Calvert and Woodley: Our annual Fête du Bordeaux dinner is here! This year's Fête du Bordeaux introduces the soon-to-be-released 2014 vintage, but also features wines from 2009, 1996 and others. The 2014 vintage is a good, if not very good, vintage with many excellent wines. We were quite happy when we tasted them in 2015 and again earlier this year. They're still quite young, obviously, but they show plenty of promise. The dinner will be Wednesday, October 26th at the Park Hyatt in Washington, DC.
US Wine Retailer of the Year 2012, Ed Sands and his son Michael Sands put on again a fantastic evening with an amazing selection of ultra-premium Bordeaux wines and the food of Blue Duck Tavern Chef Franck Loquet at the Fête du Bordeaux Dinner 2016.
This year‘s special guests were:
Ombiasy WineTours
Annette Schiller visits Bordeaux once a year with a group of not more than 12 people on her ombiasy tour of Bordeaux. For 2017, she has added a second tour, an ultra-premium high-end tour with a smaller group. During the past 3 ombiasy tours to Bordeaux, we always visited Château Figeac, the last time just a few months ago. See here: Tour and Tasting at Château Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, in Saint-Émilion – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
We visited Château Lynch-Bages and Ormes de Pez and met owner Jean-Charles Cazes on the ombiasy WineTours to Bordeaux in 2013. See here: Tour and Tasting at Château Lynch-Bages in Bages, Bordeaux, France
We have not yet visited Châteaux Léoville Barton and Langoa Barton as we always visited one of the two other Léoville châteaux, Château Leoville Poyferre.
Annette already agreed with Technical Director Marielle Cazaux that in 2017, the ombiasy WineTour to Bordeaux will include a visit of and tasting at Château La Conseillante.
For more details, see: Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours
Château Léoville-Barton and Château Langoa Barton
The Barton family, the current owners of Château Léoville-Barton and Château Langoa Barton, are able to trace their Bordeaux roots all the way back to 1722. That was the year that Thomas Barton left Ireland for Bordeaux. Like many successful owners, Barton started out as a Bordeaux negociant.
The first foray into ownership for the Barton family was in St. Estephe, with Chateau Le Boscq in 1745, which was awarded Cru Bourgeois status in 1932. In 1995, the Barton family sold it to Dourthe.
Also in 1745, the Barton family partnered with another powerful Bordeaux family to form a Bordeaux wine negociant company, Barton and Guestier. It was controlled by the Barton family until the Seagram Group got control in 1986. Today, Barton and Guestier is part of the international wine and spirit company Diageo.
The next major purchase for the Barton family took place in 1821. That was the year they bought Chateau Langoa Barton. Following the purchase of Langoa Barton, they bought a second St. Julien estate: Culled from the vineyards of Château Leoville Las Cases, that estate became Chateau Leoville Barton, a deuxième cru en 1855. Interestingly, because no wine making facilities came with the purchase, they were forced to make the wines at Château Langoa Barton. Until today, production of both wines takes place at Langoa Barton.
When Ronald Barton, who had inherited the family’s property from his father, who was tragically killed in a hunting accident in the 1920's, died without an heir in 1986, his nephew Anthony took control of the family properties. Anthony had already moved from Ireland - where the family maintains a home - to Bordeaux in 1951.
Château Léoville-Barton
Château Léoville-Barton is a Deuxième Cru en 1855 in the Saint-Julien appellation.
There are now 47 hectares of vineyards at Château Léoville-Barton, planted with 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Vinification is performed in the cellar at Langoa-Barton, as there is in fact no château at Léoville-Barton.
The grand vin is Château Léoville-Barton, the second wine is La Reserve de Léoville-Barton. Total production is 20.000 cases.
Château Langoa-Barton
Château Langoa-Barton is a Troisième Cru en 1855 in the Saint-Julien appellation.
Located along the banks of the Gironde river, Langoa-Barton has 15 hectares under vine: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.
About 7,000 cases of Château Langoa-Barton are produced.
In September, 2011, the Barton family purchased an additional Bordeaux estate, Château Mauvesin in Moulis.
Château Lynch Bages and Château Ormes de Pez
Jean-Charles Cazes, the grandfather of the Jean-Charles we met, purchased Château Lynch Bages and Château Ormes de Pez in St. Estèphe on the eve of the Second World War. Lynch Bages and Ormes de Pez have been run by the Cazes family ever since.
Until Jean-Charles Cazes took over in 2006, his father, Jean Michel Cazes, was at the helm of the family empire. He was a very influential personality in Bordeaux. Before returning to Pauillac in 1973 to take over the family's insurance and wine interests, Jean-Charles was for 10 years a manager, based in Paris.
In addition to the Cazes family wine interests, from 1987 to 2000, Jean-Michel Cazes developed AXA Millésimes, the wine properties department of the insurance company AXA. French insurance companies are required to invest in French property. Their assets in Bordeaux include Château Pichon Longueville Baron, Château Suduiraut, Cantenac Brown (recently sold) and Chateau Petit Village Abroad they own Quinta do Noval, a Port producer in the Douro Valley in Portugal, and the Tokay producing Disznókő estate in Hungary.
