Inside Bordeaux New Year Quiz: Questions and Answers

Which 1855 red wine estate in the Médoc has the largest area under vine, and who owns it? Extra point for accurately guessing the size

Château La Tour Carnet, Bernard Magrez, 220ha, after recent purchases of vines (the 1855 estate is within AOC Haut-Médoc)

I will also add here that Château Margaux, that got a LOT of mentions, is 262ha, but only 87ha are planted with red varies (Margaux appellation) and 12ha planted with Sauvignon Blanc (Bordeaux appellation) – which is a total of 99 ha. The size of the estate, they confirmed, has more or less remained the same for the past 500 years…

Which female Napa winemaker worked at both Latour and Petrus?

Maya Dalla Valle

Which Pessac Léognan Cru Classé de Graves estate celebrated 25 years with the same owner in 2023?

Château Haut-Bailly, with the Wilmers family

Which iconic Australian wine is joining the Place de Bordeaux for the first time in 2024?

Penfolds Grange

Who is the new MD of Château Margaux?

Alexis Mentzelopoulos (MD and CEO slightly different usage in UK and US English, so I am also accepting Philippe Bascaules in the event of a tie elsewhere)

Which Champagne house did Artemis Domaines sell in 2023, and to who?

Champagne Henriot to Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC)

Which of these is not owned by a Champagne House?

Ch d’Esclans
Domaine d’Ott
Domaine de L’Ile

Which anniversary does Vieux Chateau Certan celebrate in 2024?

100 years of the Thienpoint family

Which chateau did ex-Masseto winemaker Axel Heinz join in 2023?

Château Lascombes in AOC Margaux

In memory of Jean-Michel Cazes, long-time owner of Château Lynch Bages, which vintage of Lynch Bages went into space, and when? Bonus point for naming the astronaut who took it with him.

1975, Patrick Baudry (again, in the event of a tie elsewhere, I might just give an extra point for saying it was a half bottle)

Which St Emilion château was blind tasted in the Apple+ tv version of Drops of God?

Couvent de Jacobins 1961 and Cheval Blanc 1999 – one point for mentioning either of them (if a draw, perhaps a bonus for mentioning both!)

Which château is linked to the new Mondrian hotel that opened in Bordeaux in December 2023, and how?

Château Carmes Haut Brion, same owner Patrice Pichet

Who celebrated their 50th birthday in 2023 with a visit to Petrus, and bonus question how did they travel to Bordeaux?

Jay Brown, on the Orient Express (allegedly!!) – Jay-Z was with him, but was celebrating his 54th birthday.

Which Chablis house did Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) buy in 2023?

William Fèvre

Château Carbonnieux planted a new pecan tree for Thomas Jefferson in February 2023 – who planted it, and why?

Denise Campbell Bauer, Ambassador of the United States in France, after the tree originally planted by Thomas Jefferson 235 years ago suffered extensive damage after a storm in September 2022.

Which wine was Connor Roy drinking on his own at his rehearsal dinner in Succession?

Château Haut-Brion 1989

The 2021 Mouton Rothschild label was revealed to be by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. Which two other Japanese artists have created labels for Mouton, and in which years?

The first Japanese artist to design a label for Mouton was in 1979, from Kyoto-born Hisao Domoto. In 1991, Setsuko became the second Japanese artist.

Which Bordeaux appellation changed its statute to include red wine in 2023 ?

Entre deux Mers

Sideways celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024 – which vintage of Cheval Blanc did Miles drink in the film, and where did he drink it?

Cheval Blanc 1961, in Macdonalds out of a polysterene cup

Which 1855 estate has recently released a cuvée made from ungrafted Cabernet Sauvignon vines?

Château Dauzac

Which wine fraudster was released from prison in 2023? How has he made the headlines since?

Rudy Kurniawan, and he is hosting wine dinners comparing ‘official’ wines with their forged counterparts.

The architects Herzog and de Meuron have designed three winery buildings for the Moueix family. Dominus, Belair-Monange and which other?

Refectory La Fleur Petrus

Which Pessac Léognan estate has sponsored the American Cinemathèque Awards since 2019? Which actor won the award in 2023?

Malartic Lagravière, Helen Mirren

In Percy Jackson and the Olympians television series, released in 2023, which wine does Dionysus request that Percy brings him?

Château Haut-Brion 1985

Why was Château de Fargues not included in the 1855 classification, despite its owners the Lur Saluces family owning the estate since 1472?

It was not producing sweet wine at the time

How many (red) 1855 estates make a dry white wine under the Vin de France label?

Three: Château Palmer, Château du Tertre, and Blanc de Noirs de Durfort-Vivens. Château Kirwan will be joining them in 2023. In total, as an aside, 20 1855 red estates now make a dry white wine, although not all commercialise them at this point.

… and finally, for an extra bonus, what was particularly significant about the year that then-Prince Charles was asked to provide the Mouton label?

100 years of the Entente-Cordiale between France and Britain