OK, the picture above is not from a winery in Bordeaux.  It is a picture of a chocolate shop in the right-bank town of Libourne.  But, I don’t have many pictures from Chateau Kirwan, and after all chocolate goes so well with wine….
Eventually, we travelled from the right bank to the left bank, i.e., from Merlot land to Cabernet Sauvignon land.  Not much to see, as in the picture below – just miles and miles of grape vines.  Though we did get to see Chateau Margaux...

​Anyway, that night we had dinner at Chateau Kirwan, a third growth winery.  Great food prepared by the Viking crew complemented with Chateau Kirwan wines.  The menu is shown below.

​Now the first two wines were quite nice, but the third was really great.  For some reason, our table of eight were only able to drink one bottle of this Chateau Kirwan Grand Cru Classe 2006.  Anyway, here’s a picture of the empty bottle:

​Saint Emilion is a small town in the heart of the “right” bank of Bordeaux, the region where Merlot grapes dominate the wines.  The picture below best describes the town:

​You see, the town is dominated by wine shops selling some of the best wines produced in the Bordeaux region, many at rather exorbitant prices.  Petrus is a right bank winery located in the nearby Pomerol region, whereas Chateau Margaux is one of the "Premier Cru" of first growth wineries per the 1855 classification.  Note that Pretrus wines are significantly more expensive.
The town is named for its patron saint, Saint Emilion.  His story is rather long, but is celebrated in the local church (see pictures below).  The town is built on a hill, and most of the surrounding region lies on sandstone.  Quarrying in the area has left a large network of caves beneath the vineyards.  Interesting.  Some pictures follow, starting with the outer wall, the church, and a view from the upper level of the town:

​The Saint Emilion wine growing region has its own set of wine classifications, including a “Grand Cru”, or great growth.  Unlike the classification of 1855, they reevaluate the wines and wineries every ten years.  That might be an interesting system for American winery regions to consider, assuming it is legal under our anti-trust laws.

​Our ship sailed north up the estuary then southwest up the second river feeding Bordeaux, the Dordogne.  This is the right bank region with such areas as Pomerol and St. Emilion, and includes Chateau Petrus, producing the most expensive wines in Bordeaux.  But we did not visit there.  Instead, we took a wine-tasting and lunch visit to Chateau d’Abzac, located just north of the Pomerol district.
The Chateau dates back to the early 17th century and is now an historic site.  It was trashed in 1789 during the French Revolution, then confiscated by the state and sold to the d’Anglade family in 1796.  They have owned and operated it ever since.  There was a point in time when the French government made amends for the confiscation and sale, either money or returning the estate to the original owners.  The d’Abzac family did escape France but had no interest in restoring their property, so they went for the money.  The d'Anglade family worked with them on this, and relations between the two families have been very strong ever since.
All of this we learned while standing in the rain on the Chateau grounds.  Our tour was led by Madam d’Anglade, translated by our guide as she did not trust her English.  More on this later.
Bordeaux wineries are not particularly scenic places.  In fact, with one exception I would not visit any of them other than to taste their wine.  That exception:  Chateau d’Abzac.  Proof is in the pictures below:

The tour continued into the family living room for wine tasting – see pictures below – then to their dining room for lunch.  Thus began our near faux pas.  You see, both my wife and I are a bit squeamish about eating pate, so we did not eat the goose liver pate served as part of the first course of our lunch.  Not a problem unless Madam d’Anglade sits down next to you and begins talking about the pate in pretty-good English.  So we ate the pate – and found it utterly fantastic….  The rest of the lunch was also great.  I’m not one for posting pictures of food, but I really have to show you the dessert we were served, along with the luncheon menu.

​I won’t try to relate details of our luncheon discussions with our hostess, first because she was talking mostly to my wife, and second because she kept filling our glasses with wine – very good wine.  So good that we bought a case. 
The wine in question is her Bordeaux Superieur Reserve 2018.  This gold-award winning wine is 100% Merlot.  I am not a particular fan of Merlot, but, well, I did by a case of it….  The most amazing thing about this wine is its price – 8.9 euros, or about $9.  The cost to ship the case home was greater than the cost of the wine.  I am guessing that the wine is inexpensive because Chateau d’Abzac is not in the Pomerol wine region but just north of it.  Were it in Pomerol I suspect it would have a much higher price.  Not Chateau Petrus price, of course.  Did I mention that Chateau Petrus has the most expensive wines in Bordeaux, selling for thousands of euros?

​We were supposed to sail up the Garonne River to the small town of Cadillac (ll pronounced y, not l like the car), where we were to tour a Chateau making sweet white wines.  Unfortunately, the river level was too high for the Viking ship to pass beneath one of the bridges, so the tour was entirely by bus.  Not that much fun.
Cadillac at one time was home to a close (very close) friend of Louis XIV (the “Sun King”), who built a fabulous castle in the city.  Unfortunately, the castle was sacked during the French Revolution.  The town was built as a trade town, with the market square the center of the city.  Some pictures follow, and there are more at the end of this post.

