I've been at my job for 25 years, and a some board members/supporters got together and surprised Betsy and I with a trip a few months ago. Friday after Tgiving was an overnight flight to CdG, then a quick flight to Bordeaux. We were met by reps from Viking cruises, and took bus to port where our ship waited Nice sunny day, we spent the afternoon doing some long walks around the city. Dinner was shipcured duck, salmon papillote, osso buco.. The salmon was bland, the other dishes quite good. Overall food was quite tasty, with only a couple of misfires (a €œroasted vegetable terrine€� that was a flavored cheese ball on top of roasted peppers was strange). Seafood quality was very good (oysters, mussels, seabass, a little lobster, crayfish- but no eel, which is a local specialty), meat was cooked correctly, etc.

Each meal included a white and a red Bordeaux (usually from area we were that night). Nothing collectible or expensive, but decent 10-20 euro type wines

Whites
2015 Chai des Bordes Bordeaux Blanc
Assume mostly SB, quite grassy but fresh, bright acids, light, grapefruit and catpee. B/B-

2012 Ch. de Chantegrive Blanc
Fuller than most, seemingly more Semillon than others, ripe tropical fruit, nutty. Good, just needs a touch more acid. B

2014 Ch. Moulin de Launay (Entre des Mers)
Bright, easy, citrus and grass. Simple but quite tasty. B

2014 Cuvee Clemence Cheval Quancard
Floral, some oak, good length. B

2011 De la Grave Grains Fins (Cotes de Bourg)
Not sure Id ever had a Bourg white before. Vanilla, somewhat clumsy oak, almond and lemon. I think server said all Semillon. C+

2014 Cheval Quancard Reserve
Pit fruits, oak, good acids. B/B-

2015 Ch. Pouyanne (Graves)
Bright, fresh, grapefruit and peach with grassy accents. With Cap Ferret oysters, great match. B+

Reds

2012 Chai des Bordes Bordeaux
Red plum, leather, mild tannin, soft acid, short C+

2012 Ch. des Reuilles
Some cassis, soft, a little vanilla. B/B-

2010 Ch. Lauzette (Haut Medoc)
Some grip, blackcurrant and a little smoke, sturdy. B

2012 Haut Logat (Haut Medoc)
This was the blind wine in a tasting challenge. Fun format (though I thought not best questions) for a big group (60-70 people)- two choices each question, straight elimination. It was down to about 5 of us when question was 12 or 15 months oak aging, 4 of us opted for 12 and were eliminated.
Black plum, a bit of oak, tobacco. B

2010 Ch. Canteloup
Big, good tannic/acid balance, long finish. B/B+

Vintage? Cheval Quancard Reserve
Plump, ripe, oaky. B-

2012 de Marsan (Castillon)
Quite popular, but I thought short and clipped, and even wondered if corked (at a restaurant in Cap Ferret, not on ship) C+ if correct

One night there was a Sauternes as well, the 2012 Lafleur Mallet. Not too impressive- fruit cocktail, soft,rather short. C+

Each day had excursions (walking or motorcoach). On the penultimate full day, group divided into 3 groups on motorcoachs. After a tour of the Medoc from St Estephe down (fun to see so many chateaux Id been drinking for years) my coach ended up at Ch. Giscours (I was happy, preferred to other buses going to Marquis du Terme and Prieure Lichine). Very good tour guide, nice tour of the winery, and then a short tasting

I neglected the vintage on the Ch. Duthil, a Haut Medoc from same owner as Giscours. Bright, higher acid, plummy, but not very long. B-/C+

2010 La Sirene du Giscours
Light touch of vanilla, black plum and cassis, modest finish, some tannin still. B

2010 Ch. Giscours
I had thought the 2009 Giscours overripe and overoaked, but this showed very well though young. Rich, deep, fleshy blackcurrant and blackberry, hint of leather. Needs time but very nice Margaux in a €œmid-modern€� style. A-

Then on to Ch. Kirwan for a dinner. With onion soup, the 2015 Signatures (Bdx Blanc). Citrus, grass, a little quincey note, soft. B-/C+

2012 Les Charmes de Kirwan
Redder fruit, some spice, tasty and easy. B

1995 Ch. Kirwan
Some didnt like, but after a week of young Bordeaux I was happy to have something with tertiary notes. Black plum, cedar, tobacco, moderate length, resolved and ready. B+

Overall, a fun week. If I had planned better Id have hit a wine store in city of Bordeaux first day (free corkage). The overall Viking river cruise experience was very good. I have no desire to go on an ocean cruise, but this - a new town every day with lots of time to walk and explore- was fun. We did one €œsupplemental€� excursion, a trip to Arcachon/Cap Ferret where we did a boat ride around Ile aux Oiseaux, visited an oyster farmer (fascinating), etc

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

> 1995 Ch. Kirwan
> Some didnt like, but after a week of young Bordeaux I was happy to have something with tertiary notes. Black plum, cedar, tobacco, moderate length, resolved and ready. B+
>


This one I had a couple of (diff. vintage) and I thought it was very good.
The usual winestore stopped having it though. it's also stopping with most of my go-to bordeaux (ch. tivoli, latour carnet, ch. guerry, ch. gramond), because bertrand is selling out a lot of vineyards and changing his distribution scheme.
I found Ch. Cantemerle there but its only random whether they get them or not.
So now I have to find replacements...

