| I have
just returned from a fantastic trip to Bordeaux. This
included trips to some of the best Chateaux drinking
some of their wonderful wines and also having lunch with
the owners. What a tough life I lead sometimes! Actually
it is tough….. people think that all us winemen do is
drink wine every day and bore people about this Chateaux
and that grape and soil and price etc etc but the
reality is very different.
One of the best
experiences was at Chateau
Batailley . We met the
owner and were shown around the Chateau accompanied by a
lovely glass of
Pol Roger
After
the extensive tour we gathered for lunch with Jean Marie
the delightful owner who luckily for us spoke perfect
English. This helped because my French is mostly
conversational based around my experineces playing
Petanque, working in kitchens and restaurants (This
involved mostly swear words and how to order food!)
We found
out that Batailleys name comes from battle, one of the
most memorable of the 100 year war. Their vineyards are
of the highest quality and they definately produce one
of the best Pauillac’s I have tasted. The Chateau was
officially classified in 1855 and Jean Marie has wines
in his cellars dating back to 1880. He actually keeps
5000 bottles of each vintage to try with friends and
family and lucky, lucky winemen like me!
The wines we tasted with our meal were
Chateau Baret
this was served with salmon steak, followed by 2
different vintages of
Chateau Batailley the
1999 and the 1996. There was a wonderful difference
between the 2 wines and as they were served with a
succulent Fillet steak they were shown at their finest.
The dessert was fresh local strawberries and this was
served with
Castelnau de Suduiraut we
then had coffee and continued to learn all about Jean
Marie and his experiences in London. It has to be said
the hospitality was fantastic and we were very lucky as
there are very few people entertained at this Chateau,
doesn’t that make you cringe when bloody winemen go on
about what a fantastic time they had. Ok so here is some
more information on the Chateau, which may help you to
understand a little more about what a fabulous wine they
produce there.
Chateau
Batailley is one of the oldest buildings in Pauillac, it
has always appeared on the regional maps. The name of
this land comes from the battles that took place during
the 14th century on the plateau which gives access to
the nearby Chateau Latour. Chateau Latour is one of
Bordeaux most expensive wines and Batailley is its
neighbour. Imagine Latour quality at a much lower price,
what a bargain put me down for a case!
The
vineyard itself covers 55 hectares and is situated on a
plateau (which is over a kilometer in length), in front
of the buildings and the park. It is planted with 70%
Cabernet Sauvignons, 25% Merlots, 3 % Cabernet Francs
and 2% Petit Verdots. The production is a very small
300,000 bottles, depending on the year of course.
The soil
is composed of a thin, deep gravel. The vines grow with
great difficulty and therefore create wines of an
exceptional quality.
These
wines, after the harvest, are carefully placed in
Limousin barrels and are left in the 1st cellar. They
are then placed in the second-year cellars to improve
the ageing and eventually bottled at the chateau.
The
wines are always of a deep, ruby colour, which are well
formed therefore assurimng the very long life of this
product. The property is passed by succession down the
family Casteja, one of the oldest French families. Their
hospitality is famous and I was lucky enough to have
experienced it so Thank you Jean Marie.
More on
my exploits in Bordeaux in later blogs but my fingers
are tired now and I can feel a bottle of red calling my
name.
Click here for part two |
