BWE 2015 France Tour Photos Part II

mek · Post by **mek** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:30 am

I was unable to upload photos in bulk to Tim's Flickr site. It allowed only 6 photos at a time. For expediency, I decided to share the link to my Flickr album directly.

The link: https://www.flickr.com/gp/132812962@N08/12P67Z

There are 230 plus photographs, which cover the entire trip, from La Tupina on Sunday night to Pichon Baron on Friday evening. You may need to wait for all of the photos to load, if it stops at Latour, wait a few minutes and the rest of the shots should appear.

Enjoy the memories! A superb wine tour with myriads of memorable moments and eye watering laughter. Alex, the sound of your giggles continues to chime in my ears, simply wonderful.

MEK

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:46 am

Very Nice pictures Mek. That lunch at Château du Tertre, wow, what a location. i would have stay all afternoon there, in/by the pool, enjoint 2012 Château du Tertre.

Nic

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu May 28, 2015 11:05 am

Great selection of pictures Maureen!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 28, 2015 11:09 am

Thanks Maureen! Fun pictures. I'm already getting nostalgic!

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Thu May 28, 2015 12:27 pm

Maureen,

Great pictures and great fun. I'm still working through editting the over 3000 pictures that I took. Most are very similar to your shutterbug lot. Thanks for another walk down memory lane.

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Thu May 28, 2015 2:36 pm

Fantastic shots Maureen.

Many thanks for posting.

Alex

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Thu May 28, 2015 7:04 pm

Of course it goes without saying I took the photo of the Union Jack

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:49 pm

Ian,

Palmer on photo review was the only Chateau flying the Union Jack and not the Stars and Stripes/ Canadian maple leaf. Your frustration was duly noted through the week however further to the testament of Alfred Tesseron/Pontet Canet and their attention to detail they were flying all three flags of the countries of origin for the BWE'ers visiting from outside of France. Sorry Alex French flag was not flying centrally and for once the Chinese flag was not present. That was a grand touch of class recognizing their visitors and like everything else on our visit at PC showed the exceptional personal touch.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:07 pm

Some great shots in there. I liked the one of the socks at Margaux.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:27 pm

Amen Danny.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:28 pm

Maureen is a sweetheart, DavidG, she definitely has the BWE spirit.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri May 29, 2015 2:46 am

Jim, don't forget that our "sweetheart" threaten me on Wednesday morning, after my "mystic" question to the tour girl at Margaux...

Nic

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:40 am

Nic,

Lets not confuse everyone with Maureen our"sweetheat" with that sourpuss two bit tour guide snot at Margaux with YOUR "sweetheart"! She was a piece of work. My only regret on this trip is that the mint julep cups should have been handed out based on merit and this one did not deserve the cup,our attention or be given the time of day. What a horrible reprepresentative for Margaux. How could we go from best visit to worst all because of one person. I understand James was not here and the personal relation was not there but where was the connection at Gruaud Larose. That charming new winemaker(anyone know her name??) was made this visit a hi light of the trip. She was charming, engaging and had the true BWE spirit with a smile you couldn't get rid of. What a pleasure by comparison and what a great ambassador for the winery!! I came back from this trip wanting to sell by Lynch and Margaux just beause I was so pissed off at their complete and utter absence of marketing/personal savvy during our visit. As a business owner I would have fired both of these tour twits on the spot after the tours but maybe it's not their fault. Management at other chateau certainly recognized the marketing opportunity with this group and did a bang up job so I don't place all of the blame on the tour guides...this goes well above them and shows that maybe the Chinese are really more important to them that the Western world. Just wait until the trend turns for the Chinese and Bordeaux is left what!!?? Amazing how after 2005 I went out and bought Lynch and Margaux wines because I loved them and felt they deserved my business and now these two have left a sour taste in my mouth. Is it arrogance on their part...not sure but their certainly won't be another bottle of either bought into my cellar from either house in the future. Gruaud on the other had has won me over. We have said that everything is about the personal relationships and this is 100% personal...these two are off my list. I wonder how Jimmy B will feel about his beloved Lynch going forward. I suggest the purple Baron has won his and everyones heart on this trip both on a personal side and on the palate! Maybe a fatal blow struck by the Purple B May 22,2015!!

