Saturday, December 12, 2009

On Foot in Bordeaux

Sunday morning, while Vicki rested her sore
knee, I undertook a brief walking tour of old
Bordeaux, the St. Pierre district; above, the
huge Monument to the Girondins in the
Esplanade














Part of the fountains







Part of the antiques market in the Esplanade; it really is a big
park








The Maison du Vin








The Grand Theater, with the 12 muses across the front (12?
I thought there were only 7; maybe that's why my aesthetics
are not so so well rounded)








Another huge and beautiful square I could only get a piece of
in the lens; the Place des Douanes, with the national customs
(as in duties, taxes, etc.) museum









Looking back northeast along boulevard of quays

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Esplanade de Quinconces By Night

The Esplanade's twin towers, "commerce"
and "navigation," which pretty well sum
up Bordeaux's history













The arc of the Garonne (later, the Gironde estuary), with
Bordeaux on both sides, for miles










Looking back from the Footpath, to the two
towers and the Monument to the Girondins
in the distance













Navigation, pointing the way

Our stroll took us back to the Esplanade and down to the river Garonne and views from designer Tadashi Kawamata's "Footpath" bridge out over the river.

Christmas Market in Bordeaux

It was dark when I got back from the wine tour, but Vicki
wanted to stroll about the old town, especially the marche de
noel







There were shops of every description, every nationality








The customary French double-decker, very popular








I told her he was roasting snails, and she bought it!










Shopping district, all Christmas bedecked











What the Mouse has to do with Xmas I do not know (maybe
the rampant commercialism?); but, hey, these people think
Jerry Lewis was brilliant...

Chateau Kirwan, Margaux


Typical Medoc vineyard; the soil is extremely rocky and chalky
...almost looks like snow in places; "to make great wine, the vine
must suffer"







St. Julien country








Chateau Bycheville, "the Versailles of the Medoc"; actually,
the guide said most of the great chateaux now are owned
by banks and insurance companies, uninhabited and unvisited;
I was disappointed with the Medoc, scenically, no comparison
with Burgundy; except for the boarded-up chateaux, it was
mostly pastoral squalor; maybe it's just the season....








Chateau Kirwan












The Schiffer family still live there, the guide said, although
they did not personally welcome us, as the Reverdis did







Kirwan cellar; actually, there are few actual cellars in the
region...high water table








Sitting area outside the cellar; nice place to sit and watch
over your investments








Margaux chateaux; Kirwan is on the left, second or third down












Actually, I was surprised at how generous the servings were;
she gave me three; maybe it was my excellent "Merci! Sil
vous plait! Bonjour"; Kirwan is a far older grand cru; I forgot
what we tasted, a 2004 maybe, but I do remember the price,
49 euros; lots of tannin; I preferred the mellower Reverdi

Chateau Reverdi, Listroc-Medoc

I have always been reasonably confidant that Bordeaux wines
come from Bordeaux (see earlier post), and so, while I was
touring Hennessey's, Vicki booked me onto a Medoc tour
Saturday afternoon. We drove into Bordeaux, a big beautiful
city, and as is our habit, right into the center, and parked
innocently at the disused tour bus section of the Esplanade
de Quinconces, Europe's largest city square (they say) and
huge park and market. The Office of Tourism said the police
are generally very tolerant of camping cars, especially
tourists, and we probably could even spend the night, which
we eventually did. I boarded the tour bus after lunch, and,
with a very mixed crew of French, Italian, Spanish, Brits,
several Americanskis, set forth to the Mecca of wine (they
say). Apart from scenic driving, narrated in French and then
English, we stopped for long tours and tastings at two
chateaux, Reverdi, a new, family operation that has been
winning awards (cru bourgois), and Kirwan, which is an
old grand cru. Above is Chateau Reverdi's fermentation
hall.















Big modern vats










Bottled inventory











Vat interior view; this is the last thing the
grape sees before the lights go out












About 80% of the grapes are machine-picked
these days, but still have to be separated from
leaves, stems, etc.













Grape crushing machine; they do not do it the old-fashioned
way anymore







Over in the cellar/tasting area, the tables are set








2009, aging; they are using American oak in the barrels,
adding complexity and spice (they said); damn, I was proud;
but then, all the wine root-stock in France is American,
but that's another phylloxatic story












We tasted a 2006 and a 2004; I bought the 
now-drinkable 2004 (alas, the Grey
Wanderer does not have a wine safe or cellar)













But the 2006 wasn't bad

Grande Dolmen

On the way south from Cognac, next day, near the river Ny,
out in the vineyards, we ran into a colossal dolmen, completely
unidentified, but huge limestone








Really huge








Lots of modern carving on this fallen stone, but nothing to
reveal its name

Tour of Hennessey's

The tour begins with a ride across the Charente in this boat
--just a bit of French flourish that a bridge could not provide;
incidentally, I was joined on the tour by two others, both
French, but they graciously consented for the tour to be
entirely in English, for my benefit








But, before the tour, at Vicki's suggestion, urging even, I
tasted the "Paradis" blend, the best normal people can buy,
$700 a 70cl bottle; well, the tasting was only 19 euros; and
worth it! Hey, you have to establish standards...








Stills, where grapes go in and eau-de-vie comes out









Barrels of fun; cognac, like scotch, is largely about the wood
and the aging; and blending...unlike single malt scotch








In the "paradis" section of the warehouses, whey they keep
the treasures, going back to 1830; 1947 was a good year for
many reasons, and several barrels remain








Row after row of barrels, dozens of warehouses; Hennessey's
does about 41% of the market; the scent is, um, intoxicating











So, there we were, parked on a quiet street right outside the
door to Hennessey world headquarters, on the Charente,
swans ambling by; we decided to have dinner and then spend
the night








Vicki's delicious galette complet and Normandie cidre; I
already had had my quota of cognac











End of a pretty good day

Museum of the Arts of Cognac

While I awaited my Hennessey's tour and tasting, I visited the Museum of the 
Arts of Cognac (the beverage, man), which is a superb collection of historic 
artifacts, high-tech,and high-touch displays, art, and marketing history









Ancient press









Some wonderful cognac-related paintings











Pleasant surroundings for high-tech presentations









And some savvy displays about how the stuff has been 
marketed over the years