordeaux, you are limited to one bottle of wine per vine.  The maximum in Sauternes, however, is three glass of wine per vine.  Here at Raymond-Lafon, we only produce one glass per vine.”

But,  sometimes that glass is very small, which was the case in 2000, a very difficult year when only enough wine was fermented to fill about 10,000 bottles at the château.  Indeed, because of the different type of picking involved, an easy year in Bordeaux for red wine may be a difficult year in Bordeaux for Sauternes, and vice versa.  The recent craze over the 2000 vintage is a good example:  Robert Parker called it Bordeaux’s vintage of the century — for reds. But the weather that year deteriorated in October and did not much improve, so that only very little quality Sauternes was made in 2000, known as a difficult vintage for Sauternes. 

No need to worry if you cannot attend the special Paris tasting on January 22;  the English-style ivy covered château, whose grounds include peacocks and exotic flowers, keeps its doors open to visitors seven days a week throughout the year, including a free tour of the cellar followed by a tasting.
 

     Charles-Henri and Pierre Meslier
          [Photo:  Château Raymond-Lafon]

Wine lovers planning trips to Bordeaux should not miss a stop in Sauternes and Château Raymond-Lafon.  Feel free to contact the Meslier family at famillemeslier@chateau-raymond-lafon.fr or phone them at 33.05.56.63.21.02 from within France.

In the Morvan hills of western Burgundy is a remarkable estate of 500 acres and a château that will surely impress all who stay there.  Château de Villette is a tranquil and refreshing oasis -- the ideal vacation spot -- for those seeking a quiet vacation or those eager to explore the myriad vineyards of Burgundy, the wine center of Beaune or the culinary offerings of Lyon or Dijon.

Château de Villette is a grand estate only sixty kilometers from Beaune.  The beautiful and expansive parklands are accredited to the early work of André le Notre, famous for his designs at Chantilly and Versailles.  Guests of the château will enjoy the formal gardens and terraces, century-old landscapes and trees, the streams and ponds that dot the estate and the lush, green forests.  Perhaps most notable are the unending panoramic views.

The accommodations offered are in freshly redecorated rooms incorporating exquisite linens and fabrics, luxurious beds, furniture suited to the period and en suite bathrooms with all modern amenities.   For those wise enough to choose dinner au château, they will discover incredible offerings from five menus, served by candlelight and accompanied by carefully selected wines -- the same wines found on the finest wine lists in France.  These appellations are from nearby Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise.   Host and hostess, Coen and Catherine Stork, are understandably proud of their cellars housing wines they have personally selected for their quality and authenticity.

Do visit Château de Villette on our web site at your next opportunity.  You can make reservations by sending us or them an email.  You will not regret time spent at this exceptional Burgundian retreat!
 

We understand that there are many people visiting France who would love a guided tour through the vineyards, stopping for tastings and receiving  knowledgeable information along the way.  Perhaps we have discovered just what those people are seeking! 

Pierre Galmes is an accredited chauffeur who is discreet, fluent in English, professional in every way and drives a sparkling clean, air-conditioned car  -- and Pierre is a non-smoker. He has expertise in all important wine regions of France from the Loire Valley to the Rhône, from Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy to Bordeaux.   Pierre helps his clients to discover all the famous places they have read about as well as equally wonderful places they may never have known.  His inside information and ability to provide insight into the world of wine makes tours with Pierre rewarding experiences -- you could enjoy private tastings and meet some of the important people behind the production of France's greatest wines!

And now, Pierre has facilities for chauffeuring wheelchair users in the appropriate licensed vehicles (please access his web site http://www.france-chauffeur.com),  and he has identified hotels, restaurants, places of interest and hire vehicles for the wheelchair user (please access http://www.france-wine-routes.com).

Details of chauffeured tours are available from Pierre.  He can provide testimonials from previous guests, a schedule of palnned tours (his availability is not limited to these), information on your safety and security while traveling with Pierre, and so much more.  Do pay the site a visit!  You may find you have just discovered the ideal way to visit French wine country!

