Bienvenue
From the Maître
What a wonderful year it has been! I am delighted to introduce a new idea from Joe and Jeff – a quarterly newsletter to better connect us with news from our chapter and also with the latest happenings in Bordeaux. A special thank-you goes to Joe and Jeff who put careful thought and attentive work into making this inaugural issue special. We will need your help in the future –so please submit your ideas, your tasting notes, your book reviews, your fun photo from a Commanderie event, or your latest insights about happenings in Bordeaux to this talented duo who will include it in an upcoming issue.
YOU are the heart and soul of this chapter, so please don’t be shy about making your voices heard! You can email Joe at blackwidowpressbooks@gmail.com or Jeff at jmsbooks15@gmail.com. I look forward to your insights soon. Here’s to a wonderful year ahead.
Bordeaux! Toujours, Bordeaux!
Jennifer Maitre, Commanderie de Bordeaux a Providence
Letter from Les Redacteurs (Editors)
Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Providence Commanderie de Bordeaux newsletter! Your redacteurs, Joe Phillips and Jeff Shaw, look forward to bringing you a quarterly overview of all things wine, such as reviews of wine-related books, tasting notes from our members, and any other items of interest that will bring you a greater knowledge of Bordeaux and Bordeaux style wines. We invite you to submit articles for inclusion in the newsletter. This is our chance to broaden our wine horizons and learn from each other. Please let Jennifer, the editors, or any member of the Advisory Board know what you think of this inaugural issue. We have high hopes for the success of this venture and are confident that you will find it both informative and entertaining.
Bordeaux, Toujours, Bordeaux!
Joe and Jeff Les Redacteurs
Toujours Bordeaux
PUBLISHER
Jennifer Schünemann
REDACTEURS (CO-EDITORS)
Joe Phillips
Jeff Shaw
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Beth Pruett
EXECUTIVE COMMITTE
Jennifer Schünemann (Maître)
Charles Boisseau (Membership)
Gayle Corrigan (Argentier)
Al Hall (Immediate Past Maître)
Jay Marinelli (Chef de Bonheur)
Lis Martin (Educateur)
Jim Richardson (Régent)
Curt Richardson (Caviste)
ADMINISTRATIVE
Sondra
CONteNtS
4
6
7
La Commanderie de Bordeaux à Providence in 2024
Meet the Vigneron: Chateau Kirwan Comes to Providence BY JEFF SHAW
Meet the Vigneron: Chateau Lagrange Comes to New England BY JEFF SHAW
8 Tasting Notes BY JOE PHILLIPS
The Book Corner: The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide: One hundred and Fifty Years from 1870-2020 BY JOE PHILLIPS
The Book Corner: Better with Bubbles: The Effervescent Education in Champagnes & Sparkling Wines BY JOE PHILLIPS
La Commanderie de Bordeau Providence in 2024
February
Member Meeting: Setting the Agenda for the Year
Decided the Budget and Overview of Activities
Voted on the Direction for Cellar Acquisitions
Appointed new roles: Educateur, Newsletter Team,
White Wines of Bordeaux: Expanding Beyond Pessac-Leognan
Our First Educateur Event of the Year
Several New Wines Purchased for the Cellar
March
Metacom Kitchen: Trying a New Venue
Lots of Fun was Had Delicious Food!
Sadly, the Restaurant Has Since Closed
June
The Great Decanting Debate: Exploring Oxygen and Aeration
Followed the National Protocol/ Experiment
Strong Opinions – Lots of Fun!
Modest Changes to our Chapter Protocol Resulted
July
Sauternes, Baby!
Who Knew Grilled Cheese Paired So Well?
Games, Laughter, and Lots of Learning
We Discovered How Much We Love Château Coutet!
October
August
Summer Soiree at the Carcieri Residence
Pivoting Quickly as Hurricane Debby Tries to Rain on Our Party
Château Kirwan Comes to Town: An Evening with the Elegant Sophie Schÿler!