On Monday, December 5, 2016 at 1:39:47 PM UTC-5, DaleW wrote:
> I've been at my job for 25 years, and a some board members/supporters got together and surprised Betsy and I with a trip a few months ago. Friday after Tgiving was an overnight flight to CdG, then a quick flight to Bordeaux. We were met by reps from Viking cruises, and took bus to port where our ship waited Nice sunny day, we spent the afternoon doing some long walks around the city. Dinner was shipcured duck, salmon papillote, osso buco. The salmon was bland, the other dishes quite good. Overall food was quite tasty, with only a couple of misfires (a €œroasted vegetable terrine€� that was a flavored cheese ball on top of roasted peppers was strange). Seafood quality was very good (oysters, mussels, seabass, a little lobster, crayfish- but no eel, which is a local specialty), meat was cooked correctly, etc.
>
> Each meal included a white and a red Bordeaux (usually from area we were that night). Nothing collectible or expensive, but decent 10-20 euro type wines
>
> Whites
> 2015 Chai des Bordes Bordeaux Blanc
> Assume mostly SB, quite grassy but fresh, bright acids, light, grapefruit and catpee. B/B-
>
> 2012 Ch. de Chantegrive Blanc
> Fuller than most, seemingly more Semillon than others, ripe tropical fruit, nutty. Good, just needs a touch more acid. B
>
> 2014 Ch. Moulin de Launay (Entre des Mers)
> Bright, easy, citrus and grass. Simple but quite tasty. B
>
> 2014 Cuvee Clemence Cheval Quancard
> Floral, some oak, good length. B
>
> 2011 De la Grave Grains Fins (Cotes de Bourg)
> Not sure Id ever had a Bourg white before. Vanilla, somewhat clumsy oak, almond and lemon. I think server said all Semillon. C+
>
> 2014 Cheval Quancard Reserve
> Pit fruits, oak, good acids. B/B-
>
> 2015 Ch. Pouyanne (Graves)
> Bright, fresh, grapefruit and peach with grassy accents. With Cap Ferret oysters, great match. B+
>
> Reds
>
> 2012 Chai des Bordes Bordeaux
> Red plum, leather, mild tannin, soft acid, short C+
>
> 2012 Ch. des Reuilles
> Some cassis, soft, a little vanilla. B/B-
>
> 2010 Ch. Lauzette (Haut Medoc)
> Some grip, blackcurrant and a little smoke, sturdy. B
>
> 2012 Haut Logat (Haut Medoc)
> This was the blind wine in a tasting challenge. Fun format (though I thought not best questions) for a big group (60-70 people)- two choices each question, straight elimination. It was down to about 5 of us when question was 12 or 15 months oak aging, 4 of us opted for 12 and were eliminated.
> Black plum, a bit of oak, tobacco. B
>
> 2010 Ch. Canteloup
> Big, good tannic/acid balance, long finish. B/B+
>
> Vintage? Cheval Quancard Reserve
> Plump, ripe, oaky. B-
>
> 2012 de Marsan (Castillon)
> Quite popular, but I thought short and clipped, and even wondered if corked (at a restaurant in Cap Ferret, not on ship) C+ if correct
>
> One night there was a Sauternes as well, the 2012 Lafleur Mallet. Not too impressive- fruit cocktail, soft,rather short. C+
>
> Each day had excursions (walking or motorcoach). On the penultimate full day, group divided into 3 groups on motorcoachs. After a tour of the Medoc from St Estephe down (fun to see so many chateaux Id been drinking for years) my coach ended up at Ch. Giscours (I was happy, preferred to other buses going to Marquis du Terme and Prieure Lichine). Very good tour guide, nice tour of the winery, and then a short tasting
>
> I neglected the vintage on the Ch. Duthil, a Haut Medoc from same owner as Giscours. Bright, higher acid, plummy, but not very long. B-/C+
>
> 2010 La Sirene du Giscours
> Light touch of vanilla, black plum and cassis, modest finish, some tannin still. B
>
> 2010 Ch. Giscours
> I had thought the 2009 Giscours overripe and overoaked, but this showed very well though young. Rich, deep, fleshy blackcurrant and blackberry, hint of leather. Needs time but very nice Margaux in a €œmid-modern€� style. A-
>
> Then on to Ch. Kirwan for a dinner. With onion soup, the 2015 Signatures (Bdx Blanc). Citrus, grass, a little quincey note, soft. B-/C+
>
> 2012 Les Charmes de Kirwan
> Redder fruit, some spice, tasty and easy. B
>
> 1995 Ch. Kirwan
> Some didnt like, but after a week of young Bordeaux I was happy to have something with tertiary notes. Black plum, cedar, tobacco, moderate length, resolved and ready. B+
>
> Overall, a fun week. If I had planned better Id have hit a wine store in city of Bordeaux first day (free corkage). The overall Viking river cruise experience was very good. I have no desire to go on an ocean cruise, but this - a new town every day with lots of time to walk and explore- was fun. We did one €œsupplemental€� excursion, a trip to Arcachon/Cap Ferret where we did a boat ride around Ile aux Oiseaux, visited an oyster farmer (fascinating), etc
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Nice trip! Thanks for the notes. FWIW, I didn't care for the Lamprey but I had a plate of tiny fried eels at the Lion d'Or in Arcins that were fantastic.