I am going through an adjustment phase after I got back from the Burgundy tour; feeling burnt out and lazy. During my tour, I started to miss Bordeaux just after 2 days and became rather desperate for Bordeaux wines after the third day, finding myself counting down to the last day of the tour. The feeling that I had developed about Bordeaux wines, kind of a comfort thing, was so unexpected and surprising that it seemed that my relationship with Bordeaux and Bordeaux wines had gone into a deeper stage in our time apart, like in “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I didn’t realise I would miss you this much, the charming small streets, the vibrant energy and all.

As soon as I got back to Bordeaux, I strolled down to a wine bar, another regular place called Wine More Time, to have the first sip of Bordeaux wine. Even just a sniff of smell assured me immediately that I was back ‘home’ – home at heart. It was such a great feeling.

These days I try to take notes of new wines that impress me. I didn’t have my notebook with me that night so I had to borrow paper and a pen at the bar because Chateau Franc-Maillet, Pomerol 2006 was so good and worth of attention. It was a very lush and opulent wine with a bouquet of aromas in harmony and had supple tannins and a hint of freshly-cut grass, possibly due to the high 20% of Cabernet Franc. I loved the complexity of the wine and the long persistent finish. I can imagine how lovely and sophisticated the taste will become in another few years’ time.

The other wine was Chateau La Branne, Medoc 2010, which, according to my notes, was fruiter on the nose and smoother tannin than Franc Maillet but the finish was rather short. So tonight’s winner is Franc Maillet because of its robust finish and sensuous aromas. I generally appreciate wines that give off interesting flavours on a lingering finish. It’s made with 43% M / 55% CS /2% of Petit Verdot – quite typical blend. While passing each other’s glass for tasting, the glasses got mixed up and I had to pick my Franc Maillet by sniffing. As they had very different aromas, it was pretty easy to find mine but we decided to play a little cheeky game for fun and asked one of the staff to find our wines for us. Do you do that little trick sometimes to test the owner or staff, too? 🙂 Luckily, the owner passed our test.

For the wine bar, it’s a relatively new venue, which is managed by wine experts but I find the ambience not as friendly and relaxing as my favourite l’Oenolimit, and the wines by glass are not so exciting most of the time unfortunately. They offer a very small plate of saucisson and olives to nibble but I always wish they would rather give some cheese instead. 🙂

I have to organise photos and stories from my Burgundy and Rhone trip but as my departure is approaching, I am not motivated enough to work and instead, I am more inclined to get out and enjoy the warm weather and sunshine before leaving. I will also have to make a list of wines to take back to Istanbul and start doing the stocking up of wines, saucisson, foie gras and cheese, AND drink as much as I can before I leave! 🙂