Goes out to nearly 20.000 Bordeaux Wine Lovers all over the world!
Ronald and Margaret -your tour hosts in Bordeaux- love to welcome you at their Chateau Coulon Laurensac
A Personal Note From Ronald,
Bonjour Brian,
“Ronald, are you completely nuts?” Many of my friends asked me this question after we started yet another building project at Chateau Coulon Laurensac. We spend the entire winter in dust and noise with builders almost living with us. Having said that, our Chateau merits the splendor our dining room now radiates.
As we speak “our” builders are working on the terrace outside my window and it turned out to be a complicated matter. Of course we experienced the well known and traditional setbacks like our workers not showing up for a couple of days for unclear reasons etc. After having lived in France for 15 years, we are used to this.
But the weather hasn’t been on our side either. Rain has stopped the work already a couple of times and the weather forecast for next week doesn’t look promising. But, slowly but surely the beautiful Castle Stones will one day transform our terrace in to a very welcoming haven of peace. But not yet…
The dining room at Coulon Laurensac ready to welcome
you for the Farewell dinner on our Bordeaux Wine Tours
Chateau Margaux, Coulon Laurensac’s sister chateau
Margaux: Chateau Coulon Laurensac’s sister Chateau
In this issue of the Bordeaux Wine Magazine you can find the second part of the Portrait of Chateau Margaux, Coulon Laurensac’s sister chateau. I know you’re smiling right now, but hey, they really look alike…
How in heaven’s name Margaux can renovate everything -both within budget and within the allotted timeframe- will remain an enigma that will take me years to comprehend; let alone understand.
2016 Bordeaux Wine Tour schedule
Anyhow, somewhere in June, both our terrace and Chateau Margaux will be ready to receive you as our guests on our Bordeaux Wine Tours this summer.
We have just a few slots left this summer. Or you can come next year because we are announcing our 2016 Bordeaux Wine Tours schedule today!
Pick your slots before they are gone. The dollar/euro conversion makes touring Bordeaux an even more interesting option.
Chateau Coulon Laurensac, the basis of
The Bordeaux Wine Experience
Introduce your friends to this Magazine
Finally, I received some mails of people who wanted their friends to receive the Bordeaux Wine Magazine as well. It made me realize that that you might have wine friends as well with a similar interest.
Brian, may I ask you to suggest a subscription to your friends? They can simply subscribe on our website or send me an email (Ronald@BXWINEX.com) and I’ll be delighted to add them to the list!
Ronald and Margaret love to welcome
you in Bordeaux
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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Casual elegance and a lot of fun at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
2016 Bordeaux Tour Schedule and Last spots for 2015
"2nd Time Around”
"2nd Time Around”. I cannot believe that we were able to come back and share this wonderful experience with our children. The two of you are amazing. What a wonderful time we have all had. Your hospitality is over the top.
We loved spending more time with Margaret. Your culinary talents are wonderful and the new kitchen is beautiful. Thank you for a great “2” time.
Susan and Dominick S. Holmdel, New Jersey, USA
(The Bordeaux Harvest Tour September 2014)
(The Grand Tour of Bordeaux July 2011)
Privilege
It is not every day you are welcomed into somebody’s home, let alone a castle.
Just six times per year we open up Chateau Coulon Laurensac for an intimate group of wine lovers. With them we tour the best wineries in Bordeaux.
Through our contacts we even have arranged meals in Classified Growths, a highlight on each and every tour. And there will be Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…)! This may sound intimidating to some people but don’t worry, we’re as down-to-earth as they come.
The tasting room at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
Down-to-earth but only for nice people
We combine a down-to-earth approach with a great sense of humor. On the other hand we can be very strict: We only want nice people on our tours. Pretentious or obnoxious people: please stay away! We’re serious about this because it is a personal, intimate experience (i.e. with us), filled with a lot of fun, so there is no time or energy for jerks…
For all kinds of wine lovers
Some of our guests already know a lot about Bordeaux and its wines. For others a tour serves as a top-down introduction to the fascinating Bordeaux Wine World. Whatever your background, we can guarantee that you will have a great time. We sometimes blush when we read what previous guests said about us in their Guest Comments. On the other hand this is what we love doing: surpassing expectations. Even for us it’s incredible to see the number of people who come back to us for a second, or even a third tour. Just take a couple of minutes to watch the video and you’ll agree it’s very special.
