Bordeaux And Rose-coloured Glasses
The Age
Tuesday September 18, 2007
A radical act in France has its roots in Australia, writes Jeni Port.
AH, BORDEAUX, so aristocratic, so rich and stately, so inaccessible.Traditionally you've needed a letter of introduction (usually from a friend who knows someone who has a friend who works for a wine distributor who imports a little French wine), an appointment made well in advance, a coat and tie and clothes other than jeans just to get a foot in the door of a Bordeaux chateau. Once in, it's a very, very serious affair, but even with the letter of introduction, the appointment and a clean pair of shoes, you won't meet the winemaker or the owner.They only come out for really important visitors.In Bordeaux, winemakers employ a class system not only for their wines, but for visitors.But Martin Krajewski is not a bordelais. He's an Englishman, a former corporate recruitment headhunter who, in 2004, became owner of a pretty chateau called Chateau de Sours in the Entre-deux-Mers, and now he's shaking things up as only an Englishman can in a deeply ingrained and traditional wine region such as Bordeaux.Krajewski is indulging in two projects at de Sours that will make him extremely popular with the punters and probably less so with the locals.One is opening the chateau to visitors. The other is making a rose.The inspiration for the former comes from his time in Australia.A regular visitor to the Hunter Valley, where he is a partner in a wine project called Songlines, Krajewski couldn't help noticing something we take for granted. We call it winery tourism."I was seeing everybody driving around and people at wineries saying 'come in and taste our wines'," says Krajewski."In Bordeaux, you never get beyond the threshold."So now the threshold at de Sours has been well and truly broached, with cellar-door sales introduced, a modern art gallery and accommodation on site in a three-bedroom apartment and two- bedroom cottage. A cooking and wine school is set to open in our 2008 spring (their autumn) and there's even a glossy de Sours newsletter.This man certainly knows how to jolly things up."There's a lot of old money in Bordeaux and a lot of companies owned by big giants like LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy)," he says. "From my point of view, I just wanted to engage with our customers."Krajewski is a very engaging man and shouldn't have too much trouble. Powerful, heavy-set, he might just be the fillip that Bordeaux needs, given it's a big region producing a lot of wine, not all of it aristocratic, expensive and worthy of first or second-growth recognition. That's where the rose comes in.Chateau de Sours has been producing wine for 200 years but it took a Scot - a previous owner called Esme Johnston - to make the winery's first rose in 1990. Since then the merlot-based wine has been refined and influenced by French and Australian winemakers including two associated with Krajewski's Songlines project, David Fatches and David Hooks.The Entre-deux-Mers is a geographical wine region within Bordeaux and an appellation (one of 57 in the region) for parched, mineral-edged blends of semillon, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle. The area produces 75 per cent of generic red and white Bordeaux but the emergence of rose is considered a new style, an updated version of the traditional fruity clairet.De Sours, a leading practitioner of rose, makes it via the traditional saignee or "bleeding" or "running off" method. The first free-run juice of merlot intended for its La Source Rouge is kept separate, fermented and bottled. Sometimes a little cabernet sauvignon is added.The 2006 is a sturdy wine all round, from the dark blood-orange colour to the wild strawberry/confection, earthiness on the nose and full-flavoured, spicy palate. Compared to the up-front, boisterous, fresh Australian style, de Sours is more restrained and textural, making it a lovely food accompaniment.A sparkling rose, launched last year, is a recent addition to de Sours' growing reputation with the style but is not yet available in Australia. Whether we get to see the sparkling rose and the winery's premium La Source wines depends on how well we embrace the second-tier wines now available: the rose, a white and a red.The chateau's 2005 Bordeaux Blanc, a semillon and sauvignon blanc blend, is in keeping with the rose and is similarly subtle and restrained. More semillon than sauvignon blanc in nature, the '05 should be approached with caution by those who like their sem-savs to jump out at them. With its hay, straw, lanolin and light citrus fruits against a honeysuckle background, this wine is more like a good lie-down under a Mediterranean cypress on a sunny afternoon than a party-till-you-drop type.Its sibling, the 2005 Bordeaux Rouge, offers more life and verve. Basically merlot with some cabernet franc for structure, the '05 trawls the undergrowth with briar, dusty beetroot, earth, leaf and herbal tones matched with some bright redcurrant and raspberry fruits. The structure is lean and tight and the alcohol (13 per cent) is moderate.All three de Sours wines available here are priced at $25-$27 a bottle.Chateau de Sours under Krajewski wants to be known principally for its rose, unusual for an Entre-deux-Mers property, but then Krajewski has shown he isn't too fussed about the expectations of others. He's already increased rose production from 8000 cases in 2003 to 25,000 cases last year. This year, he expects to top 30,000 cases.His Bordeaux wines sit in rich contrast with his Songlines project.The wines are primarily for the British market, with a $A110 McLaren Vale shiraz leading the way, followed by a Bylines McLaren Vale shiraz, Hunter merlot and Hunter chardonnay. But if you visit Chateau de Sours in the pretty village of Saint-Quentin-de-Baron, population 958, you'll find Songlines for sale at the cellar door and Australian art in the gallery.Surely, another first for a Bordeaux winery.Chateau de Sours' Australian importer is Haviland Wine Merchants ((02) 9929 3722). Winery: www.chateaudesours.com
© 2007 The Age
