ボルドー最高評議会
the Grand conseil du vin de bordeaux
CommanderIES, wine brotherhoods

Maître Christophe Waterkeyn

Our trip to visit the vineyards of Bordeaux was a blaze of friendship, an explosion of passion for Bordeaux wine shared , the summum of excellence in terms of the welcome reserved for our thirty-one Commandeurs and the exceptional quality of personalised receptions with the more than 23 creators of fine wines. All of them, without exception, touched our hearts by their kindness and we were filled with joy by the simple, friendly, accessible discussions we enjoyed with them and their straightforwardness expressing perfection.

These three days were complete happiness!

Read the Maître’s speech HERE

Here is the Programme of our visits:

Day 1
Monday 20th May
9.30 am: Welcome at the Maison des vins Fronsac
10.00 am: Visit/tasting at Château La Rivière
12.30 pm: picnic at Château La Rivière
2.30 pm: Visit/tasting at Château Dalem in Saillans
5.00 pm: a walk around the historic sites of Saint Germain de la Rivière.
8.00 pm: dinner at the Bistrot Maritime, at the riverside in Libourne

Day 2
Tuesday 21st May
9.30 am: Visit of the Quintessence Cooperage in Beychac
12.30 pm: Visit/tasting and picnic at Château La Brande in Saillans.
2.30 pm: Visit/tasting at Château Mazeris in Saint Michel de Fronsac
7.30 pm: Gala evening/inductions at Château Plain Point in Fronsac.

Day 3
Wednesday 22nd May
10.00 am: Wine tasting with Les Gentilhommes de Fronsac
12.30 pm: Visit to Château de Balestard la Tonnelle, Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Emilion. Welcomed by the Capdemourlin family and
lunch on the panoramic rooftop terrace.
2.30 pm: Visit of the property with François and Thierry Capdemourlin
5.15 pm: Visit/tasting at Château Guadet, (Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Emilion) biodynamic winegrowing. Welcomed by Guy-Petrus de Lignac.
8.00 pm: Welcomed by Denis and Martine Munck, owners of Château Lion Perruchon (AOP Lussac Saint-Emilion). Tasting and dinner.

PHOTOS
Monday 20th May
1- Château de la Rivière (at La Rivière - Fronsac): visit of the cellars, tasting and dinner at the château. Welcomed by the Managing Director, Xavier Buffo.
2- Château Dalem and Château de la Huste (in Saillans - Fronsac), visit of the winery and wine tasting. Welcomed by the owner,
Brigitte Rullier.
3-The Maître of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in Wallonia and the 1st Gentilhomme de Fronsac, Mr Patrick de Cournuaud (Château Mazeris), leaving the agro-organic mushroom caves Lo Champi Bio in Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière.

PHOTOS
Tuesday 21st March 2024

1- Château La Brande (à Saillans - Fronsac): tasting and picnic at the Château. Welcomed by the owners Maud et Benoît Souliès.
2- Château de Mazeris (Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac) : visit of the winery and tasting. Welcomed by the owners, Patrick de Cournuaud and his daughter-in-law, Amélie.
3- Exceptional visit to the Quintessence Cooperage (Beychac-et-Caillau).
4- Prestigious gala evening with the wine brotherhood, Les Gentilshommes du Duché de Fronsac and inductions at Château Plain Point in Saint-Aignan. Welcomed by Mr Bertrand Bardet, Technical Director.

PHOTOS
Wednesday 22nd May
Private tasting of wines made by twenty estate owners present, at the Maison de Fronsac, exclusively for the Commanderie. A real festival of wines and vintages, covering all the ranges of diversity of terroirs and flavours of the Fronsac area.

Arnaud d’Arfeuille – Château Tessendey
Benoît Soulies – Château La Brande
Bertrand Bardet – Château Plain Point,
Brigitte Rullier Loussert – Chateau Dalem,
Damien Landouar – Château Gaby,
Emmanuelle Bordeille - Château Lambert, Frédérique Chevalier - Château Tasta, Georges-Antoine Robert - Château Gazin,
Jean Galand – Château Canon
Jean et Patrick de Cournuaud – Château Mazeris
Marie-Christine Boye – Château Mayne Vieil,
Olivier Goujon – Château Magondeau,
Philippe Hermouet – Château Clos du Roy
Remy Rousselot – Château Les Roches de Ferrand
Sally Evans – Château George 7
Sylvie Perez – SCEA Château Richelieu,
Xavier Buffo – Château de La Rivière,
Xavier Chassagnoux – Château Renard
Xavier Collart Dutilleul – Château Mazeris Bellevue

2a- Château Balestard La Tonnelle, Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Emilion. Welcomed by the owners, François and Thierry Capdemourlin. Visit of the new winery, lunch and walk around the vineyard.
2b- Château Guadet, Grand Cru Classé de Saint Emilion. Welcomed by the owners Guy-Petrus and Catherine de Lignac and their son Vincent. Visit of the winemaking facilities, the underground cellars and a vertical tasting of numerous vintages.
3- Château Lion Perruchon – Lussac Saint-Emilion. Welcomed by the owners, Marianne and Denis Munck – visit of the winemaking facilities and dinner at the estate, with a tasting of numerous vintages.