IWFS Wine & Food Gazette October 2021

OCTOBER 2021

EVENT REPORT: Château Beychevelle Saint-Julien, Bordeaux

ALSO INSIDE • An Evening at V. Mertz - August Stag Blast from the Past • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events

“I want you guys to tell me candidly what’s wrong with our operation— even if it means losing your job.”

— Sam Goldwyn F ro m T he Best of t he Cockle Bur c omp il ed a n d ed i t ed by H a rry B Ot is, 3r d P resid en t 1973-1974

Burrata with Chili Vinaigrette, Pistachio Butter, Stone Fruit and lemon Balm Page 2 · 2021 ·

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

CORNER

EDITOR’S

O

ur August stag was at V. Mertz. Head chef Jacob Newton had left from our last stag, but Amanda Sheeler, who served for a number of years as a sous-chef, was equal to the task and did a nice job. She is part of the Losole family, whose family restaurant, Lo Sole Mio, is where she began her restaurant career. I have to say that the Morgan Ranch Private Selection Ribeye was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The Peppercorn Brandy Sauce was a perfect accompaniment to the beef. Except for the Château Rieussec Blanc sec 2018, and some extra bottles that host Tad Singer supplied, all the wines came from our Branch cellar.

Our Château Beychevelle Winery Profile was chosen because we compared the Château’s 2009 to a Beringer Private Reserve 2012. During Matt Brown’s tutorial, he asked if anyone knew why the Beychevelle label showed a ship with the sail half lowered. I answered that an admiral lived in the château and required all boat traffic drop sail in respect of his position. When Matt answered that it was a Duke, not an admiral, I was good naturedly jeered (at least I hope it was good naturedly LOL). I decided to look into this because almost all sources say the château’s owner was an admiral. Research suggests we were both correct, BUT... You will just have to read the history portion of the profile to find out more. My theory in these winery profiles is that it is unlikely that anyone will recall what the pH balance was, what the weather for that year was, and other minutia that you get at wineries. But you might remember the history. This first Duke of Épernon was a real character, and dangerous too.

Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats.

In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link.

The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time.

Tom Murnan Cover Photo: Château Beychevelle’s emblem, a ship with a griffon-shaped prow; its name in Gascon, Bêcha vêla, meaning “ baisse voile” (“ lower the sails”), later became Beychevelle.”

The image is now used on their label.

Image from Google Images Offshore Explorer.

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Event Report:

An Evening at V. Mertz August Stag Written by Tad Singer Photos by Ron Policky & Tom Murnan

T

he August Stag event at V. Mertz was again an incredible evening of Wine and Food. We started with house made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheeses with quaffing wines from our cellar. The first course was Foie Gras Torchon with seeded house made rye bread and fruit preserves which was served with the 2005 Chateau Guiraud Sauternes (WS 97).

The Second Course was Burrata with Chili Vinaigrette, Pistachio Butter, Stone Fruit and lemon Balm this was paired with the 2018 Chateau Rieussec.

The third course was the Tortellin En Brodo, with Plum Creek Farm Chicken and Mushroom, this was paired with 2014 Cristom Eola from Amity Hill, Oregon (VN 95) and 2015 Patrice Rion Chambolle Musigny (WS 93).

The fourth course was a Giant Morgan Ranch Private Reserve Ribeye. This was paired with the 2009 Château Beychevelle Bordeaux Rouge (JS 95) and 2012 Beringer Private Reserve (RP 96).

The final course was a Dark Chocolate Tort with Orange Supreme paired with the 2007 Taylor Fladgate Port (RP 96).

In addition to wines from the IWFS cellar, I added a few from my own to spice it up! I can’t thank Matt Brown from V. Mertz enough for all his help with wine and food pairing. Just another incredible Stag event at V. Mertz.

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

WINERY PROFILE: Château Beychevelle Saint-Julien, Bordeaux

By Tom Murnan

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

A

t our August stag at V. Mertz, we compared Château Beychevelle 2009 to Beringer Private Reserve 2012. Beychevelle was granted 4th Growth status in the prestigious 1855 Classification of Médoc Bordeaux. But its history goes back much further than the 19th Century. The Foix Candale family had the property by 1446.

But it wasn’t until 1565 that Bishop Françoise de Foix Candale began building a grand château along the banks of the Gironde River, even before Louis XIII decided to expand his hunting lodge at Versailles in 1631. Evidently, his grace did not have to take a vow of poverty because this château and its formal gardens were large, imposing and expensive. Louis XIV turned his hunting lodge at Versailles into a regal palace starting in 1661. Eventually, Beychevelle was called the Versailles of Bordeaux. And needless to say, it was still quite costly to maintain.