Just click on the picture to watch the video (it will take you less than 3 minutes, I promise)
Last spots to tour with us in 2015
Last spots for 2015
We have a few spots left this summer. If you live in the dollar area, there is an extra advantage for you because of the very favorable exchange rate. Due to a cancellation we have a last-minute spot for a double or a twin on our May Grand Tour. And there are two rooms left for the July Grand Cru Tour. The September Harvest Tour is sold out but –good for you- there is the Grand Cru Harvest Tour in October with the last two rooms for this year. Single travellers, be advised, we still have some single rooms here and there. Check here for the 2015 schedule.
2015 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
Tours and dates for 2015:
May 18 – May 23 (2015)
(Last spots available, just 1 (double or twin) room and
1 single room)
June 8 – June 13 (2015)
(Last spot available,
just 1 single room)
June 29 – July 4 (2015)
(Last spots available, just 2 (double or twin) rooms and 1 single room)
August 31 – Sept 5 (2015)
(Last spot available,
just 1 single room)
The Bordeaux September Grand Cru Harvest Tour
September 21 – Sept 26 (2015)
(Sold Out!)
The Bordeaux October Grand Cru Harvest Tour
October 5 – October 10 (2015)
(Last spots available, just 2 (double or twin) rooms and
1 single room)
2015 Bordeaux Day Tour Packages
The most complete Wine Day Tour Packages in Bordeaux!
Stay at our Chateau and be chauffeur-driven to Classified Growths on a private tour that combines the best of both worlds in Bordeaux: the Médoc and Saint Emilion.
Not "just" wine tours but a culinary experience as well
Announcing our 2016 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
Our 2016 Tour Schedule
We have been getting a lot of questions about our 2016 schedule and the first spots are already taken.
We came up with -what we think- is a very exciting program that we are proud to share with you today. And remember, on all our week tours we’ll guarantee that you see and taste all five First Growths and Yquem.
So bring out your calendars and see which dates work for you. And don’t forget to block them because sold out is sold out and you don’t want to wait for 2017, do you?
A lunch at a Classified Growth is a memorable part of our Bordeaux Wine Tours
2016 Bordeaux Wine Tour Schedule
Preview tours and dates for 2016:
(not on the website yet)
May 16 – May 21 (2016)
(Open for booking)
June 6 – June 11 (2016)
(Under option)
June 27 – July 2 (2016)
(Open for booking)
September 5 – Sept 10 (2016)
(Open for booking)
The Bordeaux September Grand Cru Harvest Tour
September 19 – Sept 24 (2016)
(Open for booking)
The Bordeaux October Grand Cru Harvest Tour
October 3 – October 8 (2016)
(Open for booking)
_____________________________________________________________________
Highlights include:
- See and taste all 5 First Growths and Château d’Yquem!
- Expert (and humorous) guidance by Ronald.
- Air-conditioned accommodation at our privately owned 18th century chateau
- Taste more Classified Growths than on any other Bordeaux wine tour!
- Grand Cru Farewell Dinner with all Grand Cru wines (including Chateau d’Yquem!)
- Gourmet meals at three Bordeaux Chateaux and in a Michelin starred restaurant!
- Grand Cru wines with all meals (except breakfast…)
- Air-conditioned, luxury motor coach transportation throughout the tour
- Great food and a lot of fun in a small group
Chateau Margaux: The prettiest girl on the block (Part 2)
This is the second part of a portrait of Chateau Margaux. The first part -focusing on the recent history of the chateau- was published in the March issue of this magazine. Click here to see this first part.
This time we feature the interview with Paul Pontalier, the man who, together with Corinne Mentzelopoulos, made the wines of Chateau Margaux into one of the best wines in the world.
Ronald with Paul Pontalier in front of the iconic First Growth Chateau Margaux
A First Growth as a family firm
Chateau Margaux is a family owned company. Working in a family firm has its positive sides. For Pontalier the lines of communication are short. He works directly with Corinne Mentzelopoulos, the owner of the chateau. “These personal contacts run very deep,“ says Pontalier. “I have had the privilege of accompanying Madame Mentzelopoulos in her adventure for over 30 years now.”
A Bordeaux First Growth, almost by definition, doesn’t function without a long-term vision.
Chateau Margaux looks more like a palace
Long term vision
“Other kinds of companies have long-term visions as well of course, but it just doesn’t feel the same as in family firms,” emphasizes Pontalier.
Continuity is always a challenge in family owned companies. Corinne Mentzelopoulos is the second generation "in the company" and her daughter is being groomed to take over from her some day.
