The Final First

It was the first cloudy, cool and stormy day in six weeks. Much to the city’s collective relief the heat wave seems to breaking. It also marked the end of an era as, after two years, my friend K. and I will no longer officially be residents of the same city. So a celebration was called for. And what better way to celebrate than with great wine and another milestone, my final First Growth visit: Chateau Margaux.

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A Cru Bourgeois Visit

The past month has been crazy. I’ve officially finished all of my classes to complete my degree. Now all that’s left is exams and to write my thesis. But after a year and a half living in this city I have learned nothing more than great wine can be found anywhere. Bordeaux is the traditional worldwide home of fine wine and none are more celebrated than the Classified Growths. But these estates are only a tiny drop in the bucket.

The 1855 Bordeaux Classification was ordered by Napoleon to help promote Bordeaux wine during the World Exposition held in Paris. But the classification only included a small portion of the Bordeaux estates. Among those Medoc estates not included in the Classification you can still find amazing wine. Today many of these estates have their own assurance of quality with the label of ‘Cru Bourgeois.’ I have personally found many of these wines to be of high quality and are a great value.

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So despite my crazy schedule, I managed to find a little time to take advantage of an invitation to visit Chateau Rollan de By. Continue reading

An Adventure with the Ram

This post took me longer than usual to write as I learned the blogger’s lesson the hard way: I drafted my post online and lost the finished piece. 

I’ve been a very busy girl over the past couple of weeks. The Bordeaux Grand Tasting. A Classified Growth Tour in the Medoc. Portes-Ouverts in Pessac. Chateau Haut Brion. The end of the year scramble. School work. My internship. I’ve also been a very lucky girl. I have a great boss who encourages my adventures. I’ve got motivated friends who have organized visits and confirmed reservations. I’m so lucky in fact that one week after a friend organized a visit at Chateau Haut Brion another organized a visit at another First Growth, Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

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