Bordeaux 2021 at Two Years: Pauillac
I have reached the stage where my Pauillac visits are so comprehensive there are very few classified wines I don’t taste sur place, at the château, or at the very least at an associated property (as in a number of cases several châteaux rest in the same hands).
The level of welcome which is offered can differ wildly from one visit to the next though. On one occasion during the course of this tasting trip I arrived to find the diminutive Pauillac château and cellars all locked up, and the vineyard – on many other estates a hive of pruning activity – completely deserted. I knocked a few times, then wandered around the estate’s various outbuildings, seeking (in vain) some sign of life. A shadowy figure drove past in a small car, but they were gone as quickly as they appeared. After 15 minutes of fruitless searching I resigned myself to scratching this appointment from my schedule as a no-show when suddenly a door opened, and my host appeared.
Perhaps this is what I deserve for making an appointment at 14h00, directly after lunch; those last few crumbs of almond cake, and that final espresso, must all be finished before the tasting can begin.
At the other end of the spectrum, leading the welcome league table is Château Mouton-Rothschild where, for the second year running, I met the Baron Philippe de Rothschild director Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy and communications director Eve Gueydon Mercadieu in the grounds of the estate, as they walked out to greet me.
Yes, you read that correctly, they walked out to greet me. A welcoming party! The only way this could be surpassed is if they had booked a brass band to play me in. I would like to think The Imperial March from the original Star Wars trilogy would be a good choice, but I wonder if rival critics might suggest Yakety Sax, perhaps better known as the Benny Hill theme tune. With that thought in mind, I don’t think I will press for the brass band, and just be grateful the doors aren’t all locked in anticipation of my arrival.
