I've been at my job for 25 years, and a some board members/supporters got t ogether and surprised Betsy and I with a trip a few months ago. Friday afte r T’giving was an overnight flight to CdG, then a quick flight to B ordeaux. We were met by reps from Viking cruises, and took bus to port wher e our ship waited Nice sunny day, we spent the afternoon doing some long wa lks 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 “roasted vegetable terrin e” that was a flavored cheese ball on top of roasted peppers was st range). 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 th at night). Nothing collectible or expensive, but decent 10-20 euro type win es
Whites
2015 Chai des Bordes Bordeaux Blanc Assume mostly SB, quite grassy but fresh, bright acids, light, grapefruit a nd 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. B2014 Cuvee Clemence Cheval Quancard Floral, some oak, good length. B
2011 De la Grave Grains Fins (Cotes de Bourg) Not sure I’d ever had a Bourg white before. Vanilla, somewhat clums y 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 oy sters, 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. B2012 Haut Logat (Haut Medoc) This was the blind wine in a tasting challenge. Fun format (though I though t not best questions) for a big group (60-70 people)- two choices each ques tion, 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. B2010 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 correctOne night there was a Sauternes as well, the 2012 Lafleur Mallet. Not too i mpressive- fruit cocktail, soft,rather short. C+
Each day had excursions (walking or motorcoach). On the penultimate full da y, group divided into 3 groups on motorcoachs. After a tour of the Medoc fr om St Estephe down (fun to see so many chateaux I’d been drinking f or years) my coach ended up at Ch. Giscours (I was happy, preferred to othe r buses going to Marquis du Terme and Prieure Lichine). Very good tour guid e, 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 s till. B2010 Ch. Giscours I had thought the 2009 Giscours overripe and overoaked, but this showed ver y well though young. Rich, deep, fleshy blackcurrant and blackberry, hint o f leather. Needs time but very nice Margaux in a “mid-modern? ? style. A-
Then on to Ch. Kirwan for a dinner. With onion soup, the 2015 Signatures (B dx Blanc). Citrus, grass, a little quincey note, soft. B-/C+
2012 Les Charmes de Kirwan Redder fruit, some spice, tasty and easy. B1995 Ch. Kirwan Some didn’t like, but after a week of young Bordeaux I was happy to have something with tertiary notes. Black plum, cedar, tobacco, moderate l ength, resolved and ready. B+
Overall, a fun week. If I had planned better I’d have hit a wine st ore 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 “supplemental” excursion, a trip to Arcach on/Cap Ferret where we did a boat ride around Ile aux Oiseaux, visited an o yster 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 p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.