Chateau Lagrange - Bordeaux

These pictures of from our trip to Bordeaux and specifically, our visit with Marcel Ducase, the winemaker of Chatuear Lagrange in the St. Julian region. We were treated to a tour of the entire operation and then dinner at the chateau! Truely an experience of a lifetime. Below are just a few pictures from that evening.

The vats of Chateau Lagrange

The vineyards of Chateau Lagrange

The tasting room at Chateau Lagrange

My Favorite Place on Earth - Bordeaux

I am an unabashed fan of Bordeaux wines. Even more specifically, my preference is for the wines of St. Julien and Pauillac. Because of that, our visit to Bordeaux in May of 2005 felt like I had found heaven on earth. Below are just a small sample of the pictures I took.

Leaving St. Julien and entering Pauillac with vineyards of Leoville Las Cases in the forground and Chateaux Pichon-Lalande (right) and Pichon-Baron (left).



The famous arch of Leoville Las Cases

The enterence of Pauillac's Lynch Bages

The vineyards of Chateau Leoville Poyferre

The fairytale like Chateau of Pichon-Lalande

Sinalunga - Tuscany

Sinalunga is a resort just outside of Siena in Tuscany where we spent part of our honeymoon. The resort is built around an abandoned 16th century village. The guestrooms, restuarant, reception, etc. are all centered within buildings that used to be the town hall and homes of villagers. In addition, they have a beautiful vineyard surrounding the land which they use to make their own "house" wine. You are allowed to wander through the vineyards to your hearts content as we did!


The Vineyards of Sinalunga

Montalcino - Tuscany

Tahirih celebrated our honeymoon by traveling to Tuscany, with a quick sidetrip to Umbria. While there, we were able to soak in the mountaintop village of Montalcino and sample a few bottles of Brunellos along the way. Highlights of the visit included a tour of Castello Banfi, a visit to the vineyards of Poggio Antico, and the unbelievable views!

The view from Montalcino

One of Castello Banfi's famous barrels.

Artwork in the cellar of Castello Banfi

The vineyards of Poggio Antico

Santa Barbara Country

Below are three pictures from my afternoon in Santa Barbara County just north of the city itself. I was able to take a couple hours and visit the region after sneaking away from a buisness off-site. In addition to soaking in the country side, I was also able to visit Los Olivos where I first discovered the beauty of Central Coast Pinot Noir. These pictures were taken in January 2003

Santa Barbara County

The View From the Highway

The Vineyards of Gainey

Gainey's Mountain View