Château La Conseillante

Every year, thousands from around the world descend upon Bordeaux for what the locals call “Crazy Week” where the wine industry’s finest come to visit the famous Chateaus of the region and sample hundreds of the latest vintages. In this final part, Puneet recounts his experience visiting the region and just what to look out for from 2022.

Troplong is the highest point of Saint Emilion and we really do have a great view. They own 42 Ha 28 of which is classified as Premier grand cru classe. They have clay at the top of the hill and as you come down the slopes this becomes more limestone based. This was important in 2022 as it gave greater water carrying capacity. Vines had to grow longer roots and extracted more mineral type characters. Fereol the winemaker was busy but is excited to visit Aotearoa in mid September.

A lovely morning tasting conducted by Ched de caves. I am finding Castillon very interesting for 2022, lying East of St Emilion on the Gironde and following the limestone seam, there could be some good buys to be found here. Aromes also is a lovely wine quite apart from Pavie.

A wonderful Chateau to visit, this place really goes back to Roman times – with whole buildings carved millenia ago from a rock face. You get a tremendous view of the vineyards and the village of Saint Emilion which really is very pretty.

Here at Valandraud we have the GC tasting for Saint Emilion – which to my mind is the appellation of the vintage eclipsing even Pomerol. I sprint through the UGC tasting ensuring that I get a good feel for the entire appellation

Just around the corner from Valandraud is Château Fleur Cardinale. We really are on the North Easter edge of Saint Emilion now, just a touch cooler than further into the appellation. The current custodian Caroline Decoster shows us around the property. She is vibrant, full of energy and ideas. The winery has sharp imagery and has a modern tough well integrated with the traditional. A new experience we enter the winery through a nature corridor where we see and hear the look and sound of their vineyards through the seasons – a very sensory experience, and only the beginning Caroline has invested in an immersive Virtual reality experience also, alas we did not have time to try this nor the need as we were in the property itself – although this could be a useful tool in New Zealand. We are then shown to a dining room. Caroline’s parents in law were originally from central france Limoges, famous for its porcelain and china, and this dining room supports some of the most impressive Limoges ware I have seen. We progress to lunch off these beautiful plates. Incredible. We discuss everything from wine to climate to children and art. A great afternoon.

A most wonderful Chateau with the longest path through the vines. A real sense of geometry and aesthetic almost Greek like. Plenty of wooden structures giving away the ancient age of this estate. And some whopping good wines

Haut Bailly has a new winery and I love it. Why? Because it really is in tune with its local terroir. Yes it uses precious Earth resources like steel for its tanks and fittings, but it is thoughtful in all ways on how it co exists with Mother Earth, Dug into the hill with a garden roof, water reticulation, energy panels, heat and temperature conversation, the list goes and on and on and what a joy it is to hear birds tweeting and bees buzzing around the winery as if it was native garden and woodland. And then add to this the wines are delicious (or because of this….)

A UGC tasting of Pessac Legonan wines – I decided to take a look at a few whites – they realy are delicious from this area. I think I may have found a good Sauterned in Chateau d’Arche to partner with also

A very interesting visit indeed. Avant garde with chic architects and close to the Bordeaux town, modern art scrawled on the concrete tanks, hipster winemakers and team – This wine is for K road except K Road cant afford it. So its for rich people who think they like to go to K Road! Great wines though and as natural as it gets

It is the end of the week. I sit in the tasting room of La Mission Haut Brion. A room that is hundreds of years old, with wood panels and the most beautiful wood pane large window looking out into the greenest of gardens. A room of zen, a room with untold stories and right now it feels that in this moment time has stood still, the pendulum has frozen mid swing and here I am in this room with me, my friends and some of the greatest wines ever made.

The Bontemp is the wooden bowl in which the egg whites are whisked for that most amazing part of the winemaking process, the fining of the wines. A truly fitting symbol to end the Bordeaux En Primeur week and celebrate the 2022 vintage. The vintage is truly fascinating. If you had asked the Commanderie (The elite group of Chateau owners) in May 2022 what they perceived of the vintage – they would have had heads down predicted not only an apocalypse for 2022 but for future vintages also given that 22 climatic conditions may be a harbinger of years to come. Widespread frosts in Spring of 2022, A large Hail event not long after, and then three of the hottest months ever recorded in the region starting in May. Every Chateau employed their own methods to combat these conditions. Chateau Margaux reduced foliage in an attempt to reduce photosynthesis, Chateau Latour kept foliage to shield the berries from harsh sun, soils, yeasts, crop cover all were played with. Harvests were conducted earlier than normal with many picking their Merlot in the last week of August. And then as the wines began to vinify it is clear that something remarkable was happening. The wines had a vibrancy, a freshness, an elegance and a restrained power, large mouth feel and incredible length. The vintage was turning into a truly memorable one and a success. And in the end all the vignerons could say was that in large part it was down to the vines and the terroir and their own ability to adapt to climatic conditions. The combination of limestone, gravel and clay soils allowed the roots to both go deeper and find amazing flavour components while being able to survive from the retained water in the soils and water carrying capacity. In the end the vines adapted. 2022 is their vintage.

