France
beyond wine and cheese
RESHMI
R DASGUPTA
TIMES
NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2003 12:06:28 AM ]
It’s
like having an insider’s view on a mysterious cult. An entree into a
select band of super-specialists, who speak their own lingo, live in
a curious warp-mix of past and present and parley with the outside world
for business, and then retreat into their vineyard hinterland. That’s
what a week in Bordeaux reveals when you stay not in any of that city’s
many good hotels but in the heart of the wine country — in a chateau.
Not
many have seen Bordeaux from quite this angle. Certainly not those hordes
of American and Japanese wine-tourists who flock the guided tours and
crowd the squares and cafes of this old-world cradle of wine. But staying
at a chateau makes all the difference — like adding 4 per
cent of Petit Verdot to the usual grape mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot. And all it takes is to look beyond that chain hotel and stay
in a chateau, even if it means forgoing room service and laundry.
For
a chateau guest, nothing’s impossible. A peek into the fabled, locked
cellars of Haut-Brion to see priceless Nebuchadnezzars (enormous wine
bottles), a sip of the pricey 1996 vintage instead of the dicey 1997
in the tasting room, a chance to listen to the winemaker himself rather
than a guide, about the future price of the current vintage. Even an
impromptu skit by two old friends in the wine business on Bordeaux’
convulsions before the annual visit of the make-or-break American wine
critic Robert Parker.
A
spectacular al fresco dinner late into the first night in Bordeaux,
at the acclaimed Lion d’Or run by Chef Barbier, provided the first inkling
that a chateau guest is special. The restaurant has no wine list. Only
closed, bottle-laden cabinets run along the walls, each bearing the
name of a famous chateau. Our host’s chateau cabinet is duly unlocked
and an impressive selection made for the eclectic meal of foie gras
and steaks, served up à la minute by Barbier himself. Then we notice
that nearly all the tables have wine too…
Once
we return to our host’s 18th century chateau, an article in a magazine
in our room reveals the truth. “There’s no wine for strangers, and Chef
Barbier will probably ignore you,” goes a waspish comment. “Unless you
happen to come with a chateau owner. Lion d’Or is almost like a secret
club for Bordelais winemakers.” That cosy clubbiness is both apparent
and impregnable. But it’s also warm and hospitable, transforming Bordeaux
into a temptation for the tastebuds rather than a tedious trek through
wine and vinification yarns.