​By the way, the people in Cadillac must love pizza.  Why else have a pizza vending machine in the central square:

​One of the first things I noticed on arriving at my first Bordeaux Chateau (i.e., winery) was how low the vines were.  You can see this in the picture below.  This is done to keep the heat in, and is actually a regulation both on the ground to leaf distance and the total height of the plants.

​Sauternes sweet white wines are made from grapes attacked by bortrytis, or noble rot.  I kid you not.  To do this, only the rotted grapes are used.  Now, as you might expect, all of the grapes don’t rot at the same time, so they can’t be picked at the same time.  To make matters worse, not all of the grapes on a bunch rot at the same time, as seen in the picture below.  The grower has to hand-pick the individual grapes with the rot – the gnarled, shrunken grapes in the picture.  That makes for some very tedious work, especially given how low the vines are.

​The winery we visited was Chateau de Myrat.  Per Wikileaks, Chateau de Myrat is a winery “belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves. The estate is located in the commune of Barsac”.  Primary wine is, of course, the sweet wine Sauternes made largely from Semillon white grapes with some Sauvignon Blanc, two varieties that are subject to bortrytis attack.

​We did a vertical tasting, i.e., three of the same wines from different years (vintages).  You can see in the picture below how the color of the wine changes with age, going from light amber to dark amber.  If you go back to my About section on tannins it would seem that white wines do not have the antioxidant tannins to protect them during aging unless they are oaked.  As you can also see below, that is how it is done in Sauternes.

​As far as the taste, all three are very sweet, pretty much dessert wine sweet but with a much lower alcohol level.  The oldest wine has distinct flavors associated with aging – caramel, wet leaves, and maybe even some mint.
Let me finish this blog with three more pictures of Cadillac.  The first one was taken in the archway of the town gate, showing water levels from flooding at times in the past.  Cadillac is on a river, and sometimes the river visits the town.  The last two are of the castle.

​It was the best of wines, it was the worst of wines…
Your intrepid explorer has again crossed the Atlantic Ocean, back to the origins of the wine industry.  This time, my wife and I took a Viking Cruise to Bordeaux, one of the leading wine-producing regions in France.  As the misquote of Dickins above implies, some of the wines we tasted were quite good, but some were among the worst we have ever run into.
Over the next few weeks I will review four wineries that we visited.  As per my general approach, I will not review the wineries that had, let us kindly say, less than desirable offerings.  We also visited a barrel making facility, which at some time I will discuss in the About section.  But, first a review of our trip.
We began in Bordeaux where we boarded the Viking river boat and met the amazing crew.  They were great, but the really great part of the trip was making new friends among the other passengers.  Of course, it was cold and rainy the entire trip, so we probably spent more time with the other passengers than normal….
At the end of the trip we spent a couple of days in Paris:

​Now Bordeaux is an unusual part of France in that it was under English rule for three hundred years, beginning when Eleanor of Acquitaine married Henry II of England in the 1100’s.  The area became a trading post of the English, and many of the towns are market centered rather than Church centered.  The Bordeaux region is split by an estuary fed by two rivers running southeast to northwest.  The area can be divided into two regions – the left bank and the right bank, left and right determined when facing downstream.  Now wine has been produced on the right bank for many centuries.  On the other hand, the left bank was mostly marsh until Dutch engineers helped the French with water control, recovering the land for agriculture sometime in the mid-nineteenth century.  Now soil in the recovered land is really not soil – it’s mostly rocks.  Not much you can grow there accept grape vines….
The two leading red grape varieties in the area are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and grapes from these two varieties must dominate any red wines made in the area.  It is generally believed that the rocky soil on the left bank produces better Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, while the clay soil on the left bank is better for Merlot grapes.  Most of the wines produced in Bordeaux are blends of these two, sometimes with small additions of Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and the recently reintroduced Carmenere.  Some of the most expensive red wines in the world come out of Bordeaux.  However, our guides were quick to point out that the average bottle of red wine in Bordeaux sells for around ten dollars!  More about this in my reviews.
The southern part of Bordeaux is considered to be better suited for growing white grapes, specifically Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.  Sauvignon Blanc is the primary grape for dry white wines, whereas Semillon for sweet white wines.  Of particular note is the wine Sauternes, a sweet white wine made from grapes that have been attacked by “Noble Rot”.  I kid you not.
OOPS!  Getting boring, so here are some more pictures of Paris:

There are technically no wineries in Bordeaux.  Rather, wine is made in Chateaus, such as Chateau Margaux or Chateau Mouton Rothschild.  OK, enough blather about Bordeaux that you can easily find on the web.  I found it interesting, but cruising the rivers in the region extremely boring.  So more pictures of Paris:

​Some things get better and better, and there are always new things that are pretty good, at least that is what awaited our gang of intrepid winers at Vineyard Grant James.  We were a bit under the weather before our trip, as seen in the picture below:

​Of course, after a few glasses of wine, we looked like this:

​As for the better and better, Susanne Sapier, winemaker extraordinaire, introduced us to her 2020 vintage Nebbiolo.  Their past vintages have been very good, but this one is just that one step above even though it has only aged two years! I hope to see what it is like with a few more years of aging, but, well, it is really, really good right now and sometimes I get very thirsty and the dog ate my homework….
As for the new things, we got to taste both a Carmenere and an Alicante Bouchet.  Carmenere is often referred to as the lost grape of Bordeaux.  Back in the 19th century, most of the vines in Europe were wiped out by root louse from America when some idiots brought live North American vines to France and planted them in Bordeaux.  Carmenere was widely planted in Bordeaux at the time and was wiped out entirely from Europe.  Fortunately, the grape had already made its way to Chile, being mistaken for Merlot.  Anyway, we got to taste the Grant James version, and it is pretty similar to the Chilean version, with a very unique jalapeño flavor.  Hope to buy some as soon as they have labels on the bottles.
During Prohibition, you were allowed to make wine at home for your own consumption, so growers in California grew grapes and shipped them east.  As Alicante Bouchet is a very thick-skinned grape that could handle the long train ride, it was the grape of choice.  It is a bit of a rare type of grape in that its skin and flesh are both red.  It is a cross created by Henri Bouchet, who crossed Grenache with Petit Bouchet, itself a cross created by his father.  The Grant James version is a very nice wine, of which we consumed very large quantities.

​I have to eat crow.  Not a lot of crow, but I have to eat crow.  More on this later in the blog…
COVID be damned, another winery tasting room opened up last year in Ramona.  Located off of Highland Valley Road not far from Mermaid Valley, Ranch San Martin Winery is a small, boutique affair.  They plan on staying small and concentrating on making good wine.  I can live with that!
The tasting room is a tent, as shown below, on a very nice site, and one can sit outside the tent as well.  Wine is brought to the tables, i.e., the right way of doing things, and water is readily available.

​Currently, the wine selection is limited to wines made from two grapes:  Sangiovese and Tempranillo.  OK, here’s where I eat crow:  the Tempranillo wasn’t all that bad.  Indeed, I drank every drop of it.  So, for the few of you out there that are Tempranillo fans, this is the winery for you!
Of the Sangiovese varietals, we tasted two, a 2016 vintage and their 2017 Bella.  The Bella is a mix of their two clones, as shown in the price list below.  Very nice.  I plan on returning to check out their single clone Sangioveses, and maybe give the Tempranillo another shot….

​They have a relatively standard wine club – 3 bottles a quarter at a 20% discount -- but with an important extra -- club members pick the wines!  The tasting offerings, as with most wineries, will change often, and will include, in addition to wines made from the estate grapes (Sangiovese and Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, and some others (see picture of labels below).

​I’ve found something you can do at a winery that you can’t do just about anywhere else.
For nearly three weeks I remained in virtual isolation due to COVID.  While my COVID symptoms were extremely mild, I had a big problem:  what to do for my wife’s upcoming birthday.  In the past, I had surprised her by taking her to a murder mystery theater, where a number of friends lay in waiting.  Worked great, so I looked to see if there was one that we could go to for this year’s affair.  Nothing available.
Now here’s the thing:  in addition to murder mysteries, my wife loves wineries.  Ergo, rather than going to a murder mystery theater I decided to host a murder – but at a winery.  Fantastic idea, you say?  Yes, it proved to be just that.  And yes, I’ve sprained myself patting myself on the back….
As it turns out, you can purchase the mystery online.  They provide almost everything you need, except, of course, the food, wine (or other drinks), and some props.  I found the perfect mystery on the website nightofmystery.com: “A Deadly Vintage”.
I chose Monserate Winery in Fallbrook (see my last post) as I wanted a winery that could provide both room for the group, good wine, and food.  We held the affair this past Sunday (September 11).
As I expected, the winery proved to be the perfect venue for the event.  First, I did not have to worry about preparing food and drink – everything was available.  Second, murder mysteries require the participants to move about, talking in private with other characters to gather clues as to who the killer is.  You can’t do that at a restaurant, but we could at the winery.  Third, the winery took care of most of the clean-up.  Fourth, wineries can accommodate any number of people.  We had ten participants out of twelve invited, but could have had a version for 15.  That’s a pretty good number of people to have in your home but not a problem for most wineries.
Try it – you’ll like it!
Quick note:  I was one of two that solved the crime!  And the birthday girl wound up the victim….