And so we gathered on this night to celebrate, and the mood was high. The commanderie were relieved and ecstatic. This vintage has given them a glimpse of a good future for Bordeaux. Large bottles of 99 Latour circled the table and my cup was always full. I laughed and danced with my new friends. I am quite sure that Xavier the owner of Branaire Ducru will be owing me a bottle of something special as The All Blacks defeat France in this year’s World Cup. The Prince of Monaco is now my friend. And to my dear friends in New Zealand, It was Bordeaux that truly inspired me to enter this crazy World of luxury and sensory delight. For me it is not about the final product, the sensory delight or even the social coming together, it is the fact that wine is a most natural product and springs from our Earth, and the same vine speaks to us so differently from each terroir. I believe that all of our food should be like this, we should have thousands of baked beans and thousands of cauliflower flavour profiles – every foodstuff uniquely speaking of its terroir. Being an individual whilst being part of a group – somewhere in that is the grand unifying theory. Good night one and all and if you wish to partake in this year’s 2022 En Primeur Campaign, please don’t hesitate to let me be your light through the chamber.

I recommend the following wines because I believe that they are outstanding from the vintage and that buying them EP will definitely be a far better price than waiting to purchase upon release and also because these first tranche allocations ex Chateau will be very scarce and snapped up by the global market. I have chosen several superstars which must not be missed if you want the very best and several excellent value wines which will knock your socks off at more reasonable (for Bordeaux) prices. I have also chosen wines which displayed incredible balance and supple tannins and whose drinking life will last both several decades and yet be ready to drink as soon as they are in your hands or very soon thereafter. Wines will be available in New Zealand late 2024 with 50% payment by Dec 2023 and remainder upon arrival into New Zealand and at the point of delivery to you. Happy drinking!

Every year, thousands from around the world descend upon Bordeaux for what the locals call “Crazy Week” where the wine industry’s finest come to visit the famous Chateaus of the region and sample hundreds of the latest vintages. In this third part of a series, Puneet recounts his experience visiting the region and just what to look out for from 2022.

Henri Lurton runs a tight ship here, but he sets his own mark and understands the individuality of people and the senses. In such a way he achieves uniqueness from his wines that sets him as a class above. The Estate is 75 Ha. In 2022 the small berries, particularly from The Merlot gave a denseness, suppleness and aromatic quality to thew wine. Henri fermented at cooler temperatures from a 100+ lots. At first the Grand vin had no poress additions, but he found the Cabernet sauvignon skin so amazing that he added some of this press to the Grand vin.

This Chateau’s architecture look and feel linger back to 1300 to 1600 AD. Its large stonework, its clos and moat with actual water. There is a mediaeval quality to the place – you expect trumpets to blare with coats of arms unfurling from the brass. The owners are very keen to work with New Zealand and open up Pacific markets.

We are told at Palmer that the Merlot really adapted to conditions and although June through to harvest was record breaking heat, the Merlot developed ripe, complex and aromatic characters. The Chateau was relieved and confident for the future and really believe that the future is in Clay. Vine maintenance is also key with cover crops and biodynamic principles. Vineyard age also plays a key part in adaptation. Also as the intense heat started early, in May the vines again had some time to adapt to the heat before veraison and harvest.

A very cool visit – we were shown various samples from the barrel room – always a great help to understand more about why the final blend is as it is. The Chateau GM is very keen for her technical team to learn more English and is considering sending some of the team to New Zealand – I have promised them and many others fly fishing excursions around Taupo – and even with a helicopter thrown in to get to the higher streams!

Managing director Philippe Bascaules conducted our tasting. And what a tasting. With the large Chateau we are escorted through several levels of security through a square gravel courtyard into a simple white conservatory lining the courtyard. Phillipe talks in depth about his work and the vines. He believes that removing leaves in extreme heat and therefore limiting the plants ability to photosynthesise is now a key philosophy for Margaux and a key reason to their success this year. He grants me permission after the tasting to take a photo down the path in front of the legendary Chateau. I do so with a copy of Ponsonby News.

