19 Comments

  1. Bedazzling summary Susan. Mitri would be proud of you. Did you do the chart? Looks like I'll have to get over to d'Esclans and take some pics. Perhaps they'll let me taste if I drop Alex's name.

  2. p.s. So jealous that I wasn't there. And, Alex, so jealous that I don't look like you!

  3. Wow – that much have been so much fun for you! And it was incredibly coherent considering the amount of tasting you did! 🙂 My favorite part is the chart of pinks – how fun is that? ~ David

  4. I am sure Mitri Shanab was looking over my shoulder….Let's plan a "Day at the Châteaux" when I am there!

  5. Je voudrais bien but with Paul Chevalier. Much more illuminating and engaging to have someone intimate with the domain and its viniculture guiding you through, especially with vertical and horizontal tastings, which are more subtle. Date?

  6. Susan,

    Your wine related items over the past two issues are truly first rate. Certainly wish I could have been at the table to partake of the Sacha Lichine rose's you tasted in New York recently. As I am decidedly old school, I wonder if you have yield information other than bunches of grapes per vine. I relate better to the time honored French system of hl/ha (hectoliters per hectare). Any way of telling me what the four growing areas are pegged at, i.e. I assume something like 45 hl/ha at the top, and 65-70 hl/ha on the floor.

    Regards,
    Jerry

  7. Hi Jerry,
    Thanks for such positive feedback. I am going to forward your inquiry to Paul Chevalier who will undoubtedly be able to answer right away. It was indeed a terrific tasting and I know you and Benedicte would have loved it!

  8. Note to my readers: This post, dated (November 1) was inadvertently placed on the post entitled "The Curious Case of Miraval's Grapes." So, with the commenter's permission, I have posted it here. Best, Susan

    this blog was perhaps the most interesting and mouth watering story yet !As a person who prefers rose' wine , and was once looked down their noses by those with more expertise, enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner without really thinking about it until I read the in depth dscription of the four wines. At that time I wish I could taste each one with with my newly educated taste buds and the expertise of a professional. I wish that we could have a real first class wine tasting in Southern Califotnia. Paul Chevalier would be a first choice.

  9. Hi Jerry, I asked Paul about this a while ago and, after established the answer, I forgot to pass it along to you! My apologies. Paul, before I finished my question, knowingly chuckled and acknowledged that most people who know wine prefer the information about which you wondered.

    For people who don't know, you are inquiring about how much wine is made per hectare (as is the custom in most of Europe), whereas in North America, the yield is measured by grapes per acre/ hectare. Paul said that Whispering Angel (on the floor) is 55-60 and Garrus (at the top) is about 35-40. By comparison, Dom Perignon yields are similar to Whispering Angel (i.e., very profitable). Paul said that very few estates have such low yields.

    Thanks so much for your question–Sacha Lichine will be hosting the same tasting in Boston in February (15-16) at the Wine Expo. If memory serves me correctly, it is $35–well worth the price!

  10. Re a tasting with Paul Chevalier, he said that he will be at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival on February 23rd. It looks like the event runs from the 20th to the 23rd.

    Sacha Lichine will be hosting the same wine tasting (as I attended in NYC) in Boston in February on the 15th!

    We are still hoping he will be up in Portsmouth, once it thaws.

  11. Here is the information about the same tasting–but with Sacha Lichine–in Boston at the Wine Expo on February 15th.

    11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    Chateau d'Esclan – Sacha Lichine

    $35

    Join Sacha Lichine, the son of influential wine writer, wine merchant and Bordeaux Chateau owner, Alexis Lichine, for the Rose tasting of your life! Sacha, who attended college in Boston, will be presenting his Provencal wines from Chateau d'Esclans. While dry rose wines have returned to fashion in the U.S., they have long been the wine of choice on the dining tables of southern France. D'Eslcans has a notably talented winemaker in Patrick Leon. Leon directed winemaking at first growth, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and associated Chateaux and consulted on Opus One and Almaviva. He is in charge of the cellars at d'Esclans and produces four unique roses there: Chateau d'Esclans Rose, 'Whispering Angel' Rose, 'Les Clans' Rose, and the highly regarded 'Garrus' Rose, a limited production wine that has been referred to as 'the best Rose on earth'. Don't miss this unique opportunity to welcome Sacha back to our fair city and taste the fruits of his labors in this lovely corner of southern France.

    Wines:
    2013 Château D'Esclans "Whispering Angel" rosé
    2012 Château D'Esclans rosé
    2011 Château D'Esclans "Les Clans" rosé
    2011 Château D'Esclans "Garrus" rosé
    2010 Château D'Esclans "Les Clans" rosé
    2010 Château D'Esclans "Garrus" rosé

  12. I asked Paul if there would be any tastings on the west coast–it seems that Austin might be the furthest west. Darn! But, you could have fun tasting them with a small group of people…although tasting the wines with such expertise is a real learning experience (and fun!).



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