I spotted Melanie Tesseron here at the Wine Spectator GRAND TOUR Wine-Tasting in Washington D.C. ( our nation's capitol ) at the Ronald Reagon International Center before I got to her table. She stood out as she poured her wines and I knew once that I looked at the words Chateau Pontet-Canet that I would be stopping there momentarily.
I listened to her and knew immediately that I was dealing with someone French from the winery and so I spoke to her in French as she poured for me and others and I started to snap away taking my pictures and listening to her as she described her wines to others and answered any questions that they might have.
I love this bit of wine that is in the glass and which the light is passing through easily and illuminating really nicely before more enters the glass and the wine thickens and becomes more dark and opaque.
I know that I caught her off-guard and I took a picture of her with an expression that says to me : " What is this man doing? What is he up to? Que'est ce qu'il fait ce monsieur? Est ce que lui est sangle/fou? " I am of course a bit of all of this with my artistic pursuit : I admit this readily. Who knows, she may not have been thinking any of these things but I do know that I both surprised and startled her a bit with my photos, my French, my questions, my explanations of what I was doing : and my showing her the pictures that I was taking all the while.
I love that in the picture above that Melanie was pouring from a decanter. It sure did open the wine nicely and I really did enjoy my taste as I photographed her and my glass, using it to photograph things behind it like this image of her that I quite like.
Melanie, j'espere que vouz aimiez l'image de vous que j'ai pris derriere et qui entre et passe par mon verre marquer Wine Spectator GRAND TOUR 2010? Pour moi c'est un image artistique et interesant et que joindre les elements de soir-ci au batiment de Ronald Reagan Centre International a Washington D.C.
Regards-le : ce couleur magnifique, foncee, vife, brilliant, une robe rouge, avec les lumieres comme celles de la lune et les autres etoiles au ciel le soir qui circle et accentent le rouge fonde et profond et intense du vin rouge de Chateau PONTET-CANET du Pauillac, Bordeaux, France...
Et voila le regard : qu'est ce que vous pensez en ce moment Melanie? J'espere que c'est quelque chose du bonne?!? Excusez-moi pour tout ca mais j'espere que vouz allez bien aimer les resultas ici?
Look at the red finger nails, the beautiful decanter, the wineglass and the waiter's corkscrew in the other hand, the tiny white dots from the lights above on the upper surface of the decanter? It's all quite grand and the Chateau Pontet-Canet is just about to be poured into this empty wine glass. Got to love all of this as this scene here unfolds and is captured here in this photo with lots of promise and many good things to come as a result of these simple but essential actions ...
Voila! Le vin est dans le verre et tout ca c'est bien n'est ce pas vrai?!? Tout le monde est content maintenant je crois. Est ce que je peux avoir un petit plus de ce vin magnifique Melanie?
And here we have a picture of the lady that Melanie poured the wine for. This is good : it provides us all with a bit of closure here. What did this attractive young brunette think of the Chateau Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux French red? Was she as happy as I was with it? I did feel it was still young and showing both lively acidity and a middle range that was promising but still largely-undeveloped and with so much promise ahead for those patient enough to wait another 308 years or even more to drink another bottle? How many of us may manage this? How many of us have the will power to put a bottle or more away and pretend like we do not even own them?
Anyway, all of this makes me think way back when I met Melanie's uncle Alfred Tesseron when he came to Washington D.C. with other Bordeaux producers to host an evening of wine and food( a dinner ) to support the American Heart Association that Ruth Bassin is so involved with and still is even today.
I told Melanie in French that I had met her father and this opened the conversation a bit for the two of us. It was a quick exchange of stories and information as people kept passing by to taste her family's excellent wines.
I met then at MacArthur Beverages ( Addy Bassins ) four owners of their properties : Philippe of Chateau Branaire ( Dulac-Ducru ) Saint Julien, the owner of Chateau Gazin, Pomerol ( I can't read his signature on the bottle that he gave me ), Stephen of Chateau Canon-La-Gaffeliere and Alfred Tesseron of Chateau Pontet-Canet. They were all distinguished and charming and very personable. The most outspoken and ready for an immediate conversation was Alfred. He exuded confidence and refinement and class and in-your-face conversation. He looked me directly in the yes : he pushed me and tested me and waited only seconds for any response before continuing on. I spoke French with him and the others and encouraged them to have an immediate in-store tasting of one of their wines for our customers? Why not? People lucky enough to be in the store at the time would be thrilled I argued.
We all four spoke and laughed and told stories and smiled and I really feel like I hit it off well with each of them and all four of them as a group as well. I was sorry when they had to leave and it all came to an end. It was so much fun and such a thrill for me while they were all in the store on that March 4th, 2000. I would love to see them all again and tell more stories and listen to theirs and to laugh, drink eat and make merry ...
I got a bottle signed by all of them. Alfred signed a bottle of his 1997 Chateau Pontet-Canet to my wife as did the other three. I still have the other three. Recently I drank the bottle of Alfred's 1997 with my wife and a dear friend and we all enjoyed it immensely. That was maybe a year or two ago? I can't remember exactly except that we were here at our house in northern Virginia and it showed really well. Thanks Alfred, je te remercie pour cette bouteille de chez ta cave a Pauillac.
A la prochain fois et mercie Melanie pur cette experience enrechisant( enriching is what I am trying to say here ) et important pour moi. Ca m'a donner le moment pour joindre tout ca ici dans ce blog de moi. Sorry for any French mistakes that I have made here as I had very little schooling in writing, only in speaking.
To contact Chateau Pontet-Canet go to : Melanie Tesseron, Tel: +33 (0) 5 56 59 04 04, Fax: +33 (0) 5 59 26 63 33250 Pauillac, France , email : mtesseron@pontet-canet.com.
It's such a pleasure to be able to join all of these stories together into one blog with pictures here for everyone to see. I look forward sometime in the future to drinking more Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac red Bordeaux with perhaps Alfred or you Melanie? If not I will enjoy a btte with family and friends and tell these stories as they were nice experiences both for me. Cheers et sante, TONY
1 comment:
Hi!! You visited brasserie cognac and you offered as an award to the best salesman(waiter) a bottle of lot .. last month !! It s not about the money but your award .. that bottle I still didn t see any of... your award!!! Owner or not I wouldn't go giving awards unless I can find the time to honor them!! Mario !!!
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