First Growth at the Château

I'm not a big fan of Bordeaux first growth (it's too expensive for what you get in the bottle) but when you got the opportunity to taste it at the châteaux it's always a great experience.

My trip to Bordeaux start few years ago and it's not finish yet :


- Château Lafite Rothschild
The estate here is amazing, a beautiful castle down in a little valley. The tour end in the famous round cellar where concert take place sometimes. Here the cellar master open for us a 1993 of course it's not a great vintage but it's not so bad really !!! My feeling about this wine is more about a moment or the atmosphere of the place than about the wine itself. But i remenber something great well balance and very long. The smell of blackcurant, smoked and a hint of something animals.
A great "souvenir"

- Château Mouton Rotschild
Yes another rotschild to follow. This Château looks more like a museum than a wine estate. It's like disney land for wine !!! After the boring visit and everything else, if you're lucky (or if you put the price when your not professional), you will try the wine for us it was a 2008 sample barrel (something not finish yet). I remenber the colour of this wine it was deep purple not filtered yet so very dark. The nose was amazing a mix of vanilla, cinamon and red fruit, then you put that liquid in your mouth and it's an explosion so young so rich so intense blackberry, mix of spice the tannins are heavy and the taste stay in your mouth for hour (lol). A wine for the future, great potential.


- Château Latour
First there is no Château here. Oh, sorry there is one but is hide by some tree but from the road you can see the tower that you see on the label. You need to park your car down in a little hole, like that nobody can see it from the road. It's like that in Bordeaux !!!
Like Mouton it's a bit disneyland but in a much more luxury way. After a little movie, start the visit and you can admire the very well decorated cellar (and very well equiped to). Then they put you in a very fashionable tasting room on the menu : Pauillac 2008 (3rd wine), Fort de Latour 2005 and 2008 (2nd wine), Château Latour 2004 and 2008 great progam ???
I will just give you the impression on the Latour 2004, the colour is quite opaque with tuile reflect on the nose tobacco, moka and leather are the dominant the palate is rich a very quick attack the tannins are big for sure it's a wine to forget in your cellar for a decade or two.

- Château Cheval Blanc
We change the side to go to the right bank of Bordeaux
This châteaux is quite particular in french we say in is "jus". It's not that Bling Bling like the left bank, it's looks like much more artisanal. The old concrete vats still there and nothing else. The tasting here was on a Petit Cheval and a Château Cheval Blanc 2008.
The Cheval Blanc was young (of course 2008 !!!!) a deep ruby colour, very pale the nose is spicy aroma of licorice and blackberries jam a bit of bell pepper aroma maybe ( cabernet franc is a big part of the blend) on the mouth you feel immediatly the ripe strawberry it's very fresh and well balance and the finish is long, long, long...

I didn't have the chance yet to go to Château Haut-Brion and Margaux but i will for sure. You can't visit Château Ausonne it's a to small structure (at list it's what they say on the phone) I already try all the first growth but not all of them at the property that's why i didn't put the comment there. Be patient they will come !!!