Goes out to nearly 20.000 Bordeaux Wine Lovers all over the world!
Ronald and Margaret, your hosts at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
A Personal Note From Ronald,
The first signs for 2016 vintage are good
The first merlot grapes are being brought in and the quality is very good and sometimes even outstanding. But be careful, the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sang.
We watched the merlot being brought in at Haut Brion on last weeks’ Harvest Tour and the berries just looked great. We tasted the Haut Brion 2016 right from the vine and they were very ripe and sweet.
I was at First Growth Angélus last week and you can read their preliminary thoughts in this issue.
The vintage 2016 looking good at Haut Brion
Great wine, great food, great people and loads of fun!
We love what we do and it shows
We take great pride in what we do and in my view, paying attention to many little details creates an expereience. Maybe that explains why so many people come back to us for a second, a third or even a fourth Bordeaux Wine Experience.
In this issue I will introduce you to some of our guests that found out that our tours can be addictive…
Have a great Fall
Brian, have a great month of October. Suggestions or questions? Just shoot me an email (Ronald@BXWINEX.com) or simply reply to this magazine. I love to get some feedback, thanks.
Ronald and Margaret,
your hosts in Bordeaux
And please remember: Don’t drink anything I wouldn’t drink!
Cheers from Bordeaux,
Ronald Rens, M. Sc., Wine Master
Wine writer and President
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The 2016 Bordeaux vintage is looking good
The 2016 Merlot being brought in at First Growth Haut Brion
The vintage 2016: Both wet and dry
The harvest of the 2016 started a bit later than usual as a result of the late flowering. Having said that, Haut Brion started picking their whites on the first of September, more or less in line with recent vintages. The white grapes were sublime; carrying the promise of another great vintage.
Red wines
The late flowering also influenced the harvest dates of the reds. The first half of 2016 was very wet. Rainfall in March, May and June was all above the 10 yearly average. July and August have been ridiculously dry.
In September, the summer heat persisted: temperatures reaching 28 to 30°C ( mid- to high eighties) were the everyday conditions. This welcome rain provided energy, strength and respiration to the vineyards.
Then, the nice weather came back again very quickly. The ripening of the tannins has progressed slowly and the first harvest is starting now for the finest wines. The summer nights’ freshness has preserved flavors and acidity.
The weather forcast for the next weeks is very good which will hopefully make for perfect harvesting conditions.
The white wine harvest at haut Brion
Patience is needed at Yquem
Sauternes still has to wait
The drought didn’t help the Sauternes producers who depend on humid weather for the Botrytis to develop. As you can see on the picture, the grapes at Yquem look healthy, but there were no signs of the Noble Rot yet. More fresh nights and more humid mornings are needed here. But there is still time as the Sauternes producers are in the habit of picking much later in the season. Sometimes they pick as late as November or even December in Sauternes.
Optimism on the Right Bank as well
On the Right Bank I heard some early optimism as well. But, like I said before, the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sang. Or in the words of Jean-Bernard Grenié of Saint Emilion First Growth “A” Angélus: “The harvest is like a football match. Nothing is decided until the final minute. Three months of a dry summer: an unprecedented event at Saint-Emilion, as far as any winemaker can remember! The weather forecast is looking very good for the next two weeks so I am optimistic."
Of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or drinking…)
I am looking forward to tasting the 2016 vintage on futures next April.
Harvest or ballet…
The grapes at Petrus look perfect
Patience is needed at Yquem
Warning: Our Bordeaux Wine Tours can be addictive
Seeing and tasting all five First Growths (here at Chateau Margaux)
Be careful, this trip may show addictive
Our tours may need a warning label soon because they can get addictive. The number of people coming back to us for a second or even a third helping of the Bordeaux Wine Experience is going up each year. We even have guest coming back for the fourth time. First read what “first-timers” John and Trudy from Florida wrote: “What a beautiful wine experience this was. Most of all we were treated like friends. And we met some wonderful people and drank some fantastic wines. John and I are truly blessed to have shared this experience with you. Thank you.”
Know what you are getting into because our tours seem to be habit-forming. Just listen to Diann and Jim from Missouri who came back to us and even brought their friends: “Our first visit felt like a once in a lifetime experience and yet this trip really exceeded our expectations. Thanks for making this second trip so memorable.”
John and Trudy: We were treated like friends
Diann and Jim: This trip really exceeded our expectations
Bill and Laurie: We plan on returning for a fourth experience
Warning signs ignored
Bill and Laurie from Ohio ignored all warning signs and came back for a third tour: “Once again you have exceeded our expectations. Although this is our third time with you, our experience has been even more fresh and exciting than the first. We plan on returning for a fourth experience!”