Enter the Dukes of Épernon, who purchased the property from the Candale family in the early 1600’s. Bernarde de Nogaret de La Valette d’Épernon was created the first Duc de Épernon in 1554. He was a favorite of King Henri III who showered him with titles, one of which was Amiral de France, a French title of honor much like a Marshall of France. I don’t see where, in his biography, he actually was involved with the navy. But he was deep into politics and was part of a conspiracy to assassinate Henri IV, as well as persecution and massacre of the Huguenots, a Protestant sect. But he loved power and knew how to use it. One display of his power was

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that he required all boats that passed his château to lower their sails. How does this tie into Château Beychevelle the wine? This is what the Beychevelle web site has to say: “Imagine the château at the beginning of the 17th century…The first Duke of Épernon has just become its owner. The reputation of this great French admiral was such that as boats passed in front of his estate, they would lower their sails to show their allegiance. This deep mark of respect gave rise to the château’s emblem, a ship with a griffon-shaped prow; its name in Gascon, Bêcha vêla, meaning “baisse voile” (“lower the sails”), later became Beychevelle.”

Thus, the château and its winery used this historical reference as the source of its label.

I bring this up because you usually read that an admiral required boats to lower their sails in front of Beychevelle as a mark of deference and respect, but not that this title of Admiral of France was more of a court and political title, but also one of power and prestige nonetheless.

In the French Revolution, the tomb of the first duke and duchess was destroyed and all that remains is a bronze statue of Fame, which can be found in the Louvre. Sounds like he made a lot of enemies with his use of aristocratic power. >

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

< Besides being a political powerhouse, the first duke encouraged the arts with a theater in the Beychevelle château. A great patron of the arts, he invited a troupe of actors to stay and perform at the château, among them was the young Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, otherwise known as Molière.

So, I guess our event’s wine guide and 3rd level Somm, Matt Brown, was correct in saying at our event that the lowered sail

design comes from a duke using his power to force ship traffic to lower their sails as a sign of deference, but this duke also held the title Amiral de France, even if he very seldom ever set foot in a ship. Usually all you see in this reference was that an admiral required it. It took a bunch of historical digging to discover what the exact situation was. So I would say we were both correct, with Matt being a bit more narrowed down on just who ordered the sails lowered.

Recall that I said it was expensive to maintain the château and its gardens. A large number of people owned the Château for a short time after the dukes of Épernon sold it, each time neglecting maintenance until the property became run down and neglected.

In 1757 the Marquis de Bassier demolished the old structure and rebuilt the château to the classic 18th century façade we see today.

More building was conducted by another owner, the Heine family. In 1852, the PierreFrançoise Guestier family purchased the property. He was owner of Château Leoville Barton. His family founded the negotiant business of Barton and Guestier (B & G). In 1970 the Achille-Fould family took over the château. They took on partnerships with the GMF group and the Japanese giant Suntory company in 1988. Currently, it is owned by Castel Frères, who again is allied with Suntory.

So, being in the Médoc, Beychevelle is a Left Bank Property. Under vines are 90 hectares. The usual blend of grapes consists of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon but 40% Merlot, so it has a high percentage of Merlot compared to some Left Bank properties, but this is not unusual in Saint Julien, whose commune style is softer than Pauillac. Other grape varieties in the grand vin are 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Vine density consists of between 8,300 to 10,000 vines per hectare. They are moving towards a totally organic wine, but right now they are about 35% organic.

The vineyards are not all together, but scattered throughout Saint Julien.

Some are near the Gironde River, next to the château, and some are near to some important neighbors: Chateaux Leoville Barton and Ducru Beaucaillou, both second growths. In the 1960s and 1970s, the house style was quite smooth, with no hard edges. It was also a very inconsistent time for quality, with scores in the mid 80s or lower. Since about 2015, however, scores have risen to about the mid 90s in the Wine Advocate. The property also makes a second wine, called Amiral de Beychevelle, and Les Brulières de Beychevelle, a Haut-Médoc appellation.

Sources: https://beychevelle.com/accueil/?lang=en; https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/beychevelle/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Louis_ de_Nogaret_de_La_Valette Page 16 · 2021 ·

Bronze statue of Fame by Pierre Biard in the Louvre, the only portion remaining from the destroyed and desecrated tomb of the First Duke of Épernon.

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Photos from Mike Dunn & Roger Peterson

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS Mark Your Calendars!

OCT

STAG Trap S hoot at Harry A Koch Trap & Sk eet Range Rhô n e Ranger 6 dinner at Champions Run Do You Know Your Grenache from Your Syrah?

IPATION C I T R A P Producer: OUGH NMurnan ETom

NOT

NOV

801 CHOPHOUSE STAG 100 point Napa Cab vs.

Bordeaux First Growth Producer: Dave Thrasher

DEC

HOLIDAY EVENT Happy Hollow Club Producer: Duke Matz

07 12

HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

October 2021 Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas.

Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.

THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.

PR ESI DENT: Mark Stokes............................................................... mark_stokes@aig.com V ICE PR ESI DENT / SECR ETA RY: Dave Thrasher.................... dave@supportworks.com TR EASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................................ zanol@cox.net W I N E CELLA R M ASTER: Duke Matz....................................... dmatz@darland.com M EM BER SH I P CH A I R M A N: Joe Goldstein.............................. goldie2@cox.net

B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : Joe Goldstein Steve Hipple Todd Lemke

John Matthews Duke Matz Tom Murnan

Tad Singer Mark Stokes Dave Thrasher

Lowell Wilhite Mike Wilke Les Zanotti

KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Mark Stokes, 402-679-7317 or via email at mark_stokes@aig.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.

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All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisers’ products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.