Treasures from Our Cellar Together with Generous Wines from the Chateau
Chef Timothy Hill Brings It - An Outstanding Menu! Some of the Best Wine of the Year!
November
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion: A Hidden Gem of Bordeaux
Meeting a Master of Wine – the Gracious and Charming Mark Pygott
Cabernet Franc vs Cabernet Sauvignon – a Key Difference
Where Terroir Meets Vintage – Learning More
December
Our Holiday Parlement will be December 14 at the University Club – Don’t Miss it!
VIGNERON Meet the Chateau Kirwan Comes to Providence
by Jeff shaw
TThe Providence chapter was treated to a very special evening with a visit and guided tasting with Château Kirwan this past October 20th. This much anticipated visit was accompanied by one of the finest menus that we have seen in quite some time.
Kirwan is one of Margaux’s premier vineyards, producing an 1855 Classification Troisième Grand Cru. The vineyard dates to 1710 when the Chateau was purchased by the prominent English negociant John Collingwood. Establishing itself as one of Bordeaux’s best, the Chateau was one of Thomas Jefferson’s stops on his trip to Bordeaux in 1787 while he was serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. Yann, Nathalie, and Sophie Schÿler run the Chateau today.
Chef Timothy Hill at the Hope Club did a magnificent job – treating guests to oysters with king crab, foie gras, and roquefort cheese rounds during the champagne social.
Over a delicious meal, Sophie Schÿler walked us through the history of Château Kirwan and guided a tasting of each wine – revealing its secrets to us, the grateful students! The menu for dinner (locally foraged mushroom tart, followed by pan-seared duck breast, and rounded out with a cheese plate) paired
beautifully with the wines generously donated by Château Kirwan (2012, 2016 from the Grand Vin, as well as a 2019 Charmes de Kirwan). Caviste Curt Richardson’s careful curation over the years meant that we had some of the completely sold-out 2010 Ch. Kirwan in our cellar! He was also able to supplement our chapter cellar by generously providing bottles of the 2015 Ch. Kirwan from his personal cellar (Sophie was amazed – even SHE does not have any of that year left).
As the evening came to a close, Sophie very kindly invited our chapter to visit Chateau Kirwan in person during our upcoming September 16-20 trip to Bordeaux! The group responded with an enthusiastic Ban Bordelais!
Chateau Lagrange Comes to New England
by Jeff shaw
AAs we look back on the past year, your editors decided to share some thoughts about a vigneron visit to New England, which was co-hosted by the Boston and Providence Chapters of the Commanderie last year.
Matthieu Bordes, the General Manager and Winemaker of Chateau Lagrange, launched a U.S. tour at Troquet on South in Boston on March 16th, 2023. This was his first stop on a busy agenda which included visits to over 30 Commanderies across the country. Like Chateau Kirwan, Lagrange is also an 1855 Classification Troisième Grand Cru Classé. However, unlike Kirwan, Lagrange is situated in Saint Julien rather than Margaux.
Chateau Lagrange’s two-night event in March 2023 was a joint endeavour between the Boston and Providence Commanderies, and it was a wonderful evening of great food, unforgettable wines, and conversation. Matthieu introduced a vertical of Lagrange for the dinner at Troquet on South, and then another one the next evening at a technical tasting in Cambridge. For those of you who could not attend, this short summary of the dinner and the tasting will hopefully encourage you to seek out Chateau Lagrange and consider adding it to your cellar.
For Providence Commandeurs in attendance at the Lagrange visit in Boston last March, memories of a lovely dinner and spectacular wines abound. Lagrange Vigneron Matthieu Bordes treated the diners at Troquet on South to plated hors d’oeuvres accompanied by magnums of Arums de Lagrange. The lemon grass and lime zest notes of this delicate white were a fine companion to the shrimp rolls and caviar dip that made the rounds before we took our seats. With the first course, Matthieu presented Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2015 and the Chateau Lagrange (CL) 2018, both of which paired perfectly with the duck confit with ricotta, hazelnut, orange essence and duck jus reduction. The blackberry overtones and light tannins from both Les Fiefs 2015 and the CL 2018 provided modest tannins
and bold fruit, with the 2018 offering much more oak. The CL 2018 featured a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) than Les Fiefs, which came in at 55%. Matthieu shared the percentages of each of the wines, most of which were a higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Merlot, and a few having 4 or 5 percent Petit Verdot.