​Some time ago, I proposed in a blog on this website that Southern California wineries should seriously consider focusing on Italian grape varieties (The Italian Connection).  My reasons were that 1) the terroir of Southern California is similar to that of Italy; 2) Italian wines are growing in popularity; and 3) there is far less competition for wines made from Italian grape varieties than French grape varieties.  I am delighted to announce that a new, large winery has opened up in Fallbrook with a heavy emphasis on Italian varietals.  I doubt that the owners knew of my blog, but I’ll take full credit where credit is not due….
​Located in Fallbrook, just off of rte. 76, Monserate Vineyards & Winery opened their tasting room in October of last year.  The owners have converted a golf course into a winery, with 75 acres planted in 2017 and another 10 since.  That, by the way, makes them the largest winery in San Diego County.  With their main tasting room still in construction, they have made use of two temporary areas, one to the right as you go in.  Some pictures of that area can be seen below.

​The other area is to the left as one enters the grounds.  As shown below, it is just as nice as the are to the right, but with more trees.

​Before discussing the wine, I feel obliged to bring up one very important feature of this winery:  the people.  I have been to many wineries, and I can comfortably say that they have one of the best crews I have ever encountered!  We not only brought many of our friends, but also three of our granddaughters -- ages 1, 4 and 7.  They didn't blink an eye....
OK, now on to the wines.  The grape varieties that have been planted are shown below.  I am happy to say that their wines are much better than their spelling….  As you can see in the tasting menu that follows the listing, many of the red wines made from these grapes have not been released.  Not surprising, since their first vintage is 2019.  I personally can’t wait for their Aglianico, Sagrantino and Negroamaro varietals to be released, and will let you know when I do.  What has been released so far is pretty good, especially the 2019 Montepulciano Library Reserve and the 2020 Petite Sirah.

In terms of unique wines, I believe they are making the only orange wine in Southern California.  An orange wine is one made from white grape using the red wine making method, i.e., crush, ferment, then press.  This is a very interesting wine….
Now on to the food.  Wood-fired pizza, bruschetta made with freshly-baked bread, a charcuterie board with some of the same incredible bread, and a wonderful caprese make it hard to remember that you came for the wine.  Food is counter-ordered then brought to your table, while wines are poured at select stations.  Oh, for the non-wine drinkers in your group, they offer beers as well.

​They have two wine club offerings – Legacy (three bottles four times a year) and Legacy Case (a case every six months).  Both entail a 25% discount on bottles, tasting and glasses, 35% on cases, and 10% on food, merchandise, et al. – if you join before August 31st 2022.  Those who join after that date get a 20% discount on bottles, et al., and 30% on cases.  Legacy members get four free tastings or glasses per month, Legacy Case six.

​I introduced this website late in 2017, during which time I have observed a significant increase in the number of people visiting the wineries.  COVID slowed things down considerably, but in the last year or so the crowds have returned with a vengeance.  I attribute this entirely to my writing, but, alas, I am the only one to recognize my great contribution.  Nonetheless, I tirelessly explore the Southern California lands seeking to introduce the world to our fine wines and wineries.
My travels took me back to near one of the first wineries I reviewed, Espinosa.  Very near – next door in fact – you will find Bastian’s Vineyards, right there on Bandy Canyon Road a block or so off of Highland Valley Road in the Highland Hills region of Escondido.  Easy to get to if you don’t mind winding mountain roads, Bastian’s is a small boutique winery in a very nice setting.  Bastian’s is very new.  Like a few other new wineries, they planned on opening in 2020 but were significantly delayed by COVID.  See pictures below.  Note that there is no indoor seating, but there is plenty of seating outside with umbrellas for shade.

​Things are pretty informal at Bastian’s.  No printed tasting menu – just a listing on a chalk board -- except that the wines on the menu were not all available for tasting.  Bottles of the five actual wines for tasting (five for $15) were laid out on the main (small) counter.

​Now the owner/winemaker does know what he is doing, as he is WSET Level 2 (wine) qualified as is yours truly, also trained by Lindsay Pomeroy.  Hence, all of Bastian’s wines are served at the right temperature.  I should add that all of them are quite well done.  As with many of the boutique wineries, the wines are brought to you at the table – no wine bar, just as I like it.
As for the wines, their Viognier is excellent.  Also of note is their Syrah.  We had to work around this one – they had too few bottles to open any for wine tasting, so we bought a bottle.  Very worth it!  This seems to fit a bit of a pattern, as these two grapes are from the same area of France (northern Rhone Valley) and other wineries in the area have had success with this grape varieties as well.
Now for the bad news.  Bastian’s is a small winery and does not make a whole lot of wine.  To complicate things, they offer a fairly wide variety of different wines.  As noted already, Syrah was not on the tasting list because they did not have enough wine.  Bottom line:  wine availability is a problem.
As a final note, Bastian’s does not have a wine club, nor do they sell food.