The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
A Taste of Bordeaux
Chateau du Tailhas is one of the better wineries in Pomerol. To
give you some idea of the quality of wine that comes out of this area, the vineyard is
within sight of Chateau Petrus, one of the highest-priced wines in the world!
Our host was Luc Nebout, the third generation owner. The vineyard itself was started
back in the early 1800s. Luc's grandfather bought the property about a hundred years later
and Luc took it over from his father in 1994. Some of the vines -- primarily Merlot in this
part of Bordeaux -- are 100+ years old (and look it!)
Luc gave us three wines to taste -- an unreleased 2010, a 2005 and a 2001 -- to show
how the wines evolve with age. The new wine -- Luc kept referring to it as his "new baby" --
was pleasant and fruity, showing plenty of promise but as yet undeveloped. The 2005 had
started to show some real character ... and the 2001 was a knockout! We all bought the
2001!
The town of Saint Emilion is just a few miles away. The wines from that area are quite good, but not of the caliber of those from Pomerol. The town itself is interesting, if more tourist-y. We parked by one of the ancient gates. As we were walking into town, a local resident offered us cherries he had just picked from his own trees. You gotta love moments like that!
© 2011 Restaurant Doctor
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