Bordeaux Perspectives: wine and music
If you compared your favorite wines to music, what would they sound like? In a charming look at music and wine, Westgarth Wines asks eminent Bordeaux wine personalities if there is a piece of music that best represents their labels. Everything from rock to Rococo is on the spectrum with terroir, complexity, and vintage all influencing choices. This is Bordeaux after all…
Complex blend: Orchestral Bordeaux wine
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Second Growth, Margaux: Nicolas Audebert, Winemaker and General Manager
“It has to be an orchestral expression, because the complexity we have in the soil and grape variety is brought together in the blend. All the instruments play together and have to find their place. No one can play louder than the others, at a different rate, or with more vibration. Rauzan is all about that complexity.”
Power and precision: Marching band
Château Coutet, Premier Cru, Sauternes: Aline Baly, General Manager
“If I were to pick a type of music that best represents Coutet, I would have to say marching band because it has power, is very organized, and is precise. These are all things that I associate not only with the wine, but also with the team and how we get things done here. I was in a band in high school, and I would have loved to be in a marching band. So maybe there's a little bit of that as well!”
Diverse inspiration: Design and feelings
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Grand Cru Classé, Graves: Florence Cathiard, co-owner
“My wine could be ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by the British group, Led Zeppelin, because we have a huge staircase, which is at the entrance of the estate, made by an English artist. Or it could be Gustav Mahler, because I love his music, and I love his quote when he says that tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Saint-Émilion: Julien Barthe, Co-owner
“I think Thriller by Michael Jackson. We have a vast underground area where we store our wine. My kids are very young, and sometimes when we go underground, they are a little bit afraid, so they always walk behind me. When you listen to Thriller, you are also a little bit afraid, and the kids are super afraid!”
French wine culture: Vintage and music
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Second Growth, Saint-Julien: Bruno Borie, Co-owner and General Manager
“I think that each individual vintage needs different music. Additionally, of course, it depends on the wine's age and when you open a bottle. That said, there is one French composer, Eric Satie, who I think is just a wonderful musician. In his beautiful Gymnopédies, you have the impression of a wine that is developing and growing. For mature Claret, you will probably go for classical music, and for a younger, vibrant, vintage, maybe Amy Winehouse. What a beautiful name! So, you see, I think that every year is different and, for every vintage, you can find one style of music.”
Château Cheval Blanc, Saint-Émilion: Pierre-Oliver Clouet, Winemaker and Technical Manager
“Much depends on what music you want to listen to and on what vintage you have in your glass. I think that probably classical music is going to be the best way to describe Cheval Blanc, because the diversity of the plot is very similar to the diversity of the musicians who play in an orchestra. For me, all vintages are like classical music, with complexity and diversity. However, when I think about vintages like 2009 and 2015, why not rock music? Because the wine is heavier, denser, more alive. So we can use many different music to describe Cheval Blanc depending on the vintage.”
Château Clinet, Pomerol: Ronan Laborde, Owner and Managing Director
“It depends on the vintage. Some vintages are very noisy. So, it can be rock and roll or even hard rock. Sometimes it's more elegant and classic.”
Wine and music: Feminine heart
Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Premier Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Émilion: Stéphane von Neipperg, Owner
“For me, Canon-la-Gaffelière is the French ballad, for example, Édith Piaf. It's smooth and there’s a melancholy inside that’s powerful and elegant.”
Château Canon, Premier Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Émilion: Nicolas Audebert, Winemaker and General Manager
“We try to be extremely precise when making wine, so something simple in terms of music, probably could be Bossa Nova. You have a bit of intensity, structure, and depth in the background with a vibrant, feminine voice on top. This combination is very simple and very elegant.”
Bordeaux vineyards: The four seasons
Château Calon-Ségur, Third Growth, Saint-Estèphe: Vincent Millet, General Manager
“You know, wines follow the rhythm of the seasons, and I would say that if there were a beautiful piece of music to listen to, it would be Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.”
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