Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Paris Part 1

France and Spain.

Just returned from a trip to France and Spain. We started out in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux
 We flew to Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. We then took the airport bus to Montparnesse station in Paris where you catch the high speed trains.  Paris has many train stations so you need to check which station you need for which train. Bordeaux is a small city that is a 2 hour high speed train ride from Paris. The bus (le Bus Direct)runs every 30 minutes and cost about $18 one way. It was comfortable and timely and took about 1 hour.. They have people to help store your luggage beneath the bus.

Bordeaux is also the most famous wine region in the world. The city has been revitalized and is a  great place to spend a few days.We took the high speed train from the Montparnesse train station in Paris. Due to labor issues the trains in France have been striking every 3 days. Luckily we picked a day when the trains were running.

The high speed train or TGV is efficient(except for strikes), convenient and comfortable. The price varies widely. Bordeaux can be from $69 to $300 each way per person. The trip took 2 hours. We bought tickets at the station and did pay a higher fare because we did not buy tickets in advance. Tickets can easily be bought on line in the US.

We arrived at the Bordeaux train station which is centrally located and took the tram to the center of the city near the tourist office. Our hotel was nearby. We stayed and the Hotel de Seze. http://www.hotel-de-seze.com/home/ The hotel is small and beautifully furnished.. However our room was tiny. It barely fit a double bed. The bathroom was nicely appointed and long and narrow with a shower. We had a view of an alley. The room was around $300 which I felt was too high for the value. (I will try to use dollars for prices, if possible. The Euro is now around $1.20). The staff of the hotel were polite but did not provide any special service.

Sometimes you get lucky in life. A week before our trip the hotel sent me an e-mail letting me know to expect noise in the room due to a festival across the street from the hotel. I checked out the event and it turned out to be food festival with 24 pop-up restaurants along a a path set up in a small park. Les Etoiles D Epicure http://www.epicuriales.com/fr/ This event happens each year and goes on for about 2 weeks. They invite chefs from  all over France to cook a meal in temporary but very nice space with a modern and well equipped kitchen.

I made reservations for the  second  night of our stay. The chef was Gaetan Gentil and his restaurant is PRaiRiaL  https://www.prairial-restaurant.fr/in Lyon. It has been awarded 1 Michelin star.We paid 90 Euros each and that include 6 wines, appetizers and dinner.

The first night in Bordeaux we went to the festival and picked out a restaurant specializing in food from  SW France, basically duck.
Confit.

Magret

Restaurant 

Bordeaux along the river.

 Misting play area.

 Wine we drank at a small wine bar in the old city of Bordeaux. Wine was very reasonable 5-8 euros a glass. We were the only ones there. The owner was very nice. We were talking to him and brought us a glass of Beaujolais.

 We had local potato chips with the wine.

 This was the second wine he brought us. He then gave us the rest of the bottle to take. No charge.

 Central plaza in Bordeaus.

 The wine list in a very nice wine bar in Bordeaux. The prices are insanely cheap. The wines are not famous but local and good.

 We took a half day tour to the left bank and were taken to two wineries in Margaux. We have found
that wine tours in Europe are quite good. We find mini bus tours with no more than 8 people and like a half day duration. They generally cost around $80 a person which includes all the wine tastings. This was very good as our tour guide was very nice and quite knowledgeable. We stopped at Chateau Siran in Margaux which is a very good winery and their wines get good reviews from the critics.

We find these small tours can be good and economical ways to find out about a region and you also can taste wine without driving. If you have your heart set upon visiting a specific place, then you need to contact the winery directly and find your own way to get there. The commercial tours will not go to the really big and famous places, at least in Bordeaux, but you will find out a lots about the area.

 The vineyards of Chateau Siran. https://www.chateausiran.com/en/We visited during a hail storm which was very damaging and just touched a small part of  Margaux. They gave us a very ncie tour as they have a small museum of the history of the chateau. We then had a tasting of 3  wines. They make 3 wines. Most Bordeaux wineries make a top wine and then they make a second wine and sometimes a 3rd wine. These wines tend to use grapes from newer vines and they may not be as sective in the their approach to the wine making. However they can be very good values. The second wines of the top chateaus can be quite expensive and can be very good. Note that only one wine can be called :Chateau:.

2009 and 2010  were good vintages in Bordeaux. 2011 was OK and 2012 and 2013 were "difficult" vintages, aka not good. 2014 was a pretty good year and 2015 and 2016 are very good. 2016 wines are not released yet. 

Bordeaux is generally divided into 2 areas -- Right Bank and Left Bank. Bordeaux is a very large area encompassing many towns and many wineries. Almost all Bordeaux wines are blends. You need to know the appellation to know the grapes in the wines. French law sets out what grapes can be used in wines made in each appellation.

