Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-22
A LONDON LETTER.

IbllOho AhRdLO-l hdNC lOI Ahny
years had a desire to visit the celebrated
"Medoc" region in France, and examine
the soil of its vineyards and the methods
adopted there in the culture of the vine
and the manufacture of the wine for
which this locality is 80 famous. l
wished to compare this soil and these
methods with the soil of California and
the Californian method of making wine.
And 30, when 1 came to France and had
seen Paris and the great exposition, 1
went direct to Bordeaux. had been
for many years drinker of the fine
wines of Medoc, and Sauternes bearing
the well kno wn brand Of the old and
reliable firm of Barton & Guestier.
Therefore on my arrival at Bordeaux it
was but natural that should look them
up, not only because knew them by
reputation, but because this house is at
the head of all the Bordeaux wine-
houses. I was pleased to find that all
the members of the firm spoke English !;
and upon making myself known I was
received with that proverbial French cour-
tesy which makes an American feel at
home at once upon being introduced into
the society of French gentlemen. I was
shown through the immense cellars, in
which are stored over 1,000,0 bottles
and over 10000 casks or hogsheads of
the white and red wines of Bordeaux,
and q few hundred casks Of choice
brandy. Here are wines of almost
priceless value - Chateau Margaux,
Chatau Latte, Chateau La Tour and Ls-
vile dating away back early in the CEN
tury. Some of these rare wines are in
huge bottles holding two gallons each,
and are covered inches deep with the
mold and dust of over half century.
On the occasion OF tho recent marriage of
Mr.. Daniel Guestier, couple of these
"Jeroboams" of Chateau Latte of 1S4l
were taken to Paris for the wedding
breakfast. They were lifted with the
greatest care, so as not to disturb the de-
posit, and were carried to the railway
station by careful men in exactly the
same horizontal position in which they
had lain in the cellar for all these years.
These men carried them in q separate
compartment in the train, and on their
arrival at Paris took their precious
charge to the Guestiers' mansion, and go
we'll had they performed their task that
the wine had not been shaken in the
least, aud was decanted in fine order
and pronounced ''nectar fit for the
GODS" But l digress. Chateau Latte
of 1841 always had tendency to make
me digress.
After had gone through miles of pas
sages with bottles of wine piled high on
each side, M. Barton, who had been my
guide through the cellars, suggested with |
a politeness and q forethought that did |
credit alike to his goodness of heart and |
his knowledge of medicine, that as the |
vaults through which I had been shown |
we're somewhat cold, had better, as q
measure, take a glass of |
brandy. told M. Barton that as was
\ stranger 1 would place my
self unreeervedly in bis hands
iucted to a secluded corner of the
cellar where were stored q few casks Of
Did and rare brandies, and here l was
treated to glass of coguac that was old |
before l was born, aud I am on the
shady side of fifty. Shades of Bacchus |
and Old Silenus! What soul-warming |
liquid that was The delicious boquet, |
the mellow favor-but again digress. |
Brandy of 1927 has the same DEPRESSING
effect upon me as the old Latte.
Barton & Guestier not only gave me
all the information in their power, but
presented me with volume Of statistics
OF the area and growth of the different
in the district, and the kind of
soil in each vineyard. Coming from
such a source, the information received
was most valuable. This firm is the old.
est in the wine trade in Bordeaux. The
partnership of Barton & Guestier was
formed in 1895, but M. Barton had carried
on business as a wine merchant for many
years before that. During the revolu.
ton M. Barton thought it prudent to
leave France for time in order to save
his head. In this respect he was more
fortunate than his friend Monsieur de
Pichard, President of the Parliament of
Guienne, and owner of the celebrated
vineyard of Chateau Latte, who was
one of the many good men who were
guillotined during the "reign of terror"
visited Chateau Margaux, Chateau
Latte, Chateau Monton- Rothschild and
Pents Cauet. There is great difference
between the soil of the vineyard of
Chateau Margaux and the others have
named. The soil of the vineyard of
Chateau Margaux is q black, rich loan
mixed with large proportion of gravel,
and the vineyard is situated in the low
lands bordering on the River Garonne.
The vineyards of Chateau Latte
and Monitor. Rothschild are situated
on a range of low hills
sloping toward the south and east, and
the soil for three feet from the surface is
composed of gravel, with which there is
but little earthly matter mixed. The sub.
soil is argilaceous clay, sufficiently
porous to permit of perfect drainage. An
analysis of the soils of all these vine
yards discloses the presence of iron in
small quantities. The same grape, the
Cabernet Sauvignon, is the one almost
exclusively grown in these vineyards.
To man not practical wine-maker
it seems, at first view, strange that the
wines of Chateau MargGux should class
as first growth" and command very
high prices, while the wine made on the
adjoining vineyard of Therme, on appar-
emily exactly similar soil, and from the
same grape, should be classed as
Fourth growth" and sell at low fig-
ure. We notice the same apparent
incongruity at Chateau Latte. 1t is a
"first growth" the finest of all. But
Dnhart-Milon, adjoining it, is q "fourth
growth" After careful consideration, l
am convinced that the superiority of the
wines of Chateau Msrgaux over the wines
of the adjoining vineyards is owing to
three causes: First, the great age of the
vines; second, the care with which the