Tag Archives: Bordeaux

Halloween Wine: Cheval des Andes Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza Argentina 2009

Posted on October 16, 2015 by waywardwine

One day we will stop referencing Sideways. Today is not one of them. Eleven years on, the film continues to kill Merlot. Although Miles railed against the grape, his prized bottle turned out to be an iconic Merlot: Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru classé A, Saint-Émilion 1961…that he drank with fast food: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, cabernet, Cheval Blanc, Cheval des Andes, drink, Food, France, Halloween, malbec, Mendoza, Mendoza Argentina, Saint-Émilion, travel, wine | 2 Comments

Thirsty Thursday: Château de Rochemorin, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France 2006

Posted on July 24, 2014 by waywardwine

This Thirsty Thursday uncorks an accident. I had ordered Château de Rochemorin’s 2006 Red full of excitement. Baron de Montesquieu -inspiration to America’s Constitution- lived and made wine here in Pessac-Léognan (a Graves sub-region that weaves into Bordeaux’s suburbs).

2006 was a challenging year for reds, leading to powerful, cellar-needy, tannic, austere wines. The problem? This 2006 is white. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Baron de Montesquieu, Bordeaux, Château de Rochemorin, fino sherry, France, Graves, Pessac-Léognan, Sauvignon blanc | Leave a comment

Suburban Vineyard: Finding Haut-Brion in Bordeaux’s Pessac-Léognan

Posted on March 17, 2014 by waywardwine

It is our last day in Bordeaux. We had visited Graves and St-Émilion. But we have yet to see Pessac-Léognan.

medoc-map-2010In 1855 Bordeaux merchants ranked the top houses. Of the Premier Grand Cru (best of the best), all were in the Médoc save one in Pessac-Léognan. Now we could debate the validity of an 164 year-old classification, but Pessac was just a bus ride from our apartment.

Famed wine-focused (and graffito-tagged) Bordeaux University passes us by.

We get off the bus and hike, expecting suburbia to turn into farmland. It doesn’t. Just past a gas station and apartment we find this: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1855, 1855 Classification, Bordeaux, grapes, Haut-Brion, Medoc, Pessac-Léognan, vines, Winery | 4 Comments

St-Émilion Part 3: Macaron Sweets and Panoramic Treats

Posted on March 10, 2014 by waywardwine

Extracted from St-Émilion’s underworld (last post), our EU Austerity Drinking Tour continues above ground. Too sick to drink, we wander. Gates and walls gird every corner of this hill-town.

You almost expect a bouncer with sunglasses to stand there. But when each bottle costs a thousand bucks, these vines become too valuable for tourists to traipse through and take selfies (#vineyardselfies).

Almost bored by all the brilliance, we walk around another Romanesque ruin abutting another Grand Cru vineyard.

But then, on the city’s edge, we also discover the birthplace of macarons. In 1620, while Pilgrims were landing in Plymouth, this bakery started selling macarons. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1620, Bordeaux, Château, Fabrique de Macarons, France, macaron, Macaroons, Marie Antoinette, Pilgrims, Plymouth, St-Emilion, Troglodyte | 2 Comments

St-Émilion Part 2: Above and Below

Posted on March 6, 2014 by waywardwine

Today continues Monday’s EU Austerity Drinking Tour of St-Émilion: Bordeaux’s citadel to Merlot. Flu still numbs our adventurers’ palates, so we opt for a city tour instead of wine. The whole city is a UNESCO site, so why not?

We pass more wine-shops than people. The Roman “Cadene” Gate begins our slippery descent into the ancient core. It is a hodgepodge of eras with a home from 1291. *meh!*

We stumble past our less adventurous tourers, nearly falling in our rush. Then we mass into a small pocket: i.e. town square. An ancient market gapes to our left. Continue reading →