Lafite gets a scrub

During my brief visit to Bordeaux at the end of last week, on which I will report in more detail tomorrow, I can't tell you how much building work I saw. It seemed as though every single château is in the process of being enlarged or beautified. Ch Langoa-Barton in St-Julien was typical, with every stone on its outbuildings being noisily individually cleaned and polished. As the redoubtable Anthony Barton put it, 'What else are we supposed to do with all the money we've been making?'

Here is the current scene at first growth Ch Lafite, with Ch Mouton-Rothschild just over the hill...