In the United States we tend to classify our wines by the grape and then the region. A  wine that says Cabernet Sauvignon must be composed of mostly Cabernet. We are developing  AVA's (American Viticultural Area)  which are subsections larger places. For example the Dundee Hills is and AVA in the Willamette Valley. All of this info is found on wine labels.
The Right Bank is predominantly Merlot and the town of St Emilion is the big area. The Left Bank is the home more Cabernet
sauvignon wines and the towns of Margaux, Paulliac, St Estephe, St Julien and Pessac on the left bank.
Here is the Wine Spectator vintage chart for the Left Bank.
ge Score Drink Rec Description
2016 94-97 NYR A year of extremes, with a very rainy spring backed by a very dry summer. Reds are ripe and tannic, but racy, fresh and full of aromas; yields normal to above normal. Upper Médoc superb; Margaux and Pessac excellent as well, though not quite as strong as 2015
2015 94 Hold Extremely dry season saved by rain at veraison led to an even crop of ripe and lush reds. Later rains hampered some parts of the upper Médoc. Margaux is truly special, St. Julien and Pessac superb
2014 93 Hold A good spring was followed by a gray, humid summer, but dry weather and a long harvest period through September and October saved the vintage. Best in the upper Médoc with Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, along with Petit Verdot, relishing the late harvest; less dynamic in Margaux and Pessac
2013 84 Drink Cool start and very wet finish saved by warm, dry July and August. Disease pressure was very high and harvest on the early side. Reds are light and easy; Margaux least successful of Left Bank AOCs
2012 88 Drink or hold Cool and wet early led to uneven crop set and disease pressure, while dry, hot August resulted in some blocked ripening; September rains helped, but harvest window was short before October rains arrived, leaving some Cabernets marked by taut tannins; Pessac and Margaux favored over upper Médoc; more inconsistent overall than Right Bank
2011 91 Hold Dry and hot early, then cool and wet late. Yields down due to small berries. Fresh fruit and bright acidity are prominent; tannins are strident but ripe, with lower alcohols
2010 99 Hold Ripe and powerful, with racy tannins and acidity for balance. More structure-driven than the opulent 2009, with better definition of fruit; should be very long-lived
2009 97 Drink or hold Lush, rich and beautifully polished reds. Top Médoc estates made glorious wines; Pessac also excelled

Here is the chart of the Right Bank

Vintage Score Drink Rec Description
2016 93-96 NYR Same pattern as Left Bank, with rainy start, dry finish. Clay-based soils weathered the dry period best, limestone also strong; young vines and Pomerol's sandy soils the only weak spot, but otherwise a very homogenous vintage
2015 97 Hold Extremely warm and dry growing season favored the Right Bank's clay and limestone soils. St.-Emilion the sweet spot; Pomerols are rich and layered. Values abound in Castillon and Fronsac
2014 91 Drink or hold A good spring was followed by a grey, humid summer, with slightly more rainfall than on the Left Bank. Merlot solid, but wines with Cabernet Franc the sweet spot as well-drained gravel soils were favored over clay
2013 86 Drink Merlot generally soft and forward but prime spots on limestone and gravel handled late rains better. Cabernet Franc also performed well, bolstering Pomerol and St.-Emilion. Generally more consistent than on Left Bank but still for early consumption
2012 90 Drink or hold Early-ripening Merlot favored in general over Left Bank Cabernet. Clay soils with good water retention kept vines going during August drought, while gravel easily drained off the later rains. Pomerol very solid; St.-Emilion more inconsistent with some wines prone to overextraction
2011 91 Hold Pomerols generally fresh and ripe; St.-Emilion Cabernet Franc excelled, buttressing the Merlot. Solid vintage that should age nicely, like 2001 and 2004
2010 98 Hold Dry but not warm season led to powerful wines. Merlot sports slightly higher alcohols; Cabernet Franc excelled. Pomerol and St.-Emilion superb; terrific values through Castillon and Fronsac
2009 96 Drink or hold Rich and powerful, yet round and friendly, with velvety texture and loads of fruit. Pomerol excelled with St.-Emilion more variable. Don't overlook Fronsac and Castillon

 We also visited a second winery, Chateau Haut-Breton Larigaudiere  http://www.de-mour.com/pages/sommaire_prop.php  also in Margaux. they also owned wineries in other areas and we tasted those wines as well.

 Surprisingly Bordeaux is very flat and the vineyards are along the road and appear unremarkable. The geography of the area is remarkable as the Gironde Estuary flows from the Atlantic and splits into 2 rivers the Garonne and the Dordogne. The city is on the Garonne. Apparently it is the weather patterns and the impact from all of this water that makes the area good for growing grapes.

Miscellaneous

My garden is starting to yield results. The farmers's markets are in full stride. Blueberries, strawberries and cherries are great and the dessert opportunities are awesome.

Lots more shortly.

Enjoy.