CHAMPAGNE TO BORDEAUX, RIDING THE WHITE HORSE – PART THREE

Day Two was a trip to the Left Bank with breakfast consisting of a glass 2006 Yquem at Chateaux d Yquem a highly recommended way to start the day! Up to Lynch Bages where we caught the tail end of a tour (not to worry lunch was leisurely and bloody tasty so why rush!).

Our tasting adventure climaxed (the wines were that good!) at Chateaux Gruaud-Larose. David Launay was our informative and knowledgeable guide and took us through the Chateaux where we met the Maitre de Chai, Philippe Carmagnac who was dead keen for us to get into some wines. The 2007 Gruaud-Larose (again full of hedonistic pleasure) was followed by the 1998 and 2003 Gruand-Larose all exceptional wines. After a very enlightening discussion on winemaking techniques Phillipe bundled us off with a couple of bottles of the 98 and a promise to come and visit. The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be densely populated with Chateaux owners leaving the harvest in the capable hands of the many open and friendly winemakers we met on our travels.

DISMOUNT

A early morning rise to catch (just) the red eye to Munich was followed by an enlivening 250 km zoom through the roads of Munich to meet Florian at Wine in Motion a distributor of New Zealand wines into Europe. A traditional meal of White Sausage, Pretzel and Beer (I had two - bloody good Hefe Weizen) preceded a rather sedate meeting and then a tasting of Man O' War that has resulted in some fantastic opportunities for us.

A night of fine food and wine (and a deep sleep) at the KonigHof hotel in Munich with a mate of Big B's, Werni who was an amazing host, a bottle of 2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling from J J Prumm and then to finish an outstanding bottle of 1986 Cheval Blanc, truly an amazing vinous experience and one I won’t forget, great to finish with the famous white horse!

Currently ensconced in B's pad in London winding down and warming up for stage two - the Battle for Britain!

Cheers

Dunc

CHAMPAGNE TO BORDEAUX, RIDING THE WHITE HORSE – PART TWO

A too short a stay in Champagne led me to Berlin to meet up with Berridge and present our wines to the Dussman group in the KulturKaufHaus in the heart of Berlin. They loved the wines, nicknamed us the 'Face' (Big B) and the 'Nose' (your narrator) of Man O' War.

Next stop Bordeaux where we hooked up with Justin from Stokes and the very affable Jeremy Belcher from the Bardinet group who was our fixer in Bordeaux hooking us up with some fantastic appointments.

Our first appointment of the day was a tasting at Cheval Blanc with the extremely hospitable Pierre Lurton. A tour and a bit of a chat about winemaking was followed by a tasting of the 2004 Petit Cheval, the 2004 Cheval Blanc and a surprise invitation to lunch- how could we decline! But first our appointment with Figeac and a taste of the 99 and a opportunistic taste of their latest addition to the Figeac wines, the 2007 Petit Figeac a recent acquisition of 2 acres producing 1200 bottles, call me a hedonist (and I won’t be offended) but I love young Bordeaux however I was soon to gain an appreciation of aged Bordeaux that left me speechless...

Lunch at Cheval Blanc, Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc 07, exotic and rich served with truffled scrambled eggs and bacon (served in exquisite style) then off to the lunch table for a bottle of 2001 Petit Cheval matched with a tasty Lobster dish. The AMAZING 1998 Cheval Blanc was poured with a cut of Veal and truffled potato mash closely followed by the 1989 Cheval Blanc to complement the truffle character of the wine and truffle. OK, to finish 1986 Yquem – why not!

We then travelled somewhat sluggishly to Angelus where we were met with the owner, the gentlemanly Hubert de Bouard de LaForest. A fantastic tour of the property followed by a bottle of 2006 Angelus which very much found favour with our hedonist streak! Then off to Big B's favourite Chateaux, Chateaux Troplong Mondot. A tour with lovely Stephanie who had Mr Belcher in rapture was followed with a tasting of the 2006 Mondot and 2006 Troplong Mondot, predominantly Merlot they were impressive wines rich with a firm grip.

Cheers

Dunc

CHAMPAGNE TO BORDEAUX, RIDING THE WHITE HORSE – PART ONE

A great week in the life of your humble winemaker...

To coincide with the launch of Man O' War with Stokes Fine Wines in the UK we thought we might take a wee detour through France to visit some famous chateaux's in the Bordeaux region, but first I needed to freshen up...

Arriving in Champagne via Hong Kong I was picked up at the Champagne-Ardennes train station by an old friend, Francois Hure from Hure Freres, a fantastic producer of Champagne based in the 1er Cru village of Ludes. Francois and I had done a few 'tours of duty' together at Peg Bay and I was keen to catch up and taste some of his wines.

First stop was to Francois' home in Mailly to catch up with Marie-Eve his wife, who is also a mate of mine I met during harvest in NZ back in the day (Francois and Marie-Eve met in the hot tub at Peg Bay but that’s another story...) and their new addition Anshelme their rock n' roll baby boy!

Hure Freres NV Brut and 2003 Reserve was a welcome refresher, the NV showing that great balance of freshness, crispness and a touch of sweetness that makes Champagne so desirable. The 03 was rich and full and a great reflection of a landmark vintage in Europe. A dinner of Kiwi lamb on the BBQ with a magnum of Hure Freres Rose and the beginning of a 2 day flight of Northern Rhone Syrah's pretty much left me satisfied!

Next day was a visit to the cellar and a tasting of some base wines...

Man O' War has begun a special trial in 2009 where we felt we had an opportunity to have a crack at crafting a small volume of Methode Traditionnelle and I was keen for Francois to try my base wine and see what he thought. Thankfully he wasn’t too scathing, in fact he was very positive with excellent balance, great acidity and good definition in the wine, he found aromas of white flower and honey - my back label is already written!

Home for lunch and a bottle of the newest addition to the Hure Freres stable, the excellent NV Extra Brut, great on a 30 degree day in paradise!

Cheers
Dunc