Well, we are in winter alright, we will be in the 1C and maybe a bit of snow today !. Anyway, always good to bring the best of Wines news of France. First ,thanks to all my readers and/or followers! Oh yeah, the wines of France are just super simply awesome and a great tradition. Often imitated, some time equaled ,but never surpass! Let me give you some news shall we. Hope you enjoy it as I.
Brad Pitt’s Miraval rosé wine, Château Haut-Brion or Piper Heidsieck Champagne star in new episodes of the hit series Emily in Paris. An unexpected world exhibition for our viticulture. Just watch the series Emily in Paris, the story of an American ingenue who arrives in the city, to be convinced. In one scene, heroine Emily Cooper sips from glasses filled with a rosé beverage. Behind them, two bottles of Miraval wine, in classic and magnum format. The American Brad Pitt, owner of the brand, has always been involved in the promotion and distribution of the wines he has been producing for more than ten years near Correns, in the Var. The show is broadcast all over the world and the spectator, regardless of the continent from which he comes, wants to live the heroine’s dream Paris. . Fleur de Miraval also became the official champagne of the Oscars. Also placed in the series, Château Haut-Brion, premier grand cru classé of the Médoc, property of Prince Robert of Luxembourg. Piper Heidsieck champagne, another regular in Hollywood and French productions. Here again, the wine has a real role and does not play the extras Emily also drinks royal kir, a rudimentary cocktail that those under thirty cannot know. Sublimated, brought to light, this improbable mix of champagne and crème de cassis could well become next summer’s drink. Netflix webpage : https://www.netflix.com/fr-en/title/81037371
The Drops of God: the series adapted from the manga is soon on the screens ! Winegrowers know that not everything always goes as planned during winemaking. It’s the same for filming. Expected on screens before the summer, the adaptation of the manga series Les Gouttes de Dieu, whose 44 volumes published in France by Glénat editions have sold more than 1.5 million copies, has no exception to this rule. In the saga imagined by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto, when the oenologist Yutaka Kanzaki dies, he has two sons. According to his will, his cellar will go to the one who succeeds in solving 12 enigmas concerning 12 wines to discover a thirteenth and mysterious wine, unknown to all, nicknamed “Les Gouttes de Dieu”. This Franco-American-Japanese co-production, which brings together a largely Japanese cast, with French side actress Fleur Geffrier, seen in Elle by Paul Verhoeven, as well as Cécile Bois and Gustav Kervern, should be broadcast on Hulu Japan, France Televisions and Apple TV. More at Glénat in French : https://www.glenat.com/les-gouttes-de-dieu/les-gouttes-de-dieu-tome-01-9782723463409
The 2023 Tour des Cartes evening, organized by Terre de Vins magazine on this past Monday January 16 at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand hotel, crowned eight establishments for the quality of their wine list. The N°5 Wine Bar in Toulouse, a regular at the Tour, won the special price for the offer by the glass. Make way for the brasseries, bistros and bistronomic restaurants category, it is the Hôtel des Bains de Charavines (38) that stands out. The establishment is one of the oldest in France, it is 150 years old with a committed menu. Ververt de Montsoreau (49) wins for its selection highlighting winegrowers with environmental commitment. prestige gourmet restaurants category. The double-star Anne de Bretagne , La Cempote, from Saint-Étienne (42), in the wine bar category , It’s time to pay tribute to the very fashionable spirits, and to the menu that best showcases them. the Sabine and Laurent Brochard stage at Ver Di Vin, in Orléans (45). the prize for the best traditional restaurant. the Hôtel de la gare, in Couzon au Mont D’or (69) gourmet restaurant category L’Huîtrier Pie, in Saint-Émilion , The Tour des Cartes had to mention the competition for the best sommelier in the world, from February 7 to 12 2023 in Paris. Stay tune ,,,
The Château Talbot is my favorite and had bottles even anecdotes of my Dad using a 1982 bottle to cook !!! I was upset ! The vintage 2010 is an opulent and toasted Talbot, with lovely notes of wild blackberries on the nose. In the mouth, it is graceful, with a lot of volume without being heavy. Dark tannins give a nice contrasting texture on the finish: the wine, initially so light, ends with a tantalizing, inky black finish. A Saint-Julien with a nose of victory. The castle is named after Constable John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, famous English army commander and governor of Guyenne, who fought in the Battle of Castillon in 1453. In 1855, when the Médoc and Graves crus were classified commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, Château Talbot was promoted to the fourth grand cru classé of Saint-Julien. The estate was acquired in 1918 by the merchant Désiré Cordier. Today, Nancy, surrounded by her husband Jean-Paul Bignon and their children Philippine, Marguerite and Gustave continue the story of Talbot with passion. The property is on the northern borders of the Saint-Julien appellation, on the edge of Pauillac. There is a majority of red vines (105 ha) and a confidential area of white vines (5 ha). In red, the grape varieties are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), the king of Médoc wines in general and Saint-Julien in particular, complemented by 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot (4%). In white, the grape variety is composed of 80% Sauvignon and 20% Sémillon. The harvest is obviously manual, with a first selection in the vineyard then a second in the cellar. A rigorous plot selection and this double sorting bring to the wines a great aromatic purity and a lot of precision. The vinification takes place in the two vats, wooden and stainless steel, which complement each other best depending on the plots. The second wine, Connétable Talbot, is authentic and graceful; Caillou Blanc, one of the very first Médoc whites aged in the Burgundy style, is powerful, aromatic and exquisitely fresh. Annual production is 280,000 bottles. A wine of very long keeping, which can exceed 30 years. Sublime !! Webpage : https://www.chateau-talbot.com/en/
