Sippers! We are back from Bordeaux with lots of fun stories and lots to report on the sipping that we did. First the heat!! Oh my oh my the heat. But we were in better shape than some. Just the few last days were hot as can be. We didn’t see any grape damage while we were there, unlike the folks in Spain are experiencing. There is nothing like seeing the dirt, rocks, vines and hillsides in real life to really understand terroir. One person in the group said, “I feel like I really get it now. I didn’t really understand terroir until I was standing here.”
We had the privilege of visiting Château Pas de l'Äne, a winery we have sold for several years and being on the smaller size they don’t get the van full of people that the other wineries do so they were as excited to see us as we were to see them. We talked about how the importer JP visits each year and helps with the blend so that it will be perfect for you, and how some years he passes all together because nature just didn’t provide what he wants in the wines he imports. (see us with the mule mascot) When you drive and walk by the “Big Boys of Bordeaux “ you are just stunned by the beauty and the history in front of you. Realizing that they produce only 2 – 3% of the wine in Bordeaux yet present such power and magic. Beyond all that magic it is important to remember that the top Crus only produce a tiny amount of the wine in Bordeaux, that the people there don’t drink that and you don’t have to spend crazy amounts of money to drink Bordeaux.
We discovered that they now are awarding points to wineries for tourism and we saw some beautiful examples of how some are pushing to get those points. A huge metal tower (see picture) just so people can go to the top and look over the land and vineyards. We climbed and climbed up the steps wondering why we were doing so and then with a push of a button the top level opened like bird wings and we could see forever. We also saw their new “Star Wars” technology in the vineyards that is designed to break up hail before it hits the vines. Who knew laser tag with hail !! I could go on and on but Ashley says I only have so much room so check out our blog, in a few days, for more trip details and places you should visit while you are in Bordeaux. (a wine shop in Bordeaux, a lovely lunch, magnificent dinner, 13th century Castle that is a winery, which we also represent here in PA) My conclusion is that I need a full time gardener to help Mike in our little back yard, we need to teach our chickens French and we simply need to sip on more wine from Bordeaux!! See our wine sippers below. Deb