The main course was a ribeye roast with Robuchon potatoes and romanesca. Paired with the beef were the CL 2015 and the CL 2010. Both wines were 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, with mild oak flavor and ripe tannins. Both vintages were excellent accompaniments to the perfectly cooked beef, especially the exceptionally long fruity finish of the CL 2010, which was a crowd favorite. Of great interest was the pairing of the oldest wines, the CL 2009 and CL 2005 with the cheese tray. I would have expected younger reds or perhaps white wines to be paired with cheese, but this presentation was simply brilliant. The CL 2009, a 75% Cab, 25% Merlot mix was the true hit of the evening. Most tasting notes I have seen suggest this wine be served with roast duck, but the blueberry and currant notes and the mild tannins were a perfect accompaniment to the cheeses that the chef at Troquet served as the third course; cheeses which were soft, silky, and earthy.
For dessert, crème brulé paired with a bold 2007 Sauternes, which featured concentrated fruit and honey notes, a perfect match to the crème brulé’s richness. The dinner thus concluded, many of the Commandeurs prepared themselves for the hard work of the next day’s tasting of another Lagrange vertical in Cambridge.
The next day’s technical tasting at Harvard’s Fly Club showcased six wines: The Chateau Lagrange 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2016. Matthieu presented a short video explaining the terroir and the grape varieties grown at the Chateau, which is owned by the Japanese
company Suntory, with which whiskey aficionados will be quite familiar. Matthieu then led us in a technical tasting, the results of which demonstrated that there are some bargain purchases for the savvy buyer. Most notable was the excellence of the youngest wines, giving pause to the dictum that Bordeaux wines need to sit for ten or more years before reaching their fullest potential. Matthieu extended a sincere invitation to visit Chateau Lagrange. The Chateau puts over 200 grape pickers to work every September, so if your schedule allows, you should pencil in the September 2025 Providence Chapter trip to Bordeaux, where we hope to visit Mathieu and his team at the vineyard. The only thing more impressive than these fabulous Chateau Lagrange wines was the friendly, enthusiastic, and collegial demeanour that Matthieu brought with him from Bordeaux. His passion for wine and for sharing the treasures of Chateau Lagrange was infectious and left the Commandeurs with a special reverence for Chateau Lagrange, and it was with a heartfelt “nous nous rejouissons de vous voir a Bordeaux” that we said goodbye to Matthieu. Perhaps we shall see him in 2025 on our chapter trip to Bordeaux?
TASTING Notes
What Have You Opened Recently?
by Joe PHillips
Please email tasting notes to Joe Phillips at blackwidowpressbooks@gmail.com
Notes from Curt Richardson
(highlights from our White Wines of Bordeaux Educateur Event, February 2024):
2020 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - Margaux
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Early chalk impression transitions to citrus with air. Clean, beautiful wine with great character, though very expensive. Would be a great pairing with oysters on the half shell. Needs time to add depth. Drink 2026 to 2035.
2020 Chateau Talbot Caillou Blanc – St Julien
Heavier, richer style made for stronger flavored or spicy food. 83% Sauvignon Blanc & 17% Semillon. I was told the richness comes from influence of extra oak aging. Too much oak for my taste. Serve with lobster. Drink now to 2026.
2019 Cos d’Estournel Blanc -St. Estephe
Smooth, paired well with spiced tenderloin, less new oak than the 2020 Talbot. I liked the balance and depth of flavor. 65% Sauvignon Blanc & 35% Semillon. Drink now to 2032. My style.
2020 Monbousquet Blanc – St Emilion
Earthy, good minerality, 62% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon, 38% new oak. Bold wine that paired well with mushroom ravioli & truffle sauce.
