Vicky Bishop reports from Bordeaux
publication date: Jun 4, 2002
From
Bonnezeaux to Bordeaux we trundled south. With horses on board you
cannot go fast but we completed the auto route in time to collect
Philippa Soden from The Daily Telegraph from
Bordeaux airport on time - who else was being met by an electric mint
green horse box - she couldn't miss us!
We were also
met by Gerome from a local computer company as my laptop just did not
want to play ball with cyberspace. He came out on his Piagio and gamely
climbed inside the living area of our box to administer to the grumpy
laptop - another first!
We then rolled on round the
Rocard to the Medoc and made our way up the lovely long field-fringed
drive of Chateau d'Angludet where I had met Diana Sichel back in
February when she so kindly offered to host us and the horses. They too
had arrived in heaven with spacious boxes for the week and a lush
paddock for Sunday lunch - not to mention plenty of other four-legged
company.
With everyone unpacked we discussed the
weeks plans over a truly exceptional bottle of Ch d'Angludet 1982 with
our delicious feast of roast poulet and garlic,
local cheeses and strawberries... human heaven.
The
following morning having not been woken by a ferocious green woodpecker
(who was having an ongoing battle with an old oak tree in Bonnezeaux)
at 5.45am we dropped south along the edge of the Rocard to Ch Smith
Haut Lafitte in Pessac Leognan where we had an excellent guide in the
form of Sandrine with whom we tasted the 1999 and 2001 Ch Smith Haut
Lafitte. A personal first was their white wine originally made with 100
per cent Semillon and then in 2001 with a small addition of Sauvignon
Gris and Blanc - very vibrant and fresh with well integrated oak on the
palate.
We walked over to the Caudalie where we met
Alice Cathiard who showed us around their very impressive spa with
their vinothérapie where every treatment, lotion and
potion comes from the grape. Oh, to rest our aching limbs for Merlot
Wrap but the horses were calling from the Médoc keen to get out in the
vines again - and we still had a case of Smith Haut Lafitte to collect
for our London auction (25 September at The Crypt with The Bleeding
Heart Restaurant) before heading home. 
On Wednesday we crossed over to the Côtes de Francs
where I went back down memory lane as we wound through the vines to
Château Puygueraud where I had done vintage in 1985. We received a
wonderful welcome from my great friend Bernadette Thienpont and her
charming mother. Her brother Nicolas who is their winemaker guided us
through their most impressive cuvées including The
George 2000. However my favourite remains the Puygueraud 2000 with its
wonderful deep garnet hue and complex aromas of soft black fruits with
a touch of cedar.
That afternoon the day was made
complete - after a lunch featuring Bernadette's secret fish marinade
beautifully complimented by the delicious Les Charmes Godard 2000 we
took off on the horses for the gentle slopes of the Côtes and cantered
along the vineyard fringes... Philippa and I agreed that life really
doesn't get much better!
It was 8pm by the time we
had sorted out mobile fencing (as the horses were out in a section of
the Thienpont farm) and came in for a shower before racing off for
dinner in St Emilion full of a mix of medieval and terracotta
almost-Provençal style charm. There we enjoyed Magret of Canard with
1999 and 1988 Ch Puygd at l'Envers du Decors.
After
winding up our famous mobile fencing we dropped in on Jonathan Maltas
at Ch Teyssier in St Emilion who is producing a highly impressive set
of wines including Le Dome - one of the garagistes
of Bordeaux.
Our programme has only taken such great
shape thanks to the advice of local experts such as James Lawther MW.
So it was a delight to visit his charming home in Entre Deux Mers where
the vineyards just seemed to be set out for riding! Here we encountered
our first police road block - but at the sound of hooves and given a
cheery greeting in our best French they moved aside and let us trot on
by. We are always careful not to drink too much before riding!
Friday saw us making a clean departure for Château
Mouton Rothschild - sans arôme de chevaux! After
watching them rack the new vintage and then gazing in awe at the
collection in their wine museum we decided we were ready for our
tasting of this great wine. We were lucky enough to be presented with
not only the very elegant Mouton Rothschild 2000 but the 2000 Ch Clerc
Millon and Ch d'Armailhac - again a first for me.
That afternoon after a ride amongst the vines around
Ch d'Angludet we caught up with Ben Sichel who is in charge of all
their winemaking and saw inside the chais which we
have ridden past so many times. We also tasted their Clairet - a deep
rosé coloured wine with far more structure than your average rosé and
with 13.5 per cent - it packs a fuller flavour too! A not-yet-finished
blend of the 2001 d'Angludet promised much with tremendous
concentration and great blackcurrant aromas - so the finished product
will be well worth searching out!
We felt we must
explore a local market so the horses hopped back in their box and we
put them on the ferry to Blaye which caused much interest amongst the
club of Saturday cyclers! For once we knew we did not look odd in our
jods against the wild colours of the cylists!
Sunday
witnessed another return down memory lane as we scrunched up the gravel
- where my parents had led me as a three-year-old... to Château Palmer
in Margaux. In the company of visiting Antipodean friends we stared
into the deep garnet hue of their 2001 vintage with truly elegant
blackcurrant aromas.
Tomorrow we are off in search
of stickies. No visit to Bordeaux could be complete without checking
out the noble rot. We will start with a visit to Ch Coutet in Barsac
and then on to Ch Guiraud in Sauternes. Philippa has gone home so I
will ride both Lily and Dromara in turn around this attractive
appellation between tastings before packing up for
the Languedoc and the big trek south...
Regional
aromas:
- Wild garlic from the
hedgerows
- Acacia from the trees - also provided to
taste/chew on - you really can see where the honey flavour comes from
- Subtle pepper and spice - from wonderful mature
Malbec in the Côtes de Francs
- Deep velvet
blackcurrant and cedar - the classic Bordeaux - more
left-bank
