The Ultimate Bootcamp: Bordeaux Mentor Week 2023 diary

“The  program has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities, and I’m committed to applying everything I’ve learned and passing it on to both my generation and the next”
Lorna Kipkosgei 

We have just finished the 2nd edition of the Bordeaux Mentor Week, with our seven brilliant scholars (selected from 320 applicants this year)

• Sebastien Gonzalez from Santiago, Chile 
• Onyeka Obichia from Conneticut, USA
• Eric Palmer, from Atlanta, USA 
• Folakami Alli-Balogun, from Lagos, Nigeria
• Lorna Kipkosgei from Nairobi, Kenya 
• Lily Kittisrikangwan, from Bangkok, Thailand
• Savi Wakchaure, from Mumbai, India 

DAY 1
Our first visit was at Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, a grand cru classé located in Saint Emilion, part of Vignobles K. We were met by technical director Emmanuelle Fulchi d’Aligny, who gave us an overview of the estate, and got the team ready for harvesting a plot of Merlot grapes.

It was the first experience of being so close to the process of winemaking for many of the scholars – and the first time harvesting for all seven scholars. Our morning in the vines was followed by a tour of the chateau including the wine cellar, where we were able to watch the process of filling the barrels using dry ice to prevent the grapes from oxidation (something that becomes more of a risk once the stems have been removed after harvest). This allowed the group to understand the impact of small details such as the quality of barrels, and how they contribute to the process of creating the final product.

We followed with a harvest lunch with Emmanuelle and Marion Gairin, the head of tourism at the château. We discussed the benefits of having organic certification – as they do at Vignobles K, and what are the potential drawbacks of it in terms of allowable vineyard treatments. It was interesting to hear that organic certification is less common than you might imagine.

The afternoon was spent at Château Bellefont-Belcier, where we were hosted for Mentor Week 2023. Our first day coincided with their L’escapade Gourmande where 40 stands of wine, food and luxury goods, including Maison Mornier watches and Ducati motorbikes, were set up around the beautiful gardens. This was an on-trade event aimed at chefs and sommeliers around France. The scholars were able to taste wines from Hungary, Italy, Burgundy, Bordeaux and more, while chatting with the owners and producers. 

The day ended with a relaxed pizza night in St Emilion, accompanied by Vignobles K director Jean-Christophe Meyrou.

DAY 2
The day started at Chateau Lynch Bages in Pauillac, where the scholars took part in a VINIV blending session. This company, formally known as CrushPad, has existed since 2009, and been located at Lynch Bages as VINIV since 2012, aimed at allowing private clients to make their own barrel of wine.

The blending workshop was taught by director Lorraine Carrigan and Daniel LLose, the legendary winemaker who has been at Lynch Bages since 1976 (and who will be retiring at the end of 2023).

The workshop started with tasting five Merlots, two Cabernet Francs and five Cabernet Sauvignon from a variety of terroirs across Left and Right Banks of Bordeaux, all from the 2022 vintage. The scholars were then divided into teams to create their own blends, and dived into the challenge with great enthusiasm.

We then went to the harvest lunch with Lynch Bages owner Jean-Charles Cazes and his sister (and co-owner) Kinou Cazes, together with a surprise guest from Italy, winemaker Bibi Graetz. After lunch, we had a visit of the stunning new Lynch Bages cellars with Arnaud le Saux, who talked us through the process of harvesting and wine making, and the combination of traditional methods and new technologies, highlighting Bordeaux’s changing approach to wine and the industry in general. 

A central concept within the establishment is gravity – and has been since 1860. But the ways in which it is implemented is forever evolving with the needs of the vines and vintages. We were also able to visit their huge barrel cellar containing 1,600 barrels of the 2020 vintage, together with their wine library, which stocks their rarest and most precious wines including a 1975 Lynch Bages that spent five days in space. The visit ended with a tasting of the family wines, including an excellent 2016 Ormes de Pez, with a view over their vineyards.

The day continued at Chateau Kirwan in Margaux, where we were welcomed by owner Stanislas Thierry and director Philippe Delfaux. The winery was beautiful here, and we were lucky to be able to taste both the 2022 vintage out of barrel, and the 2023 vintage out of vat – from a plot of Merlot recently harvested, that was still undergoing the final phase of fermentation, making for a fascinating learning experience.

The concept of gravity was important here as well, with the air pulse system used for covering the grape skins with juice during fermentation instead of pumping over. The vats at Kirwan are concrete, chosen for their temperature regulation ability, with 37 of them relating to their 37 hectare property (unchanged in size since 1855).

Our 2nd day ended with a magical dinner with a four course meal accompanied by four wines, which our scholars blind-tested. These were 2015, 2009, 1995 and the last wine was a stunning bottle of 1982 Kirwan.

“Participating in the mentor week was a true once in a lifetime opportunity. Jane and Chinedu, experts in their own rights, introduced us to so many talented professionals leading the way in Bordeaux. They gave us an insider’s look at the region, visiting producers but also engaging with all aspects of the industry. Forging friendships with the the other scholars has also been a real highlight – it’s a real treat to stand among such impressive and enthusiastic people. Bordeaux Mentor Week has inspired and enriched beyond what I could have dreamed”
Eric Palmer

DAY 3
We started the day at Bernard Magrez Start-Up Win, a wine incubator aimed at helping startups in the wine sector, located in Chateau du Sartre in Pessac-Léognan (now called the Relais du Pape Clément).