                                                                                                          by Panos Kakaviatos
                                                                                       (courtesy of FRANCE ON Your Own, June 2005)

Many barrel samples of Bordeaux’s latest vintage proved hard and tannic, though some will soften in barrel and result in better wines than now expected.

What a difference a year makes! In 2003, many wines were flavor intensive and concentrated, while others were unripe - particularly on the Right Bank, because the extreme dry heat in the summer blocked phenolic maturity. According to Professor Yves Glories at the Enology Department at the University of Bordeaux, both phenolic maturity and anthocyane, or pigment levels, were slightly higher in 2004 than in 2003, which explains the relatively dark colors encountered in the red wines.

In many ways, the 2004 harvest proved to be the polar opposite of 2003, when heat stress contained the vines’ energy and even grilled grapes, resulting in a small harvest that was also very precocious. Many commentators note that 2004 made up for that year with a burst of energy, resulting in one of the largest harvests in Bordeaux history. But,  because it was so large, vines not subjected to expensive care in the vineyard, such as multiple green harvests, sometimes produced grapes that were not fully ripe. Indeed, after tasting the wines of 2004, I found that a substantial number of chateaux did not achieve maximum ripeness, despite some picking well into October after mid-month rains. And because the harvest cycle was late, malolactic fermentation – which naturally converts harsh malic acids into smoother lactic acids – also occurred later than usual.

Dominique Bécot of Château Beau Séjour Bécot told me that maturity took more time in 2004 and that the malolactic fermentation for many wines had finished just in the third week of March and was not even done for some others at the time of the press barrel tastings: some of the wines proposed to taste from April 4 to 8 were labeled “malolactic not yet done.”

Fragile Samples

For that reason, the main organizer of the week-long tastings, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC), decided to postpone its celebrated barrel tastings by one week – one week too early, most observers agreed, because the wine harvest/wine making cycle was two weeks later than usual.

The result: fragile samples that were best tasted when pulled from barrel on the day of the tasting. Some samples tasted were already several days old and thus not as stable as others, so tasters had to take this fragility into account more than ever when noting down their appraisals, many of which turned out to be at best a mixed bag.

As ever, there was much fanfare for the 80 odd journalists who came to Bordeaux from the four corners of the world to taste the wine – and to profit from free stays and lavish lunches and dinners at the châteaux – in the dégustations very well organized by the UGC. But there were long faces as well. While smoking cigars at midnight at the elaborate Hotel La Source de Caudalie, next to Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Leognan, import sales manager Jim Smith of Southern Wine and Spirits – one of the largest wine importers in the world – remarked, “We plan to buy only 10% of our normal Bordeaux purchases in 2004.”

A German journalist wrote that with few exceptions, Bordeaux in 2004 was “hard and tannic.” “A symphony of tannin,” was the joke employed by another journalist when I told him that I would be tasting cru bourgeois wines in Bordeaux in a tasting organized by Bordeaux negociant and harvest writer Bill Blatch. To cap things off, the most influential Bordeaux wine critic, Robert Parker, raised eyebrows when he published only the 75 best Bordeaux in his April report (as opposed to his normally listing all the wines).

The wines not in that listing will have a hard time selling en primeur, noted UGC president Patrick Maroteaux, who is also owner of Château Branaire Ducru in Saint Julien.

Meanwhile, other observers, like veteran wine writer Jancis Robinson, gave the vintage a positive spin, praising a return to classicism, in her article “Bordeaux 2004: falling in love with tannin,” in the Financial Times of April 16/17. She may have a point…

Spotlight on Château Dassault

One of the best wines in 2004, which also represents a great price/quality ratio is Château Dassault, in Saint Emilion. One of just 55 “grand cru classés” (there are hundreds of “grand crus,” a designation which has lost much meaning, in my opinion), the wine is an affordable and rich Merlot-dominated (65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) blend, made from grapes grown on the northern slope of Saint Emilion’s ancient siliceous and chalky sands.

The very gracious Laurence Brun has been winemaking director since 1995, and her work has led to increasing critical acclaim for this wine, which costs between $25 and $45 a bottle, depending on the vintage.