Another incredibly picturesque Chateau and wow what a lunch – the best of the tour and more fit for a wedding. The string duo playing as we arrive, the bright lit room with exceptional china and tableware and the biggest cheese table ever with every great cheese from France represented – various vintages of aged Margaux on the table C’est magnifique, lunch was so good I take some extra time and skip the UGC margaux tasting – life’s pleasure must take precedent.

There is always an excitement when you visit one of the elite Chateau and for many Latour feels like the top one, although through these tasting I can see how each first growth is unique to its terroir and appellation. We have a tasting with an English gent which is different and of course all get quite excited as we leave to get pictures near the famous Tower – Latour!

The company has a nice collection of Pauillac Chateau, and the wines are very well made, perhaps it was late in the day, or a crowded tasting room, these wines were shining but not shining brightly to me to knock my socks off, this is unusual given the level of greatness I am seeing elsewhere, I would love to revisit the Mouton again and reassess

I love this Chateau. The back of the Chateau opens up onto a deck which looks out over the most beautiful lake – true Monet style. My negociant tells me they had the Chateau to themselves for the evening a year ago, and 5 of them dined on the terrace overlooking the lake – I my gosh I hope that opportunity comes to me one day – its a bucket list thing!

After last night’s party a return to the scene! We have a strong intelligent young guy present – Arnaud – he spent some time at Waiheke with Steve at Stonyridge, so we get on famously. Its the last tasting of the day and no engagements this evening. I down the Montrose!

Every year, thousands from around the world descend upon Bordeaux for what the locals call “Crazy Week” where the wine industry’s finest come to visit the famous Chateaus of the region and sample hundreds of the latest vintages. In the first of a series, Puneet recounts his experience visiting the region and just what to look out for from 2022.

An iconic site in the Medoc owned by Brono Borie. They have a lovely dog on site and Brino’s mother known as Madame Beaucaillou is now 97 years old and still busys herself around the Estate. An eclectic Chateau full of vitality and life, with a brimful of overt aristocracy. I mean all the Chateaux belong to the aristocracy, but here you can feel the old money in the skin of the people and the walls of the building. Yet I’d take these people over Elon Musk any day.

A very enjoyable stroll around Château Beychevelle tasting Saint Julien and Listrac Medoc wines. Saint Julien had a good showing the freshness, balance, perhaps the alcohols were a bit higher than yesterday’s right bank wines but all in all a good show. Talbot has always been a favourite of mine, but honestly so many good wines. I also had a look at the wines of Listrac Medoc, just North of Margaux on the west coast. These wines will be good value in 2022 such as Clarke, Fourcas Hosten and Fonreaud.

Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron sit practically across the road from each other in Pauillac and they are the classic fairy tale castles. These would have been the Castles that Rapunzel was trapped in with it soaring minarets at each corner. The great thing about Pichon Lalande is that you are practically sitting on along one edge of Latour and get a great view of the Latour tower. Chateaux dont get any bigger or grander really.

Wow – Lynch Bage’s new winery must be the most advanced I have ever seen and must be the most advanced in the World. A gleaming glass and steel post modern cube on 4 or 5 levels with every widget and widget that you might ever need to make perfect wine….good thing their grapes are pretty good! And then lunch in their barrel hall… I hear the school teacher shout…Wilkins! Actually I don’t but the lunch was very reminiscent of an english school hall canteen except we were drinking exceptionally aged Bordeaux with beautiful food.

I have been drinking and selling Cos d’Estournel for many years, but this was my first visit to the Chateau and in all this time someone had forgotten to send me the memo. The place is a shrine to Indian architecture. I walk past 9 Hedges each shaped as an elephant. The exterior follows Mughal lines of architecture, geometric fountains, intricate minarets, internally the place is plush and exotic. I discover that the original owner in search for investment to keep the Chateau afloat had travelled to India in the early 1800’s (in the knowledge that thirty Brits would be there) and uncovered a whole market by himself. Unconventionally he set up his own bottling plant at the Chateau, and produced, bottled and dispatched the wines to India himself. I wasn’t until 1924 that any other Chateau followed suit and Mouton began bottling themselves. Until then Cos was an outlier in every sense. The owner was nicknamed the ‘Maharaja of Saint Estephe’ an honorific I now have my eye upon! The Chateau labels 2022 as an emotional vintage but as we know now – the results are exceptional.

