Why the order of a wine trip matters
There is nothing wrong with wanting to see all the famous sites, visit all the big names and tick off the various châteaux that have been on your (ice) bucket list. But we all know that the most famous do not always deliver the best experience.
At PASSAGE, I like to ensure that each visit is relevant. Relevance is personal and therefore a constantly moving, somewhat abstract target, but part of building any trip centres on establishing a base from which everything else can grow.
A simple but very real example arises when visiting the hallowed appellations at the northern end of the Haut-Médoc. The aim is never to build a case for one château being superior to its neighbour. All our guests will naturally form their own view as they journey through the week. The object is to determine why things are as they are, on a commune or regional level, but also at the micro, or at least meso, level.
In visiting Saint-Estèphe, one could easily make a case for either of the two estates that sit at the top of the commune’s hierarchy, but the reasons for doing so would be quite different. The quality of the wine at both is a given. Are you interested in tasting the effects of being on Terrace 4 of the Médoc’s geology? If so, a visit to Montrose would make sense: along with Latour and Léoville Las Cases, it is an exemplar of this style.
Perhaps you are more interested in the exoticism that pervades the hugely impressive Indian- and Chinese-inspired architecture at Cos d’Estournel. After all, wine tasted in the shadow of this “oriental fantasy” might be more memorable for some than a discussion about the pedology of Saint-Estèphe.
Whichever is chosen, the visits that follow will naturally act as a counterpoint or contrast. Perhaps the biodynamic practices of Pontet-Canet, or the efficiency and stark minimalism of the cellar at the legendary Lynch-Bages, might inspire you to wonder whether it is possible to taste these approaches to farming and winemaking in the glass.
The deliberate stitching together of an itinerary should be akin to completing a particularly rewarding jigsaw: each piece helps form a more complete and rewarding picture.
After all, embarking on a PASSAGE, with me as your guide, should be one of the highlights of your year.
Mark Pygott MW