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:23 am

The experience of our tour at Margaux was disappointing, certainly (although I didn't realize just how disappointing until reading some of these comments).

On the issue of when we arrived, we arrived about 10 minutes past 11. When we got there, we thought we had an 11am appointment. When I spoke with the ladies there, at least a couple of them thought we had an 11:30 appointment. So there was some confusion and miscommunications. In addition, it was clear from the outset that they knew who we were, they knew that we had the meal at Chateau Margaux ten years ago, and that there was some negative feeling toward us as a result. Whether that was because they thought we would have a sense of entitlement or otherwise, I do not know. I do know that the aggressive and cursory response that we received was unpleasant at best. The pictures from the tasting say it all, with the body language of the guide. Had it not been for the dinner 10 years ago, we would not have given the cup.

Nic, au sujet des commentaires pendant la visite, nous devons parler en prive. Maureen ne t'a pas menacé, mais elle a dit que tes mots a la guide au sujet des relations etaient inapproprié. C'est pas juste d'ecrire sur le forum ici qu'elle t'a menacé. C'est mieux de parler directement. Merci.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:57 am

Tim, I apologize but of course, I think everyone understood that it is a joke, about the threaten. I had a great time with Mek, especially at LLC, both one of our favorite estate. I thought the tour at Margaux was very ok, even special (we saw racking done the old way), even if our guide was a bit "cold". As she seemed to find wine questions boring, I tried something else to get a smile but would't work either. I herely accept to be banned from BWE for a mouth if this is needed. Or 3 if it requested. Or 12 if it was so big. Or 36, if for any reason they don't accept BWE any more for visit, if I'm present...

by the way, prepare yourself for the next 1989 confrontation between our regular contestants. i have a feeling the Purple Baron will win the next time...

Nic

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri May 29, 2015 11:18 am

I would like to share a couple of comments regarding Lynch Bages.

We had originally proposed to finish BWE 2015 with a dinner at Lynch Bages. We recalled the wonderful lunch we had there in 2005, and with the connections to the property, it seemed to be a great way to end the week. Six months ago, Alex wrote to JM Cazes asking to have a visit and a dinner. JM called Alex directly from his hospital bed saying that he would very much like to welcome us to Lynch Bages and that he had been sick, but if he couldn't join us, then either Sylvie or Jean Charles should be able to.

From there, the communication became difficult, and it was difficult getting a response from the folks at Lynch. When they did come back to us, they said that they no longer do meals at the Chateau, as we had before, but would welcome us to Cordeillan Bages, their Michelin two-star restaurant next to Lynch Bages.

As we began to fill in the details, it began moving toward a restaurant experience and less of a Lynch Bages experience. We received a couple of different menus (at Michelin 2-star prices excluding wine) describing the gastronomique restaurant and the chef, and we were offered the assistance of a sommelier to choose wines with the appropriate restaurant prices. In addition, we received word that JM would be out of town, and that neither Sylvie nor Jean-Charles would be available to dine with us. We were told that JM offered to add the 2000 Lynch Bages to the dinner as his appreciation to BWE.

At this point, we felt that we would be ending the tour with a regular dinner that did not capture the BWE experience that we were attempting to create. While I'm sure that the food would have been outstanding, the expense would have been extremely high, we would be in a restaurant and not a chateau, and worse we would not be dining with someone from the chateau. It was then that we had to make the difficult decision whether to proceed with Cordeillan Bages or look for alternatives. It really came down to the question of how we want to end the tour.

We then approached Pichon Baron (the perennial competitor to Lynch Bages in BWE) and they welcomed us with open arms, far exceeding anything we had expected. We reluctantly cancelled the dinner at Lynch Bages and asked to just do a visit instead.

[Edited to add: If any of the Cazes had joined us, then we would have stayed with the Cordeillan Bages dinner. That was really the single factor that made the decision. As Danny said, it is not about the food, it isn't really even about the wine, it is about the people. Once we found out that none would join us, we started to look at alternatives.]