Indeed during a blind tasting of 2004 Saint Emilion wines in April, I found her wine to be among the best from this appellation in its class, with the following notes: “Very dark color. Black cherry aromas and flavors in the mouth. At first thought that it was a bit over extracted, but with some time in glass (20 minutes), it settled down. Very nice! 90-93.”

Brun aims for “extreme ripeness” and uses 100% new oak for the 15 to 18 months of aging (though she only employs 75% for the 2004 vintage).

“Château Dassault produces wines characteristic of its terroir,” she said. “Fruit with just ripe pulp is not enough for me; I'm looking for extreme ripeness, from the grape skin to the seed,” she said.

Some may think that her wine would then taste too modern, but I believe she has succeeded in making a very rich, savory and, yes, balanced Saint Emilion without going overboard on the ripeness or extraction. This wine can be enjoyed young, but also after several years in the cellar – as I found out after tasting several older vintages at the château!

Careful sorting of the grapes after the harvest – following the initial grape selection in the vineyard, not one but two sorting tables are employed, before and after de-stemming – ensures that only the best grapes are picked from the 24 hectares of vines.

The Dentelles de Montmirail form the backdrop for an exquisite small château near Carpentras in Provence's popular wine country.  Guests can enjoy beautiful rooms overlooking the park or the vineyards.  This château produces its own fine wine, and what is more, they process the olives from their own groves into delicious oils.

Guests will not lack for things to do at Château Juvenal.  The energetic owners, Anne-Marie and Bernard Forestier, offer cooking and painting classes, wine and cheese tastings, and tango lessons!  It is hard to believe that they can find time to do so many things, but they do!  And they do it all with great enthusiasm.

Whether you are interested in learning more about wine production, wish to discover the secrets of really fine Provençal olive oil, or just seek a friendly and welcoming chambres d'hôtes, you will be able to do all that and more as a guest at this marvelous château.  Visit Juvenal, spend a few days in the warm Provençal sunshine and experience Provence at its most interesting!
 
 

                                                                                                                              by Panos Kakaviatos

Perhaps the most traditional Bordeaux wine appellation, Saint Emilion, was a religious center during the Middle Ages – half of its 9,000 inhabitants were monks largely responsible for exquisite limestone architecture, which includes amazing underground passageways.

Declared an historic monument by UNESCO in 1999, Saint Emilion is flooded by tourists each year.  But anyone who takes a stroll on the town's cobblestone pathways cannot avoid its omnipresent wine boutiques, hilly vineyards and, when a vintner allows, wines stored in those old underground passages – all of which reveal Saint Emilion’s more recent claim to fame: fine wine. 

Wine writer Hugh Johnson advises people who want to discover Bordeaux wine to try Saint Emilion first, because the generally dominant Merlot grape in most Saint Emilion wines tends to be softer and more approachable that the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Médoc appellation, famous for such wines as Château Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and the like. Indeed, French sommelier Cécile Chauveau, who works spring and summer at the upscale Chanticleer restaurant on Nantucket Island, admits to bending the truth slightly in sometimes recommending Merlot-dominated blends from Bordeaux like St. Emilion to American customers used to softer, sun-soaked Cabernets from California.

As a wine appellation, Saint Emilion packs some 2,000 chateaux into just over 5,500 hectares (13,600 acres), which surround the town itself. Unlike the more established and much larger Médoc, whose top wines were graded by an 1855 classification based on terroir still in effect today, the wines of Saint Emilion face more intense internal competition, as their more recent 1954 classification is renewed every 10 years, based not only on terroir, but also on consistency in quality.

That means that wines from any part of the appellation can be either promoted or demoted, and that includes the some 1,350 plain old Saint Emilions, the some 600 Saint Emilion “Grand Crus,” the 55 Saint Emilion “Grand Cru Classés,” and, finally, the top 13, which are themselves divided into two parts: Cheval Blanc and Ausone as the top two Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classés “A” and 11 Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classés “B.”
 