2016 De Fieuzal Blanc – Pessac-Leognan
This column is intended to be an open forum soliciting opinions/tasting notes/comments on anything you opened this past quarter that you would like to share. Need not be entirely Bordeaux. We are all wine lovers…please do send notes on Napa/Sonoma/Finger Lakes/Spain/etc…anywhere good wine and Champagne is made let us know your thoughts.
Notes from joe phillips
Had some big birthdays and special events so opened a number of older bottles
01/12/24 (Florida) 1985 Crozes Hermitage-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert. Fully mature. Leather, meaty, dried fruits. Medium bodied. Crossing over I think, as it was good and enjoyable for the first hour or so then starting to turn, not in a good way. 90 Points.
1986 Gruaud Larose. Superior to the Crozes Hermitage and still drinking young still some tannins, good fruit. High shoulder, double decant for an hour. Blossomed in the glass and got better as the twohour meal went on. Bright and full of life. Would buy again. 94 Points.
A heavier version from this chateau (2016). Needs two more years to add more weight. Not quite up to the pairing with spiced pork tenderloin. I would like to revisit this pairing in three years. 60% Sauvignon Blanc & 40% Semillon. Drink 2026 to 2030.
2001 Guiraud – Sauternes 1.5 Liter
From Magnum. Apricot, less sweet style that I like. Mature with years of life left. Served with Crème Brule and a piece of Roquefort cheese. Drink now to 2027.
1966 CHATEAU LATOUR. Mid shoulder. Decanted for an hour. Slight must when first opened. Still fairly darkish color, bouquet blossomed and continued in glass after an hour, by 2nd hour was still going strong. Some leather, cherry, slight mushroom? Acid and tannins. Fairly harmonious. Very good! 95 Points.
01/17/24 (Florida) 1959 Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Neat gold label pasted at top: Reserve du Patron: Personally selected at the
vineyard by William Sokolin). Midshoulder. Intact but crumbly cork. Popped and poured. Purchased more than 20 years ago when much more affordable. Deep red center with orangish rims, sat in glass for an hour before we started to really indulge and it needed that - but once it started to open up it kept developing for the whole meal (Chateaubriand) and over a couple of hours of slow sipping. Tannins and acidity well balanced still. Black fruits, dark chocolate, bell pepper, sandalwood, leather and maybe white pepper with time. In any event it was a very good wine, glad to finally liberate it from the bottle but I definitely would not pay today’s price for it. 95 Points.
1960 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (imported by the Cuban Wine Co., Shrevesport LA-The Fine Wine merchants of the South a label I have not seen before). Upper shoulder-Cork soaked about ½ way through. A bit of fruit left, and a bit maderized. Definitely past its prime and slipping fast but surprisingly, most of it still disappeared from our glasses-by itself meh with the food it was cast in a slightly better light. 80 Points.
2/10/24 (Nola) 1957 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. (Part of a larger collection of early wines I bought from an old Nola family with the only walk in subterranean wine cellar — and only basement — I have ever seen in Nola). Mid-shoulder, did not know what to expect from a ‘57. Very tiny production that year, so seldom seen. Pleasantly surprised. Mellow but fragrant, still good fruit, some spice developed in the glass for over an hour. Towards the two-hour mark, it started getting a bit acidic but all gone by then. 85 Points.
1953 Chateau Certan Pomerol. From same collection and one I was most worried about so first one opened. Low shoulder, very soaked but holding cork. (The Durand has been getting lots of use lately). Not to worry as it turned out as it was absolutely delightful — classic, elegant, still good fruit. Mouth watering bouquet. Developed in the glass..did not decant good amount of sediment on the bottom. Have one more but with a high shoulder and am giddy at the thought of having it again sometime further in the future as much life still in it.
1990 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes. Brought to dinner by the host who bought it upon release. Decanted two hours. Developed in glass to just a wonderful degree. Really enjoyed. Everything seemed very balanced and the bouquet was mouthwatering. Maybe at it’s peak? 95+ Points.