Asked who has more influence on the wines, Madame Mentzelopoulos or he, Pontalier shows his diplomatic skills: “I think Margaux influences us more than the other way around. We do not bring the personality to the wine. It comes from the terroir and from centuries of tradition we have here at Chateau Margaux.
Ronald with Corinne Mentzelopoulos
Our task is to enable Margaux to show its best sides within the boundaries each vintages gives us,” he concludes modestly.
The wine world has changed considerably the last 20 years. Winemakers of top producers like Margaux have to travel the world like rock stars and Pontalier added this role to his impressive list of tasks. Still, his preferred task is “allowing a new vintage of Margaux to see the light of day each year. Those are my roots after all,” he smiles.
Iron fist in a velvet glove
Don’t you think that the beautiful façade of Margaux is just another pretty face. Margaux is often described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. A great Margaux can be an intellectual wine with incredible depth and complexity. “Margaux is a vin de terroir,” assures Pontalier. “Like the other First Growths, we have been privileged by nature. Over the centuries we learned which techniques work the best for us. Just having a great terroir is not enough.”
Good choice
His colleagues describe Pontalier as brilliant, modest, scholarly and sometimes even philosophical.
And with hindsight we can say that the gamble Corinne Mentzelopoulos took to hire an inexperienced young man of less than 30 years old, turned out to be a great choice. The magical duo Mentzelopoulos/Pontalier managed to bring the wines of Chateau Margaux back into the list of the best wines in the world.
Outstanding
The last 15 vintages have been great and often even outstanding (think 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010). This still remains Pontalier’s main challenge: “Making sure that each and every year our wine finds its place in the list of the best wines of the vintage.”
Of course there is a lot of Margaux in his own wine cellar. Interesting enough, Pontalier personally has a preference for Burgundy. “I am not a collector,” continues the well-organized and sometimes a bit straight-faced chateau manager. “You would be surprised by the lack of organization in my own cellar,” he smiles. “Wine is very important in my life and I can’t imagine a meal without wine.”
Rolling out the barrel in the underground cellars at Margaux
Ready for the 21st Century
Margaux combines traditional values with cutting-edge technology. Margaux employs an army of craftsmen who mostly live on the property, a tradition that has been going on for centuries. They have their own painters, carpenter, stonemasons, a blacksmith and even their own cooper who makes three barrels every day.
But, when needed, Margaux employs state-of-the art optical sorting machines that during the harvest check each individual berry before it goes into the vats.
Ambition
The vineyard-management is also up to date. In reality Margaux manages its vineyards organically. But this is not like a religion for Pontalier. He believes that this approach in the long run will be better for the vines.
But the chateau has more ambitions. Margaux has been discreetly working on its vat room for some years now. In 2009 they added some new wooden cuves but further extensions were impossible.
National monument
The chateau and all buildings surrounding it are listed as a national monument so they can’t change anything. Even the crooked cobblestones in the courtyard where the harvest is treated are sacred.
The selection tables and other machines need a flat surface to support them. Each and every year this courtyard had to be covered by a concrete floor. After each harvest this floor is then torn down again and the cobblestones re-appear as if nothing has happened…
Underground
This inefficient and expensive work came to an end thanks to the building project that is currently going on. One of the outbuildings is being extended a bit and all rest happens underground. The existing underground cellars are being extended with an enormous cave of 80 by 8 meters (263 by 26 foot).
“Building underground is an expensive solution,” Pontalier admits. “Fortunately we have experienced a number of outstanding vintages the last 15 years.
And the worldwide demand for fine wines has pushed up the prices of our wines. So we have the budget to improve even further. We want to go even further in our rigorous selection of the grapes and precession in our wine making. And that takes up more space and costs more money. We need more and smaller vats and we simply didn’t have the space.”
One last secret
And with an almost apologetic smile the happy chateau manager lets us in on another secret: “The entire building project is both within budget and -surprisingly for France-, on schedule.
The deadline is June 2015 when Margaux will host the opening dinner for Vinexpo (the bi-annual wine show in Bordeaux) where the chateau will show the results of years of renovations.”
Margaret and I will be attending this dinner at Chateau Margaux and I will tell you all about our experiences there in the Vinexpo issue of this Bordeaux Wine Magazine later this year.
Always a pleasure to be at at Margaux
The Bordeaux Wine Experience
at Chateau Coulon Laurensac
1, chemin de Meydieu
33360 Latresne (BORDEAUX), France
Web : 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 © 2015 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.