As with last year’s Mentor Week, the morning took the shape of a Shark Tank game, where the scholars had individual meetings with the start-ups, asking the entrepreneurs to pitch their business and then decided which ones to invest in. One of our own scholars, Onyeka who had created and sold a coffee business in the past, gave a talk on how to stay motivated as an entrepreneur, and gave advice for fundraising and attracting investors.

After lunch, we returned to have a zoom call with Loic Pasquet, owner of Liber Pater, a wine that sells for €30,000 per bottle. His approach towards the wine industry is extremely different from most of the winemakers we met – far less traditional, with very clear views on the benefits of non-grafted wines compared to grafted, the importance of terroir, and on the benefits of breaking the rules when establishing a new brand.

It was very interesting for the scholars (and the other start-up entrepeneurs, who also stayed for this talk). He talked about “selling an experience, not the wine”, and was defiant about the traditional Bordeaux fine wine world. He was controversial and thought-provoking.

The day continued at Chateau Biac, found in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux. This is a very special estate that dates back 600 years, with vines in an amphitheatre on steep hills overlooking the Garonne river. Biac’s Lebanese owners, Youmna and Tony Asseily walked us through the property and the cellar, and explained the importance of looking after soils to ensure the estate can be handed on to the next generation, and why vines are like us in this way – ‘We are the sum of our ancestors’.

As a small estate, they don’t sell wine during En Primeur, but are present in many leading restaurants of the world. They are also beginning a new project with a whisky distillery in the Isle of Harris, Scotland, who are using their barrels. We smelt two different barrels with different levels of toasting in the cellar, to understand the impact this makes. 

The dinner was in a fairytale setting on the terrace outside of the château, under a large tree filled with lights, and the welcome was beautiful.

DAY 4

“One of the most important and enriching weeks for my career as a sommelier”
Sebastian Gonzalez

The day started in Libourne, at JB Audy négociant, located on the historic quayside overlooking the Dordogne river. We were met by 4th generation owner Jean-Baptiste Bourotte. As we had done with everyone that we met during the week – we asked about his journey into the wine industry, and as many others, the first part of his career was not in wine. The point of asking everyone that we encountered was to enlarge the narrative around possible routes of entry into the industry.

Jean-Baptiste had worked for Cartier in countries such as Uruguay, before coming back to the family business. He pointed out the importance of adaptability and being willing to find solutions, as well as the importance of not taking anything personally, in this instance: “your product isn’t you”.

We were then taken on a tour of his warehouse, holding over 3 million bottles in a 1,500 metre space. This tour was centred around the business and branding aspect of Bordeaux wines, a new perspective that hadn’t been fully addressed to this point. Jean-Baptiste explained the négociant’s role within the industry, from how to deal with En Primeur to managing stock control, splitting purchases between big name estates and petit châteaux, and the role of courtiers, or brokers, within the system. It was fascinating learning the interconnectivity of cash flow with the industry. 

This was followed by a tasting of Jean-Bapsiste’s wines, together with a terroir tasting of the same grape variety across different soils in the same estate, and then a wonderful picnic lunch at Château Bonalgue in Pomerol.

Our last château visit of the week was at Fonplegade with Hakima Dib, the estate director. This Saint-Emilion property is organic and biodynamic, and we were warmly welcomed with a quad car that took us to the highest point of the estate where we had organic tea made with lemon and chamomile, and had an excellent talk by biodynamic expert, and consultant, Corinne Comme.

This was followed by a visit of the cellar and a wine tasting held in a luminous and spacious room. We explored the concept of balance within the organic sphere, and how different vintages require different approaches to find the correct balance between air =elegance, water = freshness, earth = depths, fire = aromas. 

DAY 5 

“A week full of knowledge, inspiration, emotions, connections, memories, laughter, hugs and lot more. From sharing knowledge to sharing laughter, we all became friends and it was such an honour to be able to spend time with everyone”
Savi Wakchaure

Our final day was in Bordeaux at the Cité du Vin, an immersive and unique museum exploring wines through their history and around the globe. The scholars were given a talk and private tour of the facilities by board member Sylvie Cazes and marketing director Aurelie Lascourreges. This is a must-see in Bordeaux, designed by Anouk Legndre and Nicholas Desmazieres established in May 2016 offering an immersive experience in the world of wine. 

We then had a talk on the importance of wine tourism to Bordeaux chateaux, and specifically Vignobles K, by Rachida Hammoush, the director of tourism at Chateau Bellefont Belcier and the other châteaux owned by Peter Kwok.

This was followed by a lunch at the Halles de Bacalan.

We then returned to Chateau Bellefont-Belcier for the scholars to film video explaining their careers, their week and what they hope to accomplish in the future.

Our final dinner was held at the château, with the scholars, key members of Vignobles K and other leading wine figures such as Jean-Guillaume Prats, together with the Mentor Week sponsors IWSC Foundation and Gerard Basset foundation, and journalists from Terre de Vins, C’est Madame qui chosit le vin, Trace TV and Sud Ouest. A 6 course meal was prepared by Cheffe Kafoui Ageou.

The last evening was one full of love, passion and excitement for the future of the scholars, and the mentor week programme. Thank you to the charitable foundations who supported the creation of this week, to Chateau Bellefont-Belcier and all the chateaux that welcomed the group, and to everyone who donated their time and expertise to make this 2nd edition such a success.

And of course to Jane and Chichi.

Final words to Adam Lechmere, representing the IWSC Foundation, who spoke at the dinner and said, “If there is a new set of faces for the new generation of wine, then we are looking at them’.

Diary written by Lauren Anson