The Wine Merchant in Bordeaux. Castillon, June 2009.
Wine fairs are definitely "passé." They Turned Into a boring platform boring WHERE Producers rent a booth and feel bored all the time. We need this platform to be Able to meet importers, show our wines and negotiate sales. But does it have to be boring?
No!
Everyday i went in at VinExpo to the meeting point where i ICEX had my scheduled Meetings with clients from Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Holland, UK and Austria, and Then out again, as quick as I Could!
Together with Malena I Worked on an off-program and visited '1 ère rencontre "off" des vignerons Blogueurs' at the Château Luchely-Halde and 'Haut les Vins' at Château de Cujac. At the 'off bloggers' I Came across Some very interesting wines. Some fine Showed Pagès Ivo wines from the hills of Cadaques: a young style, easy drinking Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Macabeo 'Pirate' and a beautiful equilibrated Grenache, Carignan, Petit Verdot and Macabeo 'S'Alqueria'. Both wines network in Ivo Pagès macabeo use the white varietal, why not? The Carignan is 80 years old, and I'm discovering the old Carignan Brings a lot of structure, glycerine and smoothness to the wine. The Saami I find in the Priorat 'What Givot' . 
The big surprise THOUGH Came With The acquaintance of two 'crazy' wine makers: Serres Montagut Laureano Ramon and Joan Escoda. Els Bassots 2007 from Conca de Barbera, Chenin Blanc, A Rather confusing nose, dazzling green grass from wet to Earth With some 'after the rain' smell That Malena loves (I found out That When We Arrived in Barcelona on the wet streets just after the rain). The 'Mendall' of Carignan, Cabernet and Merlot from Terra Alta blasted me out. I'm still wondering what I tasted Exactly, This wine produced me instant memory loss, I still can not define and Could This Very Concentrated wine. I have to visit him to find out more.
The first 'quality' Pinot Noir I eat meat in Spain across from the hand of Joan Ramon: The Llopetera. I tasted 2006, 10 months barrel, 14.50% alc. Only Mark Hoddy, who I Showed the wine, WAS capable of blind Recognizing the variety. I definitely will visit 'Celler-Escoda Sanahuja' to check out Les Paradetes. Were these guys so interesting and we Talked away so I forgot to make my notes seriously.
In Both occasions of the 'off-wine' happenings we Drove the winding roads to arrive in Bordeaux plain nature at the very well kept Châteaux create the right atmosphere That for a wine tasting. Still the eleven names inside TABLES WITH Seemed boring to me. Both in the Château Luchely-Halde and Cujac I Came across the first I ever drunk champagne Labelled under the name 'Champagne': Tarlant . A Brut Nature style in not confusing Penedès. It Seems the climate change provokes Earlier Harvests (in stead of november october) When the plant still Keeps on growing and sucks energy, Which provokes a later sprouting of the vines in spring. Well done! And great news for the champagne industry. Let's hope Champagne does not get to sell expensive Cava Before we do. Producers cava Come on, show the world our fine bubbles!
Jean-Paul Brun, who I met at the Boundary restaurant in london with Our importer OW Loeb, WAS Presenting beautiful velvety wines from Beaujolais: Domaine des Terres Dorées . Only fermenting with natural 'mother' yeast are very inspiring historical wines and a 'must' for new, uncomplicated wine lovers.
II was guest DURING my stay at the 'gite' where Mark Hoddy lives the story of His Life: wine, wine and wine. The bucolic environment of Sainte Colombe, just at the border of the Saint-Emilion appellation, shows extensions running over green hills of vines and fresh cut grass. The vineyards look like garden architecture and make you feel rich only by looking at Them, a joy for the eye. The French chanson and sings through my head Makes the picture of the French romance complete, c'est une belle histoire indeed.
Mark Showed me the winery 'The Clairiere Laithwaite', where 'I runs the wine making. I confreres Of Clairiere is a select club of members that guarantee Their wooden case for every year They Live, When one dies the first on the waiting list gets in. The cellar is built on a stone mine, where 'Each and every stone you see in the aristocratic houses of the area WAS caved. A 'caracole' step Brings you down to the mine WHERE 25,000 liters are aged on oak Allier. 
Then we headed for 'Le Chai au Quai', where 'Mark elaborates About one (Sainte) million bottles a year. Tanks and oak barrels Lejeune in the oxo smart system with Maury and wine from Bordeaux: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon, and who knows what more, in the old Enormous cooperative of Castillon. The building is an impressive piece of architecture along the Dordogne river, a warehouse of about 300 m WHERE barrels used to be rolled down a ramp to the key and shipped Into the world. 'Le Chai au Quai "is today's Testimony of Those Days, But this Time run by the' smart 'Laithwaite family. I envy Mark, British historical wrong side driving Peugeot back every day-through the vineyards of Bordeaux, That Are Producing wines exported to the UK direct. Castillon is a dream, a life movie, from La Plage's entrecôte to Les Voyageurs's andouilette and Some foie gras of the Dordogne on Mark's woodstock charcoal grill, all sauced in exciting wines. This is the life the young boy Old Jersey shared with me for a Few Days.
Mark, be aware, I will be back.
