Bordeaux in Paris

Today we walked the Paris streets for miles, started the day with tea and croissants, had a glorious roast chicken with mashed potatoes for lunch, watched the traffic insanity at the Arc de Triomphe, and visited the Galleries Lafayette.

The Galleries Lafayette, you may say, but that's a mall, why would you spend any time in Paris going there?

Well, my friends, I'll tell you:

The inside dome is stunning; there was an incredible table of herbs and spices; and then, there is Bordeauxtheque.

Mais, Jocelyn, qu'est-ce que c'est? (You have to ask me in French, or I won't answer, I'm sorry)

Well, I'll tell you what it is: Bordeauxtheque is a brand new wine store that, as far as I know, has the largest selection of Bordeaux wines anywhere in the world. And it is stunning.

It has a dark and hushed atmosphere, like a very high end bank, or spa, or jewelry store. The lighting is very low, except for strategically placed low-lit halogen lights that perfectly illuminate the wine bottle just enough so you can read the labels.

The room is designed in a circular pattern much like the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe, with shelves of Bordeaux bottles circling around a central room which contained the most extraordinary collection of wines I've ever seen:

On the cooled shelves of this low-lit room were bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, and Chateau Margaux, with vintages ranging from 1900-almost present (No 2009 yet).

As if that wasn't enough, in the center of this room was a wheel of Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes (the sweet botrytis wine). The wheel was made up of bottles encased in cooled lucite blocks, going from oldest to youngest vintage. The oldest they had was a bottle from 1899. The amazing thing to see was the difference in color between the old and young vintages, with the older wines being various shades of honey-brown, and the newer vintages a light straw-yellow.

I desperately wanted to take a picture so you could see what I am talking about, but when I took out my camera, one of the sales guys gave me his best French uh-uh-non-non-ooo-la-la face with index finger wag, so I'm afraid I have nothing to share. (Damn you, Frenchie!)

Except that if you feel like buying me a bottle of Chateau D'Yquem, I will not say non.

Tomorrow we leave Paris for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, my hubby's home.

Au revoir, Paris! A bientot....