France: Bordeaux | La Maison d’Estournel

We don’t really prescribe to the idea of bucket lists. If we did, wine tasting in France’s Bordeaux wine region would be on it. We have been learning about wine for around 20 years, and by no means are we experts, but the wines that really gave us the “bug” for falling in love with wine were almost always from Bordeaux.

The region is essentially divided into two main sub-regions, often referred to as the “Left Bank” and the “Right Bank,” separated by the Garonne River. The main difference being that the Left Bank tends to be dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Right Bank is typically dominated by Merlot. There are a lot of other nuances in terms of microclimates, terroir (soil), etc. that make the two sides distinct, and I am sure that our wine friends out there are all thinking about those details, but for these purposes—here endeth the lesson.

The wines that we have both gravitated toward tend to be from the Left Bank, which is further distinguished by which village in which the grapes are grown. Some of our favorites come from St. Estephe, Pauillac, and St. Julien. While planning this trip, most people we spoke with pushed for us to experience both banks and broaden our focus for our time there. We felt that being more focused and intentional about where we stayed and which Chateaus we visited was a better use of our short time there, instead of sitting in the car for hours at a time to get from one region to the next. At the end of our time in Bordeaux, we both agreed that this was the best decision for us. We’ll be back some day and will visit other parts of the region.

Not to sound redundant, but our conversations with winemakers and locals was very similar to that of Champagne—Patience. In this case it was a bit more, “wait and see,” because the region has received exponentially more rain at this point in the year than normal. They are all crossing their fingers for a hot and dry summer to avoid mold and make the vines work a little harder to ripen the grapes, making the juice more concentrated and hopefully less sweet.

Part of the reason why we chose La Maison d’Estournel is that it is owned by the same person who also owns one of our favorite Chateaus, Cos d’Estournel. Now, I think we have to put what going to this Chateau really meant for Jeremy. I think the best analogy that we can make is that Jeremy grew up Catholic. While he in no way practices, identifies with or quite frankly believes in religion, if we think about going to Bordeaux is like going to the Vatican for Catholics, then Cos d’Estournel would be his Sistine Chapel. Beyond the wine, the Chateau is unique and unbelievably beautiful. Since being purchased in 2006, they have gone through a complete renovation, including building a wine making process that is entirely moved with gravity—no pumps anywhere. Not to bore you with details, but the whole process is an amazing feat of elevators and engineering. The pictures below show just how much attention they paid to every detail.

Chateau Cos d'Estournel | Bordeaux, France

Highlight: Our Wedding Anniversary! 18 Years!

What a dream and what an experience for our 18 year wedding anniversary! We started the day with a lovely breakfast, which included champagne, of course. We took advantage of the weather not cooperating as we had hoped by getting 90 minute massages–so needed! It was a very relaxing day pool side, reading in the library, and just enjoying the beautiful La Maison d’Estournel. Before dinner we asked one of our friends at La Maison to take some pictures of us around the grounds—with Valerie wearing her veil of course! For dinner, Jeremy worked with the Maitre’d to organize a few special wines for the occasion. They were two of our favorite bordeaux Chateaus, both from the 2006 vintage. As an added treat, the chef at La Maison cooked us a personalized three course meal, outside of what was on the menu. Both the meal and the wine were exceptional. Spending the whole day together, making memories, and sharing a special meal with phenomenal wine made this anniversary one for the books. La Maison d'Estournel is special for so many reasons. We can’t wait to go back.