Here the wines are fermented, using cutting edge technology, before they are transferred to new oak barrels, topped up by hand and clarified & stabilised with egg white. The grapes are hand-picked, sorted and then "gravity-fed" into oak vats of various size. The nearby Gironde helps irrigate the vines which are set on small hillocks to provide good drainage and exposure to the sun. The gravel extends for several metres covering a clay-limestone base which produce rich & powerful wines with strong tannins. The soil is worth a mention too as it is notably gravelly, which helps retain heat from the sun. Once again, we were given a tour of the vineyard, the winery, the cellars and the museum in which many artefacts from the family are kept, including original artwork from the artists that created labels for Mouton. We arrived as the sun was shining and what a glorious collection of buildings & vines. It is a wonder that neighbouring châteaux can produce such different styles and expressions of wine. I was in awe as we passed many a familiar name – châteaux & vineyards that I have tasted or longed to taste, with little more than a foot of land separating them. Its popularity and reputation are understandable when you consider its consistency & quality. We were fortunate to tour the vineyard and taste a variety of other wines from the oenophile & producer before it was time to move on. With a full technical laboratory to test the quality of their wines, corks, bottles and so on, they currently produce around 9 million bottles of Mouton Cadet rouge a year. These days the set up at Mouton Cadet is one of epic proportions. Up until then, winemakers had sold their wines to the negotiants prior to bottling. Baron Philippe de Rothschild was also the first to introduce estate bottling – where wine is crushed, fermented, finished, aged & bottled in the same location. Created to be sold all over the world and at an affordable price, Mouton Cadet was quite a revolution in the 1930s. With our hunger satisfied, we continued on our journey to Mouton Cadet, widely considered Bordeaux’s most successful brand. Our first stop was a pleasant picnic spot on the bank of the river where we feasted on French baguette, jambon & salad – just what we needed following an early start. Whilst we travelled, Phillipe gave a brief history, interjected most brilliantly with anecdotes, of the family, and of the region. Needless to say, we were shortly united and on our way to our first destination. Phillipe, who also happened to be our designated driver for the first leg of our journey, informed us that we would find him "in a Citroen". We touched down at Bordeaux airport ahead of schedule and made a call to Phillipe, Export Director for Baron Rothschild. With good humour and an expert knowledge of wine, we were sure to have many an entertaining conversation. Finally, I would get to see the vineyards, terroir & wines that I have studied and tasted, on occasion, over the past 6 years…īefore our plane had taken off it was evident that travelling with James, our very generous host, and Igor, Head Sommelier of China Tang at the Dorchester, would be a very enjoyable experience. What’s more, this was my first time in Bordeaux and I understood the adventure ahead of me. When I received the invitation, I naturally jumped at the chance to visit not only one of the most acclaimed wine regions in the world but also one of the most prestigious families in Bordeaux, Rothschild. Last week I was very fortunate to take a trip to Bordeaux with our new supplier, Waddesdon Wines Rothschild Collection.
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