One of the appellation's most highly prized wines – and rising stars in the higher echelons – is Château Angélus. Promoted into the top 13 in the last re-evaluation in 1996, there is talk that it may join Ausone and Cheval Blanc, if not in 2006, then in 2016. Most of the wine is exported which makes it, oddly enough, sometimes less expensive in the United States than in France, though prices on both sides of the Atlantic are hardly cheap.  Reflecting the impeccable quality of the wine, an average vintage can cost up to $80 a bottle, with a great vintage, like 1989, fetching as much as $300 a bottle.

Less than a mile from the famous bell tower at Saint Emilion on its renowned south facing “pied de côte” (foot of the hill) site, Château Angélus is the story of four generations of the Boüard de la Forest family.  The estate's name derives from an ancient vineyard, from which the men tending the vines could hear the angélus ringing out from all three of the town's churches: the Chapelle de Mazerat, the Church of Saint Martin de Mazerat and the Church of Saint Emilion.

At the turn of the century, Maurice de Boüard de la Forest acquired the then three-hectare plot (about seven and half acres), adding it to the adjacent vineyard, Château Mazerat, which had been in the family since 1850.  Sons Jacques and Christian expanded the holding by buying adjoining plots of land, until by the 1970s, they had completed the property run today by Hubert de Boüard de la Forest and his cousin Jean-Bernard Grenié.

Hubert de Boüard de la Forest  at a tasting of his Château Angélus wines

The promotion was the result of hard work from both de la Forest and Grenié. They introduced the philosophy of picking riper grapes, advocated by Emile Peynaud, the grandfather of modern French winemaking, who also taught de la Forest personally. Regrettably, Peynaud passed away this year, but his influence lives on today. Many winemakers, wine lovers and critics praise his approach and impact to winemaking, from Robert Parker to Hugh Johnson.

But beyond picking riper grapes, the owners also declassified grapes from lesser plots to make a second wine – something many châteaux do in Bordeaux – and have concentrated all the best plots for their Château Angélus blend, which includes a high proportion of Cabernet Franc, a grape that lends a mentholated freshness to their wine.  The owners also keep up with technology while respecting traditional methods, so that each harvest and each vintage achieves as much as possible.

Recently in Bordeaux and then on Nantucket Island – during the 8th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival in May – I was able to taste the wine in both vertical and horizontal tastings. In wine lingo, a vertical means that one tastes several different years – usually contiguous – of the same wine, in this case Angélus. A horizontal means the opposite: tasting different wines, but from the same year.

While in Bordeaux during the  primeur tasting of the latest 2003 Bordeaux vintage – the vintage is tasted roughly six months after the harvest, after having had some time in the barrel – I was impressed by the quality of Angélus in a vintage that was not most favorable to Merlot. It stood out among many of its peers in the horizontal tasting in late March.

Two months later on Nantucket, I hosted the vertical tasting for wine festival participants. The eight wines tasted, spanning 12 years, illustrated the consistent quality one obtains from this château and is explanation enough for its recent promotion. As follows, my brief tasting notes:

2001:  Very young and tight – which is expected from a wine that was bottled less than a year ago. A very good if not great year. But put the bottle away, and wait for it to open up in about five years.

2000:  All I could say was “Wow.” A very full-bodied and balanced wine, though still very young with hints of tannin that will melt over time. A great vintage overall in Bordeaux, and very successful for this château. Prices reflect this success, with this bottle fetching about $225 on today's market.

1998:  Almost as good as the 2000, though more compact. Does not have the enormous aromatic qualities of the 2000 but still very good.

1996:  Leaner than either the 1998 or the 2000, more similar to the 2001, but properly aged with a very smooth Cabernet Franc freshness to it that is appealing. Very well done.

1995:  This wine was tasting no less than heavenly and upstaged all of the wines of the tasting, with the exception of the 1989. Full-bodied, yet nuanced, the wine's tannin has melted and the result is a balanced flavor that one will also obtain from the more recent vintages.

1994:  Not the favorite among some of the wine tasters at the festival, I really enjoyed this wine for its mineral qualities and smoothness. It is certainly not as full-bodied as, say, the 1995 or the 2000, but offers fine taste.

1990: A great year in Bordeaux and a great wine.