In 2006, after 33 years in charge of the Cazes family interests, Jean-Michel Cazes stepped down, handing over management of the family interests to his son Jean-Charles Cazes. Born in 1974, Jean Charles grew up at Lynch Bages, the last of four children, and the only son.
Jean-Charles Cazes assumed overall responsibility for management of the renowned Cazes family estates and winemaking operations, extending from Bordeaux to southern France and including joint ventures in Portugal and Australia, including the Bordeaux chateaux of Lynch-Bages, Ormes de Pez and Villa Bel-Air; the Michel Lynch brand of Bordeaux varietals; L'Ostal Cazes and the Circus line of wines from the Languedoc; a distribution company, JM Cazes-Selection; Xisto, a joint venture with the Roquette family in Portugal's Douro Valley; and Tapanappa, a joint venture in South Australia undertaken with the Bollinger family of Champagne fame and pioneering Australian winemaker, Brian Croser.
Jean-Michel Cazes continues to lead the wine and tourism division of the family’s activities, notably Château Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac converted into a hotel and a restaurant of two Michelin stars.
Chateau Lynch Bages
Chateau Lynch Bages is a Fifth Growth in the village of Bages, just southwest of Pauillac. Jean-Charles Cazes was able to purchase Lynch Bages in 1939.
The vineyards total 90 hectares, with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The white wine vineyard, planted on 6 hectares, is located to the west, with vines 20 years old on average, it’s composed of 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Semillon and 15% Muscadelle.
Lynch Bages produces 3 wines:
Chateau Lynch Bages, AOC Pauillac, 5th Grand Cru Classe, 25,000 cases.
Echo de Lynch Bages, AOC Pauillac, 10,000 cases, often a blend of 50 to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 to 30% Merlot and 15 to 20% Cabernet Franc.
Blanc de Lynch Bages, AOC Bordeaux Blanc 4,000 cases. They begun making white wine in 1990.
Chateau Ormes-de-Pez
Château Les Ormes-de-Pez is in the Saint-Estèphe appellation. In the 2003 listing that was later annulled, Château Les Ormes-de-Pez was classified as one of 9 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels. It belongs to the group of six former Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel (Château Chasse Spleen, Château Les Ormes de Pez, Château de Pez, Château Potensac, Château Poujeaux and Château Siran) that have decided to remain outside the Cru Bourgeois Classification.
The vineyard area, divided into two blocks north and south of the village of Saint-Estèphe, extends over 33 hectares, with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. The annual production is 15,000 cases.
Ormes de Pez was purchased by Jean Charles Cazes in 1927.
Château Figeac
Château de Figeac is one of the 15 Premier Grand Cru Classé B Châteaux in Saint-Emilion. Its prominent neighbor is Château Cheval Blanc. The vineyards of Château de Figeac border the Pomerol appellation vineyards and thus the vines grow on a very different terroir than the rest of the Saint-Emilion vines. The Figeac wines show a more “Left Bank” character than the rest of the Saint-Emilion wines.
Because of its fine gravel based soil (which is uncommon in the Right Bank), Merlot accounts only for 30 % of the plantings (which is very low by Saint Emilion standards). The Château Figeac Grand Vin is dominated (70%) by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in equal parts. Château Figeac is known as the most Médoc of the Saint Emilion chateaux.
Château Figeac is an old estate. It takes its name from a Roman called Figeacus who built a villa here. Today, one can still see a water-supply system dating from the Gallo-Roman period, foundations of buildings from the Middle Ages and defensive walls along with the remains of a Renaissance chateau incorporated into its structure.
Until the late 18th century, Château Figeac had been in the hands of one family for almost 500 years. With almost 200 hectares, Château Figeac was one of the largest wine estates at the time, but parts were sold and the estate was subdivided several times until 1892, when the Manoncourt family purchased Château Figeac. (A sizable chunk which was purchased by the Ducasse family in 1832 formed the nucleus of what would eventually become Cheval Blanc.)
For most of the past 70 years, Château Figeac was been associated with Thierry Manoncourt, who took over the management of the property in 1946, and his wife Marie-France; Thierry Manacourt passed away in 2010. It was under his leadership that Château Figeac rose to the front ranks of Saint-Émilion estates. In 1992, Thierry Manacourt divided the business between his 4 daughters, bestowing the larger share on his eldest daughter, Laure.
Château Figeac tends to harvest early with a view of retaining freshness. After Haut Brion and Latour, Château Figeac was the third estate in Bordeaux to introduce stainless steel tanks; there are now 20 temperature controlled vats, 10 in oak and 10 stainless steel. Since the mid-1970s, Figeac has been aged in 100% new oak. The time spent in new oak varies according to the vintage character. The 1997 vintage was aged 12 months, while the 2009 vintage saw new oak for 18 months.
The following wines are produced: Château Figeac (Saint-Emilion - Premier Grand Cru Classé B), La Grange-Neuve de Figeac (second wine) and Chateau Petit-Figeac (bought in 2002 as most of the vineyard was in the middle of their Château Figeac vineyard. The wine is now made at Château Figeac). In total, the Figeac estate amounts to 54 hectares of which 40 are planted with vines. Annual production is 10 000 cases.