I cannot say how much our decision to cancel the dinner impacted the quality of the visit, but it certainly may have.

In terms of the guide at Lynch, I thought she was quite pleasant and quite friendly and open. Normally they serve three wines for tastings, and instead they opened five for us (including the white). However, she was only a couple months into the job, and she could not answer many of the questions that we asked. We were basically treated like typical tourists who lacked knowledge of wine.

In summary, I don't think that Lynch Bages purposefully treated us badly (unlike Margaux), and I believe the original intention of JM was to welcome us knowing our love of all things Lynch. I think, instead, that they've grown so big that we were lost in the weeds, and we really weren't all that important to them.

Which makes such a stunning contrast to Pontet Canet, a property that just achieved massive accolades for their wines, and yet welcomed us with incredibly warm affection and generosity.

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri May 29, 2015 11:23 am

Nic, that is one of the difficult things about the internet, sometimes joking is hard to convey, and can be taken seriously

Only the BD can accept banning, I am only a czar!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri May 29, 2015 12:16 pm

I think Nic Maltais, like Tom Brady, is innocent.
(Plus, he left a bottle in my suitcase on the way out.)

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri May 29, 2015 12:42 pm

Spoken like a defense attorney!

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Fri May 29, 2015 12:51 pm

Maybe BWE will be next in line after the FIFA investigation for corruption Jim!

Nic ,

Don't sweat it. Anyone who jokes on a regular basis knows that sometimes what is meant to be funny is lost in the delivery and can be embarrasing and especially when you are used to delivering in a different language it can be even more problematic. Move on and leave the fall out behind. Just another BWE memory to talk about in the future. I remember a whoopie pie pant dropping that is epic!

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Sat May 30, 2015 8:42 pm

I should point out that Tim just hinted at some of the obstacles that he and Alex faced in planning a spectacular visit. The back and forth negotiations with various people at several chateaux kept them on Excedrin washed down with vin for several months. Czar Tim, who had to make all the final decisions, proved that he is made of CEO material.

tim · Post by **tim** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:31 pm

In reality, the toughest decision (which Alex made but I approved) was to have oysters as the first course at the Smith Haut Lafitte dinner. And I was really worried when I saw the look on Danielle's face as they put the plate of oysters in front of her. She was not a happy camper. But they were prepared so beautifully by the chef, and paired with the SHL Blanc, that I think even Danielle polished off each shell.

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sat May 30, 2015 10:49 pm

Tim,

It was extraordinary from start to finnish. Some visits better than some for sure but still a trip everyone will never forget. Anyone who has planned anything knows the devil is in the details and there is always a story behind the story.

I couldn't believe the look on Danielle's face either when those oysters came out at SHL and especially with cilantro. Both she would never even give a second chance at home and I was duly concerned but you know they were perfection with the SHL blanc and the preparation was like nothing we've had the pleasure to enjoy before. So kudos for the decision allowing an experience that we would never have entertained. Not saying I'll get her to eat oysters again but those were delicious. You and the team did a bang up job and the attention to detail was second to none. If the only thing that got you concerned through the week was a look from Danielle over the delivery of a plate of oysters then that's a true testament of an unbelievably successful week.

mek · Post by **mek** » Sun May 31, 2015 7:59 pm

Danny: I had a little preview of your lovely camera work (an artistic shot taken from within Ducru's tasting room, looking out into the garden, it was a lovely shot) and keen as mustard to see the rest. Will we be afforded the opportunity to see the rest of the pix, soon?

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Sun May 31, 2015 10:34 pm

Almost there Maureen. Post processing over 3000 pictures....!!!

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:14 am

Three thousand?!

Hope you're not thinking of blackmailing anyone...

Alex R.

mek · Post by **mek** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:23 am

Woe! Danny.
That said, I had 1,400!
20% posted on Flickr, around 10% I've chosen not to inflict on folks and the rest duplications.
Gone are the days of analogue, when I'd only take a tenth of the shots.

