Consecration Wine
” I made Versailles for my Court, Marly for my friends and Trianon for myself. ”
Louis XIV, The Sun King
Versailles
The Grand Trianon is a French Baroque-style chateau set within its own park, in the northwestern quarter of the Domain of Versailles. It was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1687, at the request of Louis XIV.
The Sun King wanted a retreat for himself and his maîtresse-en-titre, the Marquise de Montespan, and a place where he could invite smaller groups of friends and enjoy time away from the strict etiquette of the royal court. The Grand Trianon is set within its own park.
In the same quarter of Versailles is the Petit Trianon, a smaller château built during the 1760s, during the reign of Louis XV, to provide him and his then mistress, the Comtesse Du Barry with the privacy that was so sorely lacking at the palace. Legend has it that the chateau was originally under design for a previous mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who died before it was completed.
On his accession to the throne, Louis XVI gave it to his young wife Marie-Antoinette, as a gift, this was the first time in history that a French queen became the owner of the chateau. The queen grew very fond of Petit Trianon, who gave it her own style and impression, thus forever associating the building with the queen in the public imagination.
The Petit Trianon is considered to be royal architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel’s masterpiece, a manifesto for the neo-classical movement, completed in 1768.
Saint Emilion
The Saint Emilion estate known as Château Trianon was created at the end of the 17th century by a group of influential dignitaries from Libourne and Saint-Émilion, who named it in homage to the Royal Court and the sumptuous outbuildings of the Château de Versailles, which the King of France had made his private refuge.
By the 19th century, Trianon was a property used for relaxation, recreation and pleasure, surrounded by meadows and vineyards, it belonged to the Andrieu and Lecointre families. Until 1952, only 4 ha of vines were cultivated; which they then increased to 6.5 ha.
By the turn of the Millennium the Lecointre family decided to put the estate on the market, at around the same time, Dominique Hebrard, who had been co-owner of Chateau Cheval Blanc when it sold in 1999, was casting his eye about for his next challenge. The sale was completed in 2000, and whilst the vineyard then was in poor condition, Hebrard could see its promise and was excited at the prospect of fully realizing the potential of the property, and the wines it would produce. Significant investment in redeveloping the vineyard and re-equipping the winery yielded brilliant results.
In 2017, Michel Ohayon, owner of the Financière Immobilière Bordelaise (FIB) group, became the majority shareholder of Château Trianon whilst Dominique Hebrard remains co-owner and Director of the Château, and his good friend Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus is a consulting winemaker.
Pope Francis
On the 7th of September, I found myself a guest at the pleasure of the wonderful Stanley Hotel and Suites in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where I was presenting wines paired with Executive Chef Jerome Tremoulet’s superb cooking.
My visit coincided with a visit from Pope Francis, the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City, as well as current de facto Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
The hotel’s Silver Leaf restaurant is perched upon the top floor, overlooking the Sir John Guise Stadium, the PNG National Stadium and the PNG Sports Foundation. The following morning, (Sunday) in that very Stadium, he presided over a Mass, drawing over 35,000 faithful Catholics and guests. His Holiness also met with young people, offering a message of hope and inspiration to the future generation. The mass commenced at around 7 am, but the gates were opened from 2 am to allow the full complement of attendees to make their way into the stadium, the soccer field next door serving as a runoff venue to take in the overflow, with a large screen provided to watch the sermon live.
My room on the 18th floor, peered directly out over the stadium, the stage in clear view from the floor-to-ceiling window. At around 9 am, whilst working at the desk, I peered over my shoulder – just as I had done many times that morning- to take in the activities, and there he was, clearly visible being wheeled out toward the front of the stage. I grabbed my phone camera and zoomed in as far as it would go, managing to take a couple of blurry shots as he waved to the congregation.
It wasn’t much, but to me, I’d taken the wine and I’d seen the Pope with my own eyes, and just as I always feel when I come to this amazing country, I knew that I was blessed, but perhaps just this time, I could feel truly blessed.
Le Petit Trianon Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2020
The evening before, over a magnificent dinner we sampled several splendid Bordeaux, both red and white, the Petit Trianon a standout. A blend of Merlot (92%), Cabernet Franc (5%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%), the 2020 vintage was warm and wonderful, creating plump, juicy ripeness in the merlot and black, forest berries notes in the Cabernets.
The glass offered up a bouquet of wildflowers, violets, and dried herbs, followed by whiffs of mulberry, red berries and rocky road chocolate. The fruit positively oozed onto the palate a thick creamy dollop of mulberry, Boysen berry, vanilla pod and milk chocolate, there was a jammy sweet spot mid-palate finishing with impressive length and a fine structure of silky tannin. A very enjoyable bottle of wine and incredible value for money. Keep it for a few more years, or drink it now with charcuterie, pork belly or pigeon. 89/100
Darren Gall