The family also owns two other wineries: the nearby Château La Fleur-Pourret (4, 5 hectares, Château La Fleur Pourret was part of Château Figeac many years ago, also bought in 2002), and Château de Millery (just over 1 hectare), in the southern sector of St.-Emilion known as St.-Christophe des Bardes.
For many years, Madame Manancourt's son-in-law, Comte Eric d'Aramon, was the DG of Château Figeac, but he was removed in 2013, when the Manoncourt family appointed Jean-Valmy Nicolas as Joint Managing Director and Frédéric Faye as Manager of Château Figeac.
Jean-Valmy Nicolas (a graduate of France’s HEC business school) is a co-owner of Chateau La Conseillante in Pomerol and a professional at an investment company in Paris.
Frédéric Faye (an engineering graduate of Bordeaux’s ENITA), has been at Château Figeac since 2002, when he began as Vineyard Manager before being promoted to the post of Technical Manager. He now has overall management of the vineyard and the wine-making, as well as the sales of the wines.
As part of these changes, in March 2013, Michel Rolland signed a consulting contract with Château Figeac, with the aim of bringing it up to Premier Grand Cru Classé A.
Château La Conseillante
Berry Bros. And Rudd: Château La Conseillante is amongst the crème de la crème of Pomerol producers. It can trace its history back to 1735 and has been in the hands of the Nicolas family since 1874.
La Conseillante's 13 hectares of vineyards are located on a plateau in eastern Pomerol on the boundary with the St-Emilion appellation. Its vineyards border those of L`Evangile, Petit-Village, Vieux Château-Certan and Cheval Blanc.
La Conseillante is a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec. The grapes are harvested by hand and are then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is then aged in small oak casks (90% new) for 18-20 months. It is bottled unfiltered.
Executive Chef Franck Loquet
Franck Loquet joined Park Hyatt Washington in November 2015 as the new executive chef. Prior to joining Park Hyatt Washington Chef Loquet served as the executive chef for the Hotel Sofitel Lafayette Square since July 2011. He relocated to the United States from Paris, France where he worked for world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse from 2008 to 2011. His culinary experience includes working at multiple one and two-star Michelin restaurants throughout Europe including Ze Kitchen Galerie in Paris, cooking with William Ledeuil, winner of the "Chef of the Year 2010" by the Gault Millau guide; Midsummer House Restaurant in Cambridge, England under Chef Daniel Clifford; and at Inverlochy Castle in Fort William, Scotland.
Named one of the finest restaurants in Washington, DC by Zagat, The Washington Post, and Washingtonian, Blue Duck Tavern features creative American cuisine crafted from the region’s seasonal ingredients. The centerpiece of the open restaurant is a wood-burning. Touches of dark oak, blue burlap, handcrafted furnishings and rustic wood tables create a warm atmosphere. The restaurant also features a private Chef’s Ttable seating up to 18 guests. Blue Duck Tavern has 1 star in the Michelin Guide.
Champagne Reception
Chef's Selection of Passed Hors d'oeuvres
Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne ($169)
The Dinner
You could order all the wines at the event at a special price. The regular Calvert and Woodlye are given in brackets.
First Course
Pan-Seared Scallops with Orange Purée, Smoked Potato, Apricot and Fennel
Blanc de Lynch-Bages 2015 ($47)
Second Course
Porcini Tortellini with Chestnut Purée, Fontina Cheese, Sage, Chicken Jus
Petit-Figeac 2014 ($40)
Château Ormes de Pez 2014 ($35)
Château Figeac 2014 ($119)
Château La Conseillante 2014 ($139)
Château Langoa-Barton 2014 ($59)
Château Lynch-Bages 2014 ($119)
Château Léoville-Barton 2014 ($90)
Third Course
Seared Duck Breast with Black Truffle Jus, Plumped Currants, Black Berries and Pickled Plums
Château Figeac 2009 ($299)
Château La Conseillante 2006 ($169)
Château Langoa-Barton 2006 ($70)
Château Lynch-Bages 2006 ($159)
Fourth Course
Short Rib with Carrot Purée, Duck Fat Carrots, Coriander Crumble, Pearl Onions
Château Figeac 2004 ($159)
Château La Conseillante 1996 ($179)
Château Lynch-Bages 1996 ($269)
Château Léoville-Barton 1999 ($139)
Dessert
Canelé with Chestnut Mousse, Candied Chestnuts, and Wine Gelée
Château Suduiraut 2005 ($99)
Coffee
schiller-wine - Related Postings
Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours
Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture and History
Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir
Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Tour and Tasting at Château Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, in Saint-Émilion – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Tour and Tasting at Château Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, in Saint-Émilion – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
A Vertical Blind Tasting of Châteaux Léoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton plus the 2011 Chateau Mauvesin-Barton with Lilian Barton-Sartorius in Washington DC, USA
Tour and Tasting at Château Lynch-Bages in Bages, Bordeaux, France
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