A Visit to Denis Dubourdieu, 2015
Among the panoply of Bordeaux oenologists and professors that have exerted a significant influence on the region over the years, one who needs no introduction is Denis Dubourdieu. If you have an interest in Bordeaux, then his is undoubtedly a name that has already cropped up at some point in your drinking history. It could be that you have encountered a wine ha has made at one of his properties, a small portfolio of châteaux the best known of which are probably Château Doisy-Daëne and Clos Floridène. Or, it might be that you have chanced across a copy of his detailed and very academic annual vintage and harvest report, an information-rich resource full of honest opinion and packed with facts, figures, plots and bar charts. And if you are shaking your head at these first two suggestions, professing ignorance, then I would wager that he has still had a hand in some of the wines you have enjoyed, through his consultancy work. Over the years he has advised numerous high-flying estates such as Château Cheval Blanc and Château Haut-Bailly, as well as many others across Bordeaux and beyond. Some that spring to mind include Château la Lagune, Château La Louvière, Château Batailley and, if you would like a client from outside the region, how about Château Belle-Rive in the Loire Valley’s famed Quarts de Chaume appellation?
Until recently this was also my experience of Denis Dubourdieu (pictured above), a vicarious one, meeting the man only through his wines, or through reading his words. Recently I decided it was about time I changed that, and so during a recent visit to Bordeaux I called in on Denis at Château Reynon, the starting point for all things Dubourdieu in the region, in order to meet him and to learn a little more about his wines.
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