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U'wine Tours Primeurs 2023

As a reminder, the U'wine Tours Primeurs are events that we organize, which allow wine lovers and U'wine customers to discover a preview of the region's primeur wines directly at the châteaux. During the U'wine Tours Primeurs, participants have the opportunity to taste primeur wines from several properties, meet the producers and learn about the winemaking and aging techniques used in the region. The event can include vineyard tours, guided tastings and gourmet meals. The goal of these immersive events is to allow participants to experience the early wines in a friendly setting and learn more about the art of wine tasting and production. This year, two two-day U'wine Tours were held at some 15 châteaux and estates.

U'wine Tour N°1

To start this U'wine Tour Primeurs, we went to Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, located west of the magical city of Saint-Émilion. This amazing trip began with a visit to Château Beau-Séjour Bécot and continued in the tasting room with the very encouraging discovery of the château's primeurs : Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2022 and Château Joanin Bécot 2022.

The adventure then continued in the same region listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site : Saint-Émilion and more precisely at Château Dassault. The visitors were able to visit the castle and the very modern cellar while discovering the techniques of wine making. In a second time, we were able to taste single-variety wines to understand their aromas and then we finished with the 2022 primeur blend of Châteaux Dassault and La Fleur.

In the continuity of the first two châteaux, the U'wine members arrived at the quintessential Faugères, the red flagship of Silvio Denz's vineyards : at Château Péby Faugères. We learned or re-learned the origin of the name of the estate : it comes from Pierre-Bernard Guisez nicknamed Péby who was the owner of Château Faugères from 1987 to 1997 and who died suddenly that same year at the age of 52. The family wished to pay tribute to Péby by giving his nickname to the château. The tasting then took place with Château Péby Faugères and Le Merle de Peby Faugères primeur wines in sublime LALIQUE crystal glasses.

To end this first day in beauty, we were warmly welcomed by the Château Barde-Haut, to visit the domain and have dinner. The tasting took place in the superb cellar of the domain around the whole of the primeur wines of the group, the whole animated by the owner of the place.

For this second day of the first U'wine Tour Primeurs, we went to Château Cantenac Brown located in Cantenac, in the heart of the Margaux appellation. We were welcomed in this sublime Scottish-style château where the cellar is currently undergoing renovation, but it looks like it will be a great success. The primeur wines tasted are already drinking very well : Alto de Cantenac Brown 2022, Brio de Cantenac Brown 2022 and Château Cantenac Brown 2022.

The second tasting of the primeur wines was held in a splendid setting of medieval times : the Château d'Issan. This estate, located in the heart of the Margaux appellation, benefits from a privileged geographical situation which explains the exceptional quality of its wines. We had the chance to taste two wines in primeur : the Château d'Issan 2022 and the second wine of the château, the Blason d'Issan 2022. The first feedback on these wines is very positive, with intense fruit nuances, a bright and vibrant color, aromatic depth and tannin precision : a great Issan vintage.

The trip continued at Château Pontet-Canet in the Pauillac appellation, where visitors had the chance to taste the Château Pontet-Canet 2022 en primeur in the company of the owner of the property : Alfred Tesseron, who himself presented this vintage. The day continued with a lunch in this idyllic setting with the tasting of the wine Château Pontet-Canet 2016 around an excellent cheese buffet.

And finally, this first U'wine Tour Primeurs ended with a visit to Château Lagrange, 3rd Grand Cru Classé in 1855 located in the center of the Saint-Julien appellation. We visited the estate once again before Matthieu Bordes, general manager of the château, led the tasting. The en primeur wines were already excellent, namely Château Lagrange 2022 and Les Arums de Lagrange 2022. The ideal estate to end on a high note !

U’wine Tour N°2

This second U'wine Tour Primeurs began in the Margalais vineyards with a visit to a château that has been awarded the rank of second cru classé : Château Durfort-Vivens. Very good tasting of the Château's en primeur wines (Château La Gurgue, Château Ferrière, Château Durfort-Vivens and Haut-Bages Libéral) preceded by a pleasant visit of the amphora cellar, the largest in volume in the world.

For the second visit of the day, it takes place in the Saint-Julien appellation, at a property that appears in the official 1855 Bordeaux wine classification as a third growth : Château Langoa Barton. The chateau is only reopening its doors after three years of work and they have been working hard to be ready to receive the world for the week of the primeurs. Then discover the primeur wines : Château Langoa Barton 2022, Château Léoville Barton 2022 and Château Mauvesin Barton 2022.

The participants had the chance to be welcomed by the director and cellar master of Château Pédesclaux to taste very promising futures wines, notably Château Lilian Ladouys 2022, Fleur de Pédesclaux 2022 and Château Pédesclaux 2022. A special treat was the visit to the private cellar of Jacky Lorenzetti, the owner, and the sculptures of Patrick Roger, a great chocolate artist, which enhance the cellar and the gardens. And finally, to finish this first day of the second U'wine Tour Primeurs, we had a superb dinner accompanied by excellent wines from the château : Château Lilian Ladouys 2018, Château Pédesclaux 2019 and Château Pédesclaux 2015.

The next meeting took place in a castle built in 1755 which is located at the gates of the city of Bordeaux, in the heart of the historical cradle of the Pessac-Léognan appellation : the Château Picque Caillou. We had a great speech from Paulin Calvet, owner with his wife Isabelle of Château Picque Caillou since 1998, who reminded us that in the past Bordeaux was only vineyards and that the Chartreuse cemetery was a vineyard. Then we tasted Château Picque Caillou 2022 in red and white.

Still in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, we went to the only estate in Bordeaux where the château is the only one with a postal address in Bordeaux : Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion. We visited the cellars where each year a different artist decorates one of the 13 concrete vinification tanks. The objective is to bring a bit of poetry and art in the cellar and it is very successful ! The tasting of the primeurs took place in a magnificent setting with the very interesting comments of the cellar master.

Less than 4 kilometers from Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, the trip continued at Château Pape Clément, in Pessac-Léognan, in the Graves wine area. The tasting of Château Pape Clément 2022 and its Clémentin 2022 was excellent. Bernard Magrez knows how to entertain and the lunch at the Château during this week of primeurs was delicious !

To close the U'wine Tours Primeurs 2023, we went to Léognan, in the capital of the Graves, to the Domaine de Chevalier. We ended our U'wine Tour with a fiery and passionate welcome from Remi Edange, Olivier Bernard's right-hand man, who spoke to us about the vine and the terroir as a precious ecosystem that must be respected to the fullest. Tasting of Domaine de Chevalier in red and white, Esprit de Chevalier, Clos des Lunes, Domaine de la Solitude, Château Lespault Martillac and Château Guiraud.

The U'wine Tours Primeurs in Châteaux