1967 Chateau Gilette Sauternes-Crème de Tête. Was served as the apertif with foie gras — always forget what a nice way to start things this is. Full bodied, intense, all in harmony. Not a sweet fruit bomb or a one and done. I wanted another small glass. Never had this one before but would definitely put on my list of Sauternes to keep an eye out for. Likely could last another 20 years in the bottle. 92+ Points.
2/08/24 (Nola) 1990 Cos d’Estournal. Well balanced and drinking well. Black fruit, cassis, meat. At peak? I think it was a good time to open this one. With three other couples and all enjoyed. 92 Points.
2007 Magnum Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet. Fully mature and integrated wine. Red fruit, good bouquet, almost elegant. Enjoyed by all. 90+ points. Also enjoyable at this dinner (BYO at The Pelican Club in Nola) was a 2021 Montrachet (Chassagne) excellent, 2015 Le Dome (very good would buy some for ourselves), 2020 Puligny Montrachet (excellent), and a 2016 Chateau Quintas (VG)...no other notes as having too much fun and yes, in Nola we take our wine drinking seriously.
2/11/24 (Nola) 1947 Gruaud Larose. One of three from the same collection-lowest level of the three so opened first (above low shoulder). Celebrating Lundi Gras. Was going to drink at dinner but we (Susan and I) decided we needed to concentrate on it by itself. Did not decant, of course. First whiff did not know what to make of it. It had an unusual but tantalizing aroma. Poured some out into two big Bordeaux glasses and let sit for about 20 minutes. Still can’t place the exact aroma – enticing, not off-putting Slightly dry, vinegar flavor, lowish acid, still tannins, well evolved. I looked at Cellar-tracker to see if anyone else had tasted this and only two notes but one seemed to have had the same quandary and described the bouquet as “unevolved nose of impressive powerful impenetrable fruit.” I don’t know exactly what that means but I am glad to know someone else was questioning and pondering this. This bottle is over its peak but we enjoyed it over an hour and a half. Can’t rate it, as it’s like drinking history but also VG. When, in the future, we open one or both bottles (both much better looking and higher fill level than this bottle) we will give an update as to if we have solved the aroma equation, or if this was an anomaly compared to the other one or two.
I hope you enjoyed tasting notes from this first newsletter. I am eagerly hoping many members will send in one or many tasting notes/anecdotes. I did some older wines for this first issue but wines we are drinking now would be great and very useful to all of us. Cheers!
BOOKThe Corner
The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide: One hundred and Fifty Years from 1870-2020
by Joe Phillips
FFrom the back, a sentiment we can all agree on: “ A vintage wine is a moment in time captured by a cork and glass It’s a slice of history to be shared, savoured, and swallowed, leaving no trace except an empty bottle.”
This is one of the most delightful books on wine I have encountered in the last few years. Martin states this book “offers a personal, irreverent take on the traditional wine handbook, with notes on not just the growing seasons, harvests and wines themselves, but cultural phenomena encapsulating the spirit of the time, as well as the world into which the vintage was born.” Specializing in Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, in 2006 he was asked by Robert Parker to join the Wine Advocate as a specialist in both regions. His 600-page 2012 book, Pomerol, is now considered the standard text on the subject and won most of the wine book awards that year. He now works at Vinous covering the same regions. He is lucky enough to have tasted at least a few examples of most years encompassed within his book. Though hired by, and having worked for some time with Parker, I feel, based upon the notes of wine I have tasted over the years and reading his notes, that he is much more in the Broadbent camp of wine tasting and taste than the Parker camp.
