Really, don’t go to Sauternes and expect to find signs
pointing the way to Chateau D’Yquem because there are none. But more on that later. . .
Rather than try to explain what my first morning in Bordeaux
looked like I might as well just show the view out of my bedroom window:
Seriously, how much more is there to say about that? One really could get used to waking up
with a view like that.
Since we were staying in rooms above the offices at Clement-Pichon
and not a hotel, we were on our own for breakfast as well as all our
meals. However, we had access to a
little kitchenette equipped, most importantly, with a Nespresso machine so as I
would basically do for the next week, I started the day with a simple shot of
espresso and some bread with jam.
As it would turn out I never really needed more than that.
Our first destination of the day was Chateau Smith Haut
Lafitte, south of the city of Bordeaux in Pessac-Léognan. We parked on the road and walked along a cobble stone path between the rows of vines towards the sprawling building ahead of us. As we reached the building, however, it wasn't very clear where the office or reception area was that we were supposed to meet our guide. Through a door in the middle of the building we entered a small foyer, which passed through to another door and out the other side of the building, that had artificial turf lining the walls and ceiling. Still we couldn't figure if we were in the right place. It wasn't until we passed through the other door that I noticed a small sign in French and English with the instruction to ring bell for service. Next to the sign was a large iron hood connected to a chain running toward the roof. So like something out of medieval movie, I pulled down on it and sure enough a somewhat hidden door in the foyer opened and out came a young man - hidden doors, we would later come to realize, are something of a commonality at Smith Haut Lafitte.
Our visit, like all those to follow, had been prearranged. Indeed, throughout Bordeaux winery tours almost always are by appointment only. This is something quite different from Napa or other US wine producing areas where, with some exceptions, wineries are generally open to the public. What this means is that wherever we visited in Bordeaux we were alone with a tour guide and with the feeling that the chateau was open to just us. It gave a slightly exclusive feeling, which I'll admit I came to enjoy.
The tour was very interesting and informative. As would become sort of the standard order for all our visits, we were taken out to the vineyards first and given a history of the property and an overview of the area with a focus on the vineyard size and proportion of the different grapes being grown. From there, much like the process of wine making itself, we went to the sorting area and then to the vat room where the fruit is pressed, usually by gravity first - producing the free run juice - and then often a second time by pneumatic means to extract addition juice and tannins. From the vat room we proceeded to the barrel room, which is always an impressive sight with row upon row of barrels stretching off into the distance. Smith Haut Lafitte was no exception in that regard, theirs having been constructed relatively recently but styled to feel like it is from the middle ages with low, vaulted ceilings and dim lighting.
There were two things that made the tour a little different than most. The first, which we saw at the beginning, was that Smith Haut Lafitte has its own, on-site cooperage. By my recollection, this is the first winery I've been to that had one. The cooper only constructs a portion of the thousands of barrels they use, but it is an attention to detail and tradition that was interesting to see.
The second, more modern thing was revealed, literally, to us in the tasting room. We were tasting our way through several vintages in well appointed and classical feeling tasting room when the chateau's owner, who had joined us to sample the wines, picked up a remote control and pressed a button on it. Suddenly, like something out of a James Bond movie, the floor split and began to open exposing a stair case leading down to a private cellar.
Descending the stairs in a slightly awestruck daze, I found myself staring at hundreds of bottles lining the walls with dates stretching back decades. In addition, there were two long (and, we were told, very heavy) iron tables, one on each side of the room. On one was a range of bottles starting from Demi, or half a standard 750 ml bottle, all the way to Nebuchadnezzar, equivalent to 20 standard bottles. On the other were single bottles of Smith Haut Lafitte vintages stretching back to the late 19th century. Each table was an impressive sight in its own right but taken together in the beautiful, sleek cellar was quite remarkable.
Once finished with the tasting we headed across the vineyard for lunch at a restaurant owned and operated by the chateau. La Table du Lavoir, located within Les Sources de Caudalie, a hotel and spa that is part of the Small Luxury Hotel network, provided an impeccable way to end our time at Smith Haut Lafitte: the scene idyllic, service lovely from welcome to dessert, and food simply extraordinary in all ways.
Done with lunch, we returned to the road for the drive to Sauternais region, the section of the Graves known for sauternes, the sweet wine made from grapes affected by botrytis cinerea. Of the producers in the region, Chateau d'Yquem is perhaps the best known and most prestigious. Indeed it is the only white wine awarded Premier Cru Supérieur status at the Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855. Consequently, the wine is highly prized and sought after. I've been fortunate to have tried several vintages of Yquem, including a 1959 when I was assisting at a wine auction last year. Needless to say, when I was preparing for my trip to Bordeaux it was at the top of the list of places I wanted to visit and was overjoyed when I found out that we had a reservation there. Getting the reservation, however, proved just a little easier than actually getting to the chateau.
Even in the short time we were there, it was clear that addresses were a bit of an afterthought in Bordeaux when it comes to wine chateaus. Were you to for a street address for a specific one you will most likely not find one but instead the chateau name, the region, and postal code. Rarely did I see actual street names let alone property numbers like I'm familiar with. This was a bit of a hindrance, especially given our growing reliance on GPS devices, but not necessarily detrimental to locating the wineries. This is because most (as we would soon find out) are marked with directional signs so that once you're in the general area they can be located by paying attention to the sign posts at each intersection or roundabout. Not so with d'Yquem: they don't put signs out because when they do they get stolen.
So, after driving around the area desperately trying to locate the chateau since we were running a little late - we let the leisure of our lunch overtake us - I asked for directions from the local tourist office and was pointed in the right direction. When we got there the area was not only stunningly beautiful, the winery sits at the top of a hill surrounded by the vineyards sloping away, but had the sweet smell of grape juice permeating the air because they had started harvesting and crushing for their dry white wine. The chateau itself is not a grand, elegant house as many of the others are but rather, as our guide described it, more properly described as a fortified farm...but what a farm house it is!
At the end of the tour we tasted their 2006 and 1996 vintages and even though there were spittoons in the room there was no chance I was letting either wine go anywhere but down my throat!
From Yquem we headed to Barsac and Chateau Doisy-Védrines, another sauternes producer. We were led on a tour around the property by the owner himself, who then sat with us as we tasted - or more precisely drank since he continued to pour us several glasses - their 2006 vintage. On a day of great memories sitting with Monsieur Olivier Casteja enjoying his wine and talking about everything from wine, to food, to New York, to family was really truly wonderful one that will stay with me for a very long time.
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