To be quite honest, comments like these make us really proud: we must be doing something right here… We are so happy with people giving such enthusiastic and positive comments after several tours with us. Maybe now you understand why our 2017 program is filling up the way it is.
Have your own
Bordeaux Wine Experience in 2017
We have anexciting tour schedule for the coming year. Just check out our offer here. Grab your spots while they are still available and than book you airfare as soon as possible. Your plane tickets are cheaper if you book them longer in advance. Savvy travelers know that the best rates for airfare are available on Tuesdays.
And let’s not forget about the wine. Of course we taste all five First Growths plus Yquem on all our week tours. But we also include wines of over 30 years old! Just follow this link to the extraordinary list of wines we taste on our tours.
Click on this picture to se a short video about guests coming back for a second Bordeaux Wine Experience
Allan and Janine: The pleasure never gets less
Act now and get hooked yourself
So act now and have the same experience like second-timers Allan and Janine from Australia: “The pleasure never gets less and your hospitality, company and knowledge, is second to none. There have been many highlights including the dinners and meeting the chateau owners.
Ronald, we loved your wonderful stories and Margaret your culinary expertise in enlisting our help in the kitchen was outstanding.”
Check out our 2017 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule here.
Our 2017 Bordeaux Wine Tour Program
Because you want a Bordeaux Wine Experience and not "just a tour"
The Grand Tour of Bordeaux
The Grand Tour maybe the most special tour we offer, with meals as exceptional as your visits. Imagine tasting all five First Growths and Yquem. And there is more: Exclusive chateau meals and Michelin rated dining… Add to this the best of Pomerol and Saint Emilion and you’ll see that this dazzling Grand Tour of Bordeaux is your chance to see and taste the very best that Bordeaux has to offer.
A master-class on tasting Classified Growths marks the start of each of our Bordeaux Wine Tours
A visit and tasting at First Growth Haut Brion is a highlight on all our Bordeaux week tours
The Bordeaux Grand Cru tour
This is probably our most exclusive tour. This ultimate wine tour for Bordeaux lovers is as good as it gets. Can you believe that you will see and taste all five First Growths and Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem including some older vintages! Of course we include the best of Saint Emilion and Pomerol as well. Add to this outstanding meals at exceptional venues not normally open to the public and you’ll see why this tour usually sells out early.
Ask us for an Itinerary here.
The Bordeaux Grand Cru Harvest Tour
The Harvest Tour is Grand in every way, both in food and wine. Enjoy chateau meals and Michelin rated dining. The most exciting time in Bordeaux is harvest time. You can sense the anticipation in the air.
And the food is superb as well: superb meals at extraordinary venues not normally open to the public. On top of that you will see and taste all five First Growths and Superior First Growth Chateau d’Yquem and many of them will be older vintages!
Ask us for an Itinerary here.
Bordeaux in full harvest swing
2017 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
May 15 – May 20 (2017)
June 5 – June 10 (2017)
(Last room under option)
June 26 – July 1 (2017)
September 4 – Sept 9 (2017)
The Bordeaux September Grand Cru Harvest Tour
September 18 – Sept 23 (2017)
Last rooms available, just one double room and one single room
The Bordeaux October Grand Cru Harvest Tour
October 2 – October 7 (2017)
Last rooms available, just one double room and one single room
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What makes our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Tours so special?
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See and taste all 5 First Growths and Château d’Yquem!
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Expert (and humorous) guidance by Bordeaux specialist Ronald Rens
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Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th century chateau
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Taste more Classified Growths than on any other Bordeaux wine tour!
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Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau d’Yquem!)
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Gourmet meals at three Bordeaux Chateaux and in a Michelin starred restaurant!
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Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…)
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Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour
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Great food and wine and a lot of fun in a small group
Chateau Coulon Laurensac, perhaps the best place in the world to taste all five First Growths and Yquem…
The Bordeaux Wine Experience
at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
1, chemin de Meydieu
33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France
Website : www.BXWINEX.com
Call us:
1-877-203-2665 (toll free from USA & Canada) or
+33 556 20 64 12 (from anywhere else in the world)
(These lines go directly to our Chateau in Bordeaux so please remember that we’re on Paris time!)
Copyright © 2016 by The Bordeaux Wine Experience. All rights reserved. The content, design and graphical elements of this Magazine are copyrighted. The Bordeaux Wine Experience is a Dutch company specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region for an English speaking international clientele.