A Wine Journey of a Lifetime
My goal has always been to try to achieve and experience the highest qualities of life - especially in music, food, and wine. Recently, I had the great honor to visit and taste the creme de la creme of the finest wines on earth, nine of the most renowned chateaux including the five First Growths.
Day 1:
I arrived at Bordeaux, world's capital of wine and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Victor Hugo once said, 'Take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux'. Since this was a special trip, I stayed at a luxurious posh hotel, Le Grand Hotel de Bordeaux, which is right across from the Grand Theatre de Bordeaux, two historical buildings from 18th century. The first place I visited was the newly inaugurated Cite de Vin, one of a kind state of the art wine museum.
Day 2:
My wine journey started at one of the most storied chateaux in the world, Chateau Haut Brion. Great men of history such as Thomas Jefferson and John Locke have visited and made Ch Haut Brion their wine of choice. Afterwards, I went across the road to their sister chateau that was run by the monks until the French Revolution, Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, the 'Unofficial First Growth'. It was fascinating to taste the two wines side by side, HB being elegant and earthy, and LMHB being powerful and masculine. Fittingly, both chateaux of noble breed are owned by Prince Robert of Luxembourg. Last year, it was a great honor to be invited to a private luncheon by Prince Robert at Ch Haut Brion with the proprietors of two leading wine estates from US, Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle. It was like a G3 Wine Summit!
Next stop was one of the favorite wines of Louis XV, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, from the French branch of the Rothschild family. A few years ago, I had the great privilege to meet the fifth-generation owner, Baron Eric de Rothschild, at a dinner event discussing about Stradivarius violin and wine. Lafite is considered to be the most expensive wine ever sold with Thomas Jefferson's initial on the bottle. The dark and eerie circular cellar was something to behold, which made the tasting of their perfumed and graceful wine very memorable.
After a half day of wine tasting hedonism, I came to Chateau Branaire Ducru, arguably the best value luxury wine. Figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev has visited and tasted this floral elixir from St Julien. And for Roald Dahl's fans, Branaire was the focal point of the story, 'Taste'. A must read for wine lovers. I had great fortune to taste their special cuvee called 'Must' which is not for sale, and made in a minuscule production. The great '89 vintage was drinking beautifully, and it had many decades to go. It was truly 'an iron fist in a velvet glove'.
Day 3:
This day was like a luxury-tasting marathon. I started at an estate that uses its bottle label as the canvas for fine art. The chateau is very unique, for it has its own wine museum. Over the years after 1945, some of the biggest names, such as Picasso, Chagall, and Warhol have graced the label of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Like its label, this opulent silky liquid was indeed a First Growth quality.
For many, when it comes to the epitome of elegance, Chateau Margaux comes to mind. It is the most expensive bottle ever insured that was claimed. I have fond memories of this matriarch of Margaux; for when I first performed in Bordeaux, I was given their special bottle. Furthermore, when I visited this time, a renowned abstract artist presented me with a violin portrait with Ch Margaux in-scripted in the painting.
In the region of Margaux, the other twin tower is Chateau Palmer, which can rival Ch Margaux and sometimes even surpass in some vintages. The name comes from a British major general Charles Palmer, who purchased the chateau from Madame de Gascq when she told him this wine can be as good as the wine of Ch Lafite. The tasting notes of suave, power, and charm perhaps personifies the characteristics of General Palmer.
The last wine of the luxury marathon was none other than Chateau Latour. Many connoisseurs consider Ch Latour their desert island wine. It is one of the most profound and intense wines in Bordeaux and in the world. Everything is done in a pristine and classy way. Their tasting room with a scenic view overlooking the Pauillac region added to the ambiance to the tasting that was poured from a beautiful decanter.
Day 4:
I had to take a day off to cleanse my palate from all the pleasures my mouth had to endure for several days. Also, I had to drive to Provence for a special visit to a chateau in town of Lorgues.
Day 5:
On this final day, I was invited by the HRH Prince Felix of Luxembourg (second in line to the throne), Prince of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon-Parma to visit and taste wine at his estate, Chateau Les Crostes. So many titles, I wished he had given me just one of them. It was an honor to have Prince Felix personally show me the vineyard, cellar, and the estate. I was very impressed how hands-on he was for everything, even down to the label design. During the tour, I found out how much he is into all sports and played cello growing up, even playing a duet with Rostropovich. Making wines at the chateau for three years, they make white, rose, and red that are clean, fruit forward, and in some cases quite complex. If the prince can produce a wine of this quality in three years, the potential can be limitless. Perhaps his title really should be Prince Felix the Renaissance Man.