MEK

Antoine · Post by **Antoine** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:42 am

Never saw a picture of Alex... however, I'm sure he features in this diaporama. Where is he?

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 1:17 pm

Alex,

You wouldn't think getting a little carried away at SHL is worth blackmailing for. Any inditable images have been ommitted for the safety and protection oof fellow travellers.

On another note Alex. Do you have any idea where the spelling Cannet on the Chateau came from historically. We've tried searching google in french and english with no reference.

MEK,

Amazing in the analogue days when one worried about a few rolls of film on vacation being a lot of pictures. What you took was what you got. Now you just keep shooting and the with post processing it's amazing how fast and simple editing can be. The only problem was my macbook hard drive 250GB mid week was full and I couldn't download my pictures from the camera until I moved stuff off my hard disc. I've literally got 10s of 1000s of photos on this laptop and now my problem is trying to find a way to back them up and I'll be looking into probably a combo of solid state hard drive and this Flickr looks promising but I'll have to fiddle with it to ensure photos can still be dropped in and out/printed and edited further before I make this move. Anyone have any suggestions for ideal long term storage/backup?

Antoine,

Welcome to the board. FYI Alex is not hard to pick out. Glasses and usually caught with a smirk to raukous laugh on his face. On my Photo 3 many pictures of Alex getting everyone to wet themselves in roaring laughter at SHL and you'll see people crying not out of sadness for sure. But the mischievious looking guy is Alex. Also many photos at Ducru front and center with winemaker and group.

mek · Post by **mek** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 1:34 pm

Danny: I carry around/use My Passport Ultra (WD) for photos.

Here is the blurb, from their website:
WD SmartWare Pro automatic backup software lets you chose when and where you back up your files.
•Choose scheduled backup to back up files on the schedule that works best for you.
•Choose file or folder backup if that is your preference.
•Use your Dropbox account to back up your files to the cloud.

Dropbox account required for cloud backup. Cloud services may be changed, terminated or interrupted at any time and may vary by country.

The website link is http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1000

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:44 pm

Man maybe it's the retina display on my Mac but those pictures you guys took are stunning quality!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:45 pm

I was talking to Jenny Ferguson this morning she says she is still high as a kite from the trip.

mek · Post by **mek** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:30 pm

Jim: I took my shots on a Nikon 7100 (lovely camera) and JPEG high resolution format.
The camera is a real treat to use, just darn heavy to carry around for simple everyday snaps!

Looking at the pictures brings it all flooding back, great memories and a super trip.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:41 pm

Great stuff Maureen, thanks for the effort!
They really are wine magazine quality shots.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:18 pm

Personnally, I'm still high about all the discussions we had about love, wedding and divorce!

Nic

dstgolf · Post by **dstgolf** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:58 am

A quand le mariage Nicolas?

Danielle

Tom In DC · Post by **Tom In DC** » Sun Jun 07, 2015 12:48 pm

Beautiful photos, Maureen - thank you! They brought back a lot of memories of the 2005 version of the tour.

Tom

mek · Post by **mek** » Sun Jun 07, 2015 3:03 pm

Tom In DC wrote:Beautiful photos, Maureen - thank you! They brought back a lot of memories of the 2005 version of the tour.

Tom

That's very kind of you to say, thank you. The trip was fantastic, the photgraphs show only a glimpse of the enjoyment that was had by all.

We heard great things about your 2005 Bordeaux trip, especially supper at Margaux.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Mon Jun 08, 2015 12:15 am

mek wrote:I was unable to upload photos in bulk to Tim's Flickr site. It allowed only 6 photos at a time. For expediency, I decided to share the link to my Flickr album directly.

The link: https://www.flickr.com/gp/132812962@N08/12P67Z

There are 230 plus photographs, which cover the entire trip, from La Tupina on Sunday night to Pichon Baron on Friday evening. You may need to wait for all of the photos to load, if it stops at Latour, wait a few minutes and the rest of the shots should appear.

Enjoy the memories! A superb wine tour with myriads of memorable moments and eye watering laughter. Alex, the sound of your giggles continues to chime in my ears, simply wonderful.

MEK

Very impressive pictures. Thanks.