No sleep! Tasting, chateau, another chateau

Hi, it's Elin, and it's time for wine. This week, we talk Bordeaux, summer rosé, skin-contact whites and more [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi readers and wine lovers, it’s [Elin McCoy](, Bloomberg’s wine critic, again sharing my latest adventures. I’ve been thinking about Bordeaux ever since I returned from an exciting—and exhausting—two sunny weeks covering the region’s annual spring En Primeur tastings, as I have for more than 20 years for Bloomberg. Thousands of importers and retailers from all over the globe gather to assess the last vintage while the wines are still aging in barrel. I was one of about 100 journalists scouting out [the best to recommend to their readers](. Despite the [climate-driven weather issues]( that I wrote about last summer and [during harvest](, I found many great wines. The pace is hectic, as everyone tries to taste as many wines as they can in a short space of time and hey, also party hard and share gossip. Bordeaux always supplies plenty of both. The 2022 vintage from Tronquoy, Siran and Langoa-Barton are turning ou to be especially great values. Source: Wineries So what’s it like attending Bordeaux En Primeur? My days were divided between the official Union des Grands Crus journalist tastings, held at [wine museum La Cite du Vin](, and appointments at snobby estates that only show their wines at the chateau. At the Cite even the air is tested for purity so off smells don’t interfere with our noses’ ability to sniff aromas. As I sat at my individual table, efficient sommeliers poured me five wines at a time, adding up to a couple of hundred. It’s a packed schedule. On April 18, for example, 9 a.m. saw me at first growth Chateau Margaux, followed by stops at 10 more estates. Owners and winemakers spun their perspectives on the year’s challenges in cold cellars surrounded by barrels, in light-filled tasting rooms with views of vines, in grand chateaux with antiques and paintings. Another way to be a wine insider? Have a meal or stay overnight at Bordeaux’s legendary châteaux. Photographer: Céline Clanet for Bloomberg Businessweek You swirl each sample, inhale its aroma, sip and spit it out no matter how grand the wine—no one could get through a day otherwise. I spat into paper cups, small red metal buckets, curvy black plastic receptacles, upended barrels and ceramic containers, scribbling notes on the wine-stained pages of my tasting journal. The wines were very promising, so everyone was smiling even if their teeth were stained purple. At some chateaux, you notice the cars. Several brightly painteddeux-chevaux—[cheap but cute Citroën buggies]( produced between 1948 and 1990—were parked outside famous Chateau Petrus, while at the fairy tale castle-like Chateau d’Issan, a black [Ferrari FF]( spun off in the gravel drive just as I arrived. Everything seemed “back to normal,” after two years of Covid and last year’s [far from stellar 2021 vintage](—which meant fabulous parties. Parades of sommeliers marched out with bottles to drumbeats and claps, and at one dinner, to deafening renditions of [“Still D.R.E.”]( and the Rolling Stones’ [“Sympathy for the Devil.”]( A five-hour Sunday lunch at Ducru-Beaucaillou was a particular highlight, with 20 vintages from 2003 to 2022 and then a seven-course meal with the 1996, 1959, 1947, 1923 and 1920. White asparagus with foie gras may be my new favorite dish. Oh, my wine pick? The fabulous 1959. And how do you open those old, expensive wines with their fragile corks? Only this $135 corkscrew will do. Photographer: Janelle Jones for Bloomberg Businessweek The last night of En Primeur, 800 people gathered in the cellar of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte for the Fete du Bontemps, where I watched [basketball player Tony Parker]( be inducted into the [Commanderie du Bontemps](, a wine industry fraternal organization. He’s an investor in rosé and Champagne with Michel Reybier, owner of Bordeaux’s Cos d’Estournel. The ceremony, staged by a group of chateau owners wearing heavy crimson velvet robes and matching round beanies, requires inductees to answer questions and swear loyalty to Bordeaux’s wines. It’s a lot of pomp and fun—with spectacular fireworks afterwards. (Full disclosure: I was inducted in 2009. You get a pin to wear at future Bordeaux events.) One VIP guest, American Ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer, assured me that getting American wines on the radar of the French was important, though the Ukraine crisis had top priority. This was the first En Primeur for my tablemate, American billionaire Gaylon Lawrence, [the new owner of Chateau Lascombes](, who looked happy to be part of it all. I can very much relate. Connect with Elin on her [website]( or via [Instagram]( Elsewhere in the wine world.     [What Ended Up Happening to SVB’s Wine Division?]( After writing about how the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank affected the wine world, a happy ending is a good surprise. [Coronation Wines: Fit for Kings and Queens]( Tracking their history shows the evolution of how we drink. [Wine on Tap Is Taking a Serious Leap Forward]( Sixty Vines and Ridge Vineyards announce exclusive partnership. [Brazilian Wine Giants Linked to ‘Conditions Analogous to Slavery’]( Sadly, not everything in the wine world is positive. [The Underground Cellar Swindle]( Don’t put your wine in a “Cloud Cellar.” My insider’s guide to what’s new in Bordeaux. Talking to chateau owners everywhere from Saint-Emilion to the Graves to the Medoc is an excellent way to hear what’s new, which often involves something eco-conscious. Here’s a rundown of the latest in case you’re heading to Bordeaux for [Le Weekend des Grands Crus](from June 9 to 11, which features a tasting of the 2020 vintage and chances to meet chateau owners.  • The use of [unusual animals in vineyards]( to aid in pest control and weeding has been a definite trend. The latest species to show up at cru classé estates are llamas at Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte, and at Pontet-Canet, cute kunekune pigs that grub up soil and eat quack grass as if it’s their caviar. The adorable little porkers are also used in Oregon, rotated with Scottish highland cattle and sheep. Source: Balanced Earth Farm • The ultimate new eco-cellar, designed for climate change, is at [Chateau Haut Bailly](. It’s topped by a roof garden with dogwood and pine trees and just won a silver medal at the Victoires du Paysage 2022, a national competition that rewards the most beautiful landscaping of the year. See also: [Bordeaux’s eco-warriors](. • Nature walks at chateaux are the latest idea. [Chateau Olivier]( in Pessac-Leognan south of Bordeaux takes it one step further by offering Japanese [“forest bathing”]( (shinrin yoku), complete with tastings, to introduce visitors to their immense park of century-old trees. And did you know there might also be an old-growth forest right in your own backyard? Photographer: Chona Kasinger for Bloomberg Businessweek • And Bordeaux today is full of brand-new wines. I discovered two brilliant dry whites that put the focus on Bordeaux’s native grape semillon: [Chateau Suduiraut 2022 dry Pur Semillon]( from Sauternes and [2021 Chateau Duhart-Milon Blanc](, which was released for the first time during En Primeur. What I’m reading, watching and listening to. Bullipedia Wine Sapiens: Chef Ferran Adrià , who changed the way we think about food through his El Bulli restaurant in Spain, is one of my heroes. Recently I met with him in New York to talk about his Wine Sapiens book project that he’s overseen with El Bulli’s former sommelier, [Ferran Centelles](. They were showing off the first two of [eight very heavy volumes](, recently translated in English. Like Adrià himself, the project aims to make you rethink wine in a new way, with the first volume taking on broad, philosophical questions like “What is wine, anyway?” Drops of God on Apple TV+: One of my favorite wine books is the [Japanese manga series Drops of God](, wildly popular and influential in Asia, with some volumes translated into English and French. The page-turning quest tale revolves around two half-brothers, a famous sommelier and a wine novice, competing to inherit their father’s huge, valuable wine collection by identifying 13 rare bottles. On April 21, Apple TV+ started streaming an [8-episode adaptation]( loosely based on the story. Despite the modifications, it’s a fun and highly entertaining way to learn about wine. The comic debuted on Amazon’s ComiXology, along with its own wine subscription club and digital salon. Source: Drops of God Wine Salon The Pleasures of IWA 5 Sake: When I heard that Richard Geoffroy, the retired chef de cave of Dom Perignon, was making sake in Japan, aiming for greatness, I could hardly wait to ask him, “Why?” And of course, [taste his sake](. Our long conversation is captured on the podcast The Wine Conversation. He’s used his champagne blending skills to make a uniquely fragrant, balanced, rich and elegant [sake that appeals to wine lovers like me](. Chocolate Chip Cookies at Chateau Fonplegade: I’ll finish on a sweet note—surprisingly, the best old-fashioned crispy, not-too-sweet chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted were in Saint-Emilion. They’re made by American Denise Adams, who co-owns Chateau Fonplegade with her husband, and have just the right amount of chips and crunch. Adams started giving the cookies to negociants and journalists and now also to [visitors with special appointments](. So, you’ve got questions? Here are some answers! Slide into [our DMs]( or [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net?subject=I%20have%20a%20question) with any luxury living question you might have. What are your three top pinot noir recommendations? My first thought: what do you want to pay? It’s tough to find inexpensive ones that are really good. My second: Only three?! Let’s just say the following at three price points won’t disappoint. - [2019 Ritual Pinot Noir]( A sub-$20 wine from the cool Casablanca Valley in Chile has a lot of bright pinot character for the price. - [2021 Mac Forbes Yarra Valley Pinot Noir]( Time to think of Australia when you think pinot. This $40 bottle is light and lacy, only 11% alcohol. - [2019 Peay Vineyards Scallop Shelf Pinot Noir]( From the far west Sonoma coast, this tangy, savory, mineral pinot ($74) is one to age. What’s the best wine carrier to keep whites and rosés chilled all day? The [Tirrinia 4-bottle insulated, padded portable carrier](, available on Amazon for only $25, is lightweight, sturdy and leakproof. It also has removable dividers, strong handles, a spot for a corkscrew and a stylish blue-and-white striped design highly suitable for beach or pool. I’m not sure bottles will stay cold for 8 hours in 90-degree heat, so put in only two bottles and fill the remaining space with coldpacks. And here’s some ideas to fill it. My top rosé picks from last season. Source: Vendors How long can skin-contact white wines age? The short answer is a few years to a couple of decades. Skin-contact whites are made the way red wines are, by letting the juice of the wine macerate with the skins, which is how they pick up the tannin that helps them age. But since the amount of skin contact varies, there’s no hard rule. I’ve drank[25-year-old whites]( from top Slovenian producer Gravner that were delicious. The 2010 is dry, nutty, and tangy and can be had for $100. New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) 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