Day 3
The early mist of St. Emilion arrived way before we did. The mist rises from the river and stays in the air till the power of the sun is strong enough prevail over the mist. For us, the misty start did not however put a cloud over our excitement for what was to be a day of exploration and euphoria…
…so we hung around the village of St. Emilion and did a tasting in a Wine bar where Thomas shared many valuable bits of information with us. We tasted five reasonably priced wines but not the big guns (not that you get to in this neck of the woods in any way). But to give Thomas credit for his persuasive skills – we ended up buying three of the five wines we tasted – BASTARD. But it was worth the experience. He did take us to the cellar down below the ground to show us the ’47 vintages and the other beauties of the ’56 and ’82. WOWWEEEE….
From here we set off to our rendez-vous at the fabulous “White Horse” a.k.a Chateau Cheval blanc. This Chateau is known to refuse all visits, but we have contacts…hehehe. But first we drove around to see Pomerol and surroundings. Marvellous!
So on arriving at Cheval blanc we were greeted very friendly by our host whose name nobody got unfortunately. He explained to us the history; the vineyards with the three different soils; their policy with regards to the use of Cab franc and Merlot – not very typical to the appellation; their practices in the vineyard and how hat can be traced into the cellar. So from there we were taken to the chai. As our host explained – they were “super traditionalists”; still using a one ton basket press for example and the circular layout of the cement tanks; the peristaltic hose pumps and a squeaky clean and hygienic cellar. Marvellous!
The highlight was the surprise tasting that we got. It was something that we were hoping to experience and when the host said – “ok, now for the tasting” – everybody’s eyes lit up and the electricity was pulsating. But that’s not all. We were supposed to taste the 2003 vintage – one of the worst vintages in many years due to the heat of the vintage. But even to our hosts surprise the table was set with two bottles of Cheval blanc and Petite Cheval vintage 2005! A vintage that the Bordelaises people claim was the best vintage in 50 years…the wine was simply exquisite!
Even though these wines should not be drunk for at least two hands full of years, it already showed some unimaginable flair, elegance and sophistication. Everything that makes Cheval blanc - Cheval blanc! The notes and nuances of red fruits, delicate black fruits, liquorice and violets. Well extracted wine, round, supple, soft tannins. The real treat was the length and depth of the wine. It just kept on and on and on in the mouth. That, combined with the balance of the wine was a life changing experience - as it should be for any aspiring wine geek – tasting probably one of the most prestigious vintages of all times from Cheval blanc.
The early mist of St. Emilion arrived way before we did. The mist rises from the river and stays in the air till the power of the sun is strong enough prevail over the mist. For us, the misty start did not however put a cloud over our excitement for what was to be a day of exploration and euphoria…
…so we hung around the village of St. Emilion and did a tasting in a Wine bar where Thomas shared many valuable bits of information with us. We tasted five reasonably priced wines but not the big guns (not that you get to in this neck of the woods in any way). But to give Thomas credit for his persuasive skills – we ended up buying three of the five wines we tasted – BASTARD. But it was worth the experience. He did take us to the cellar down below the ground to show us the ’47 vintages and the other beauties of the ’56 and ’82. WOWWEEEE….
From here we set off to our rendez-vous at the fabulous “White Horse” a.k.a Chateau Cheval blanc. This Chateau is known to refuse all visits, but we have contacts…hehehe. But first we drove around to see Pomerol and surroundings. Marvellous!
So on arriving at Cheval blanc we were greeted very friendly by our host whose name nobody got unfortunately. He explained to us the history; the vineyards with the three different soils; their policy with regards to the use of Cab franc and Merlot – not very typical to the appellation; their practices in the vineyard and how hat can be traced into the cellar. So from there we were taken to the chai. As our host explained – they were “super traditionalists”; still using a one ton basket press for example and the circular layout of the cement tanks; the peristaltic hose pumps and a squeaky clean and hygienic cellar. Marvellous!
The highlight was the surprise tasting that we got. It was something that we were hoping to experience and when the host said – “ok, now for the tasting” – everybody’s eyes lit up and the electricity was pulsating. But that’s not all. We were supposed to taste the 2003 vintage – one of the worst vintages in many years due to the heat of the vintage. But even to our hosts surprise the table was set with two bottles of Cheval blanc and Petite Cheval vintage 2005! A vintage that the Bordelaises people claim was the best vintage in 50 years…the wine was simply exquisite!
Even though these wines should not be drunk for at least two hands full of years, it already showed some unimaginable flair, elegance and sophistication. Everything that makes Cheval blanc - Cheval blanc! The notes and nuances of red fruits, delicate black fruits, liquorice and violets. Well extracted wine, round, supple, soft tannins. The real treat was the length and depth of the wine. It just kept on and on and on in the mouth. That, combined with the balance of the wine was a life changing experience - as it should be for any aspiring wine geek – tasting probably one of the most prestigious vintages of all times from Cheval blanc.
Oh, and for those that are interested in the price of one of these bottles - it will cost you 12ooEuros per bottle.
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