We spent from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a private tour of two Medoc wine chateaux with Dewey Markham Jr., an American wine writer who has been living in Bordeaux for the past 18 years. He is incredibly knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects related to wine; everything from the history to the science, to the local laws and the local people.
We went to Chateau Lynch Bages, in the appellation of Pauillac, where we had a tour from one of the Chateau employees, Helene, who explained their wine making process, walked us through their museum, then followed by a wine tasting of the 2004 Haut Bages Averous, the second label and the 2004 Chateau Lynch Bages.
While there, we met the owner Jean Michel Cazes, who lives at the Chateau and told us he had once been to Calgary when it was very cold. His English was excellent as he’d been to university in Texas and worked in the US for IBM. We went for lunch in the village of Bages, where the Chateau is located. The village has been heavily supported by M. Cazes including the Cafe Lavinal, where we had a leisurely lunch and met M. Cazes again.
Cafe Lavinal
We then went to Chateau Rauzan Segla, in Margaux, which is owned by the family who owns Chanel, the fashion house. The tour there showed us the different practices and equipment they used, followed by another tasting of the 2007 Chateau Rauzan Segla.
Rauzan Segla tasting roomReturning to Bordeaux, we walked around the old area of the city where Scott looked for a silver ring, without luck.
Places Jean Jaures
avocado and shrimp, tomato mozarella
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