Th 5/1 The Great Wines of Medoc

It was a leisurely morning on board.  Our first engagement was not until 2 pm today.  Around 10 am we went up on deck to enjoy coffee and yogurt.  The weather continues to be beautiful going from mid-fifties in the morning to low seventies in the afternoon with partly cloudy skies.

At noon we headed to the dining room for lunch, Alice had pulled port and I had turkey breast.  We sat with Jim, the medical statistician.  He is dealing with a case of laryngitis.  For his sake we did most of the talking.

At 2 pm we boarded the busses and headed out to the vineyards of the Margaux district, probably the most prestigious wine district in the world.  Our guide was Diane who presided over the wine competition (that I won).  We stopped in one of the vineyards where she explained the growing process for grapes.  The French grow the grapes much lower to the ground than we do in Oregon and use a different trellising method.  There are seven steps that take place each year that require working individually on each vine (think thinning, stringing, pruning, training, harvesting, clearing).  One real difference is they cover the ground with rocks that gather heat during the day and reflect it on the lower fruit in the evening when it gets cold for to cause a more even ripening.

We also learned about the sex live of moths that attack the vines.  The plastic device hanging on the trellis below contains synthetic female moth pheromones.  Female moths avoid areas they perceive are the domain of other females, while the "not so smart" male moths spend all their time flying around the plastic devices.  As the result the moths do not mate and plant their larva on the growing vines.

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The church and Christ play an important role throughout the region with the viticulture industry.  Here was a statute by itself in one corner of a vineyard.   Attendance at mass is greatest on the Sunday when they have the blessing of the harvest in the fall, often more than Easter and Christmas.

We stopped at several major Chateaus that were impressive.  This is the chateaux of Baron Pichon.  To protect these national landmarks, ownership of most have been converted to corporations with the owners becoming the major shareholders.  As they sell their interests in the corporation, other purchase them and the monuments continue under the control of the corporations which insures their maintenance and continuity.

You think there are a lot of grapes in Yamhill County, but they are nothing compared to the concentration of wines in this region.  Vines go on across this relatively flat plain as far the eye can see.

We stopped for a tasting at Marquis de Terme.  I talked yesterday about the classification process that occurred to rank and rate the vineyards.  We learned more today.

In 1855 an organization was created to evaluate and rank the wine of more than 1,500 chateaus in the region.  Only 62 were selected to be world class.  These were ranked into five classes.  The chateaux we visited today was one of the 62 that was in the fourth class of wineries.  These designations are forever.  No more chateaus will be added to this list.  

The buildings at this chateau create a large square, winery on one side, barrel storage on one side, warehouses on one side, and store and tasting room on the fourth. 

We stopped at yet another major chateau on our way to dinner. Below is Chateaux Margaux known for producing some of the most expensive wines in the world (like Petrus).  A bottle of Chateaux Margaux once owned by Thomas Jefferson was valued at more than $150,000.  A prospective buyer met with the broker in Paris to review the bottle for purchase.  A waiter was hired to bring the bottle out and present it.  When the waiter bought it out he tripped and the bottle broke into pieces. (The bottle was insured for $250,000 but the owner was only able to collect the $150,000 for it).   

Tonight was a very special dinner.  The entire ship, 200 passengers, was brought to Chateau Kirwan for a formal banquet.  The ship's crew prepared and served the dinner.  When we arrived the staff created two lines down the center we walked through.  

The meal consisted of four courses, each with a world class wine.  Chateau Kirwan is a world class winery who qualified as a third level classification in 1855.  Most all French wines are blends of different varieties (as opposed to the U.S. where most wines are predominantly one varietal).  The red wines we had tonight were predominantly cabernet sauvignon, with cabernet franc, and merlot.

The first course tonight was Bisque de Homard (lobster cream soup).  The second course was Pates et Quiche de Terroir (pork pate, duck terrine, quiche).  The third course was Filet de Boeuf (filet mignon with Bordelaise sauce, potato gratin, asparagus and carrort).  For dessert we had Entremet Poire Balsamique (balsamic pear cake with chocolate sauce).  The food was prepared to perfection.  It would be hard to imagine (for me) a better quality meal.

At the end of the evening the crew came out to be recognized. The food and the service were exquisite.  These people work very hard to produce a perfect experience, and for the most part they succeed.

A 45 minute ride on the bus and we were back to our ship in Bordeaux.  Bonsoir.  

Daily Step Count: 4,870 steps (we let the bus do most of the walking today)