Their is a lot of cool things about Calon Segur. Firstly is is a Clos 9walled) vineyard one of only a handful in Bordeaux. The label expresses this Clos as a heart which is very cool. Also the Chateau loves the colours of the brightest lipstick gloss red – its sexy and dangerous and chic. And the wines are good! The Chateau claims that ‘The 2022 vintage is characterised by very small berries combining a great richness in tannins and anthocyanins and a great freshness, preserved by the clay of ou terroir’

A quite remarkable Chateau, the place has a ranch feel, indeed being biodynamic they do have many horses, but it is more than that. The place is large, sprawling and steeped in history, it feels oh so Pauillac. Justine Ts=esseron conducts our tasting. More and more we realise the Bordelaise are not completely sure of how they have achieved such a remarkable result in their wine given the frosts, hail and extreme heat weathered by them.

Charlotte Bouygues and Pierre Graffeuille had invited me to an evening at their Chateau – Montrose toi celebrate The 2022 En primeur vintage. Charlotte Bouygues is daughter of Martin Bouygues who himself is son of Francis Bouygues. In the early twentieth Century Francis setup Bouygues International, now one of France’s biggest industrial firms. To put it in perspective these are the kind of guys who have their own exclusive club within the Billionaire’s club. These are also the kind of people who own the big Chateau these days. They are intelligent, sophisticated people and most importantly they know how to retain wealth within a close circle of wealth holders – usually the family. But anyway here I was invited to their party. I had a good group of cohorts in my party group, an Australian somm, some wine merchants from Estonia and a couple of my Negociant team.

In a tight turnaround we finished out Tuesday avo tastings, and headed straight to the party. A splendid entrance, into the magnificent winery foyer, and we are greeted in a Royal line up by the entire Bouygues family. The matriarch is Melissa Bouygues, she cuts an impressive figure and is undoubtedly ‘The Queen’ – Magnificent blond hear, in a satin green ball gown and a pearl necklace and earring set which would test the neck muscles of ‘The Rock’ himself. I greet the Matriarch and we settle on a brief conversation about New Zealand and the fine things in life. I move into the room and pick up a cheeky 2019 Montrose. ‘Slurp’ Oh yes its good.

It seems a big theme for the night is going to be ‘Light’. Some dude has a cool light box. My gang lines up for a lovely black and white contrast photo. “Come back later in the night” he grins…”after a few more wines” We tour round the Chateau, Plenty is going on. I waltz into the barrel room and pick up a 2010 Montrose…wow we’re moving on up a level now, secondary characters, power, fruit and supple tannins…wow. The room is busy, some winery hands are racking a barrel ‘old school’ style, tipping the barrel with a long pulley lever and pouring the barrel wine into a wine glass which is checked by candlelight for lees and sediment and then poured into a new barrel. Another worker solemnly concentrates as he top syphons some aged Montrose from a Methuselah into separate decanters. A 30 metre long garden is set up where everything in the garden is completely edible. I wonder how ‘shroomy’ the mushrooms will be and gulp down a few, seems to put me in a good vibe anyway.

We are ushered into the Montrose barrel room, possibly one of the most impressive of such structures in Bordeaux (and there are a few). Romanesque arches around a large square auditorium both long, wide and high, You could easily fit a couple of large aeroplanes in here. We wait expectantly and are rewarded. I personally have not spent too much time at the ballet, but a duet is performed in and amongst a golden light show at one end of the barrel room. The theme remains ‘From roots to light’ – It lasts 7 or 8 minutes and moves me and my cohorts to tears. My buddies from Estonia tell me how Talin in Estonia is known for its incredible World class ballet, I book a date with them.

We roll out of the barrel room and I am lucky enough to stumble into a Jeroboam upon which a special label is being created that night with a certain amount of guest signatures on the bottle – I sign up. Late that night the bottle is rolled out avec label to much fanfare. And then the launch of Montrose’s first ever white wine. After so much red this is an absolute joy. As a kiwi I am always blown away by white Bordeaux – it has such a large amount of Sauvignon blanc, but the silkiness and texture obtained overlaying the minerality and acidity is something that we do not achieve/seek in our wines. I wonder if Hawkes Bay and Waiheke may be missing a trick here.

The night wears on, the band comes out to play, The Bouygues’ show us that they can dance with the common people. I am whisked into a van and return to Bordeaux centre ville, quite satisfied.

Every year, thousands from around the world descend upon Bordeaux for what the locals call “Crazy Week” where the wine industry’s finest come to visit the famous Chateaus of the region and sample hundreds of the latest vintages. In the first of a series, Puneet recounts his experience visiting the region and just what to look out for from 2022.