Each year takes up two to three pages, with stellar years a page or two more. I found I agreed with his tasting notes on a number of old bottles I have been lucky enough to drink over the years. We accumulated bottles from the 1928 vintage over an 8-year period and had them at a dinner at our
house some 11 years ago to celebrate two big birthdays. Walker calls the 1928 Palmer “etheral, floral...bewitching” a sentiment we all shared at the time (A Chateau Carbonnieux was equally as enchanting, lively, youthful almost and unfolded in the glass for hours - an early wine I would buy again. The Calon Segur had a beautiful nose but faded the quickest of the lot — did not stop us from finishing it; the fourth wine was a 1926 Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion -mid shoulder - not a bad cork but was past it’s prime - fatigued as some say - and lasted but a short time in the glass. 1926 is an unseen vintage as the harvest was extremely small. If I had this book and read his notes, I might have passed at auction on this, but it was still history in a glass.)
We recently had another birthday party and opened a 1960 and 1966 La Tour. Martin said of the ‘66: “a blue blooded, structured, ‘proper Pauillac’ that ploughs along in formidable fashion to this day.” I would agree entirely with that sentiment. Ours had mostly soaked though cork, high shoulder fill, and a bit of a must smell when opened
after a quick double decant...I was worried and poured a bit into a glass and left it alone for about 30-45 minutes. It had blown off and was starting to come through. It developed in the glass for the whole two hours at meal before starting to turn slightly acidic an hour or two later when I tried the little left in the bottle.
I think this falls into the “necessary” category of books for any avid wine collector — serious yet joyous in tone - it is a book that can be picked up anytime, opened to any year and be both entertaining and useful. This one is going next to my dog-eared and annotated copy of Broadbent’s Vintage Wine: Fifty Years of Tasting Three Centuries of Wine . If you were to combine these two author’s tasting notes with what you can find on Cellar Tracker, you would have all the resources one would need to make an educated guess on your next older vintage bottle purchase.
by
Neal Martin. Published by Quadrille/ Hardy grant Publishing (London) 2023 (Hardback only)
BOOKThe Corner
Better With Bubbles: An Effervescent Education in Champagnes & Sparkling Wines
by Joe Phillips
AAriel Arce has become a champagne force to reckon with in New York City. Her tally of books about bars and restaurants in a threeblock stretch of New York City’s Greenwich Village sits at four and counting.
The 31-year-old established her mini-empire over the past three years, during which she was described as a “Champagne Mogul” by Vogue, and the “Champagne Empress of Greenwich Village” by The New York Times. “Drawing on a decade plus of experience tasting, selling, and learning about champagne, the book educates readers on the beverage’s illustrious history and how it differs across various regions, entertains and inspires with
a choose-your-own-adventure tasting guide, and empowers us to make sparkling wine a bigger part of our lives.”
This is definitely a fun to read book on Champagne and sparklers. It will educate you as you read the well-defined sections, and you will likely laugh out loud as it is a boisterous, “joie de vivre” type of book where the author’s infectious enthusiasm for all things Champagne jumps off the page. She worked in a number of Champagnefocused venues, has extensively traveled specifically to sample champagnes in France and sparklers in Italy, and has written on
the subject for a variety of magazines and online sites.
This is a serious book for learning but done in a completely informal and chatty and direct way. A very good survey type book on the subject. I would recommend it as a fun and very informative read that will not bog you down if you are not interested in the minutiae of the subject of Champagne. For those who are more obsessed with everything Champagne, Peter Liem’s monumental recent two volume work Champagne (Ten Speed Press, $80.00) will fill any gap in knowledge you feel. Of course, there are also two older standards: Andre Simon’s The History of Champagne (1962), and Patrick Forbe’s delightful Champagne: The wine, the land, and the people (1967). Combine all of them into your library and you will be in the know about all things bubbles!
by Ariel Arce, Universe Publishing, Rizzoli International. NY: 2020
photoGallery
by Jennifer C. Schünemann
Summer Party
Be in the Know
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Please join us as our chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux travels to Bordeaux! September 15-19, 2025 promises an adventure of a lifetime. Don’t wait! Email today to let us know you are IN to be a part of this outstanding journey! jen.schunemann@gmail.com
A key benefit to your membership is inside access to help you plan your chapter’s next trip to Bordeaux. Contact info@blkjlolijlijlij.com for support in accessing the world of Bordeaux!