On another level, had but not my favorite, of course a wonderful wine as well, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande vintage 2017. A magnificent wine, with a lively, bright and inviting nose. On the palate, it is fresh and refined, with a creamy and upholstered touch. He takes you in a tight embrace and doesn’t let go. A magical wine, the best of the vintage. Only small downside, a slightly woody and bitter finish, a trait,,, In 1689, Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan, wine merchant and manager of the Latour and Margaux castles, bought vines located just next to Latour, and created L’Enclos Rauzan there. These vines are part of the dowry of his daughter Thérèse on her marriage in 1694 to Jacques de Pichon, Baron de Longueville, and they contribute to the foundation of the Pichon Longueville wine estate. More than a century and a half later, in 1850, the property was divided in two between the children. The share going to Baron Raoul Pichon de Longueville gives rise to the domain of Pichon Baron. The second goes to his three sisters: this will be the Pichon Comtesse estate. One of the three, Virginie Pichon de Longueville, Countess of Lalande, then built the neo-classical style castle that bears her name. In 2007, the Champagne house Louis Roederer acquired the property. A third family in three centuries now presides over the destiny of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande The vineyard of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande covers 102 ha. It is an exception within the Pauillac appellation, as 11 ha are found in the town of Saint-Julien. The vines, on average 35 years old, rest on a terroir of beautiful Garonne gravel on clay. Its grape varieties give pride of place to Cabernet Sauvignon (64%), supplemented by Merlot (27%), but also by 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Since 2010, the principles of biodynamics have been integrated into a third of the estate. In 2021, an organic conversion process is launched across the entire vineyard. The great wine is aged for 18 months in barrels, 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old oak. The barrels underwent an average toast during their manufacture, which contributes to the quality of their perfume. The 2nd label La Réserve de la Comtesse receives only 25% new wood. Webpage : https://www.pichon-comtesse.com/en
The Californian group Mirabel Hotel & Restaurant, is a mad lover of Burgundy wines. So when Maison Joseph Drouhin told them about the building next to his offices in Beaune, the project was born: transform the building in the historic center into a hotel, The facade of the building has been restored with local limestone and Burgundy stone , while art-deco style architecture dominates inside. For the decoration, Maison 1896, the name of the project, was imagined as a family home made up of 14 rooms and 2 suites on three levels. To discover Maison 1896, however, you will have to wait until this summer 2023, Webpage : https://maison1896.com/
The serial entrepreneur Gérard Jicquel, who acquired the Fourcas Dupré (Listrac-Médoc) and Agassac (Haut-Médoc) castles, is also embarking on hotel creation. Already at the head of the Beautiful Life Group, which has a dozen establishments in France, mainly in Brittany, plans to build a luxury hotel in the grounds of the Château d’Agassac which should fit perfectly into the landscape, without clashing with the architecture that dates back to the 13C of the castle thanks to a green roof that is reminiscent of the cellar of Château Cheval Blanc or that of Haut-Bailly. And good wine too, Agassac webpage : https://www.agassac.com/chateau-agassac/
And the Beautiful Life Group hotels : https://www.bl-hotels.com/en/establishments.html
Thirty years of hard work and yet, Frédéric Duponchel found the time to realize his secret dream: to make wine again around Sens, (see post) Paron and Saint-Martin-du-Tertre, where the monks produced it 400 years ago. A vineyard celebrated in 1599 by Olivier de Serres but disappeared in the 20C, ruined by phylloxera and the Great War or WWI. He has recreated the domaine des Sénons , already at the head of nine hectares, soon to be twelve. Four “climats” are exploited on Saint-Martin, Hauts et Bas-Glaciers, Vaux-Gaudins, Peau du Loup; two others on Paron: Côte de Paron and Crêves Cœur. Chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot blanc and pinot noir have been planted there since 2019. The Sénons also have 2,400 m2 of medieval cellars carved out of chalk. Rather promising indeed, Webpage : https://domainedessenons.com/histoire-et-philosophie/
The city of Libourne will allow the former military barracks of the city to be transformed into a huge complex combining luxury hotels, food court, village of luxury brands, wine museum in partnership with the Cité du vin de Bordeaux, amusement park, museum old cars and green spaces… it will take two years of work to transform the current buildings, build new ones and above all complete the marketing of the spaces. More info in French : https://vivrebordeaux.fr/le-plus-grand-complexe-oenotouristique-deurope-pres-de-bordeaux/
There you go folks, another wine episode of my belle France! The wines of France that is, superbe, sublime, wonderful, gorgeous, enjoy without moderation but accompanying a meal, family table just perfect. Stay warm and see you in the vineyards of France
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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