You may love Bordeaux; you may have tasted its most impressive examples. But how would you fare in an elite competition that tests your Bordeaux trivia and tasting skills?
On Jan. 20 at New York’s Consulate General of France, teams from universities across the United States and Canada had the opportunity to do just that at the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup (LBBC) held by La Commanderie du Bontemps de Médoc, Graves, Sauternes, Barsac, a 300-member association that promotes Left Bank wines. This was the North American pre-selection round, with other qualification competitions to be held through May in Paris, London, Hong Kong and Beijing.
The atmosphere was electric in the pink-wallpapered room at the Manhattan consulate, as each three-member team prepared to show off their Bordeaux knowledge across multiple-choice questions and a three-flight tasting. The 12 teams were:
- University of Chicago - Booth School of Business
- Columbia Business School
- Columbia Law School
- Cornell University
- Georgetown University (making its premier appearance at the LBBC)
- Harvard Business School
- McGill University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford Graduate School of Business
- UCLA Anderson School of Management
- University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School
- Yale Law School
At 5:30 p.m., the competition got going as the jury of nine—seven wearing the traditional, maroon robes of La Commanderie—took their seats. This included consul general Cédrik Fouriscot and La Commanderie grand master and Château d'Issan co-owner Emmanuel Cruse, who has led the organization since 2008. Cruse succeeded previous grand master Jean-Michel Cazes, the legendary owner of Château Lynch Bages, who organized the first LBBC in 2002.
“I am delighted to welcome you,” Fouriscot said to the competing teams. “Coming, myself, from the Southwest of France, I would like to thank the Commanderie du Bontemps for celebrating not only wine, not only Bordeaux, but also [the values of] friendship, joy and love for our terroir”.
Round One: The Quiz
Like us here at Wine Spectator, La Commanderie loves its trivia, and the competition began with 10 challenging questions about the Left Bank: “Which château released a special label for the 2020 vintage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the property’s purchase?” (Answer: Château Cos-d'Estournel). “How long has Château Pontet-Canet been practicing biodynamic viticulture?” (Answer: More than 20 years).
Questions got even more difficult toward the end of the round: “What is the name of the château in this picture?” Only Columbia Law, Georgetown and Wharton answered correctly with Château Fourcas Dupré, whose winemaker and general manager, Lucas Leclercq, was on the jury.
Round Two: A Trio of Tastings
Next, the teams tasted three flights of Bordeaux—two of red wines, one of white sweet wines. After each flight, and with the smell of oak in the air, they answered a series of questions about the wines. For example: “Two of these wines are from the 2012 vintage. Which ones?” and, “These three wines are from the same appellation. Which one?” It was a thrilling part of the evening, and the room seemed more in awe with each correct answer announced.
The first flight featured Château Talbot St.-Julien 2011, Château St.-Pierre St.-Julien 2012 and Château Gloria St.-Julien 2012. The latter two reds are from estates owned by the family of jury member Sacha Le Baube Triaud, who serves as their sales manager.
The reds in the second flight were Château Phélan Ségur St.-Estèphe 2014, Château Ormes de Pez St.-Estèphe 2014 and Château Dauzac Margaux 2014. And the three sweeties were Château Guiraud Sauternes 2016, Château Climens Barsac 2016 and Château Guiraud Sauternes 2014.
Waiting for the Results with a Glass of Wine
Tastings complete, the teams, their coaches and guests moved into another salon to share wine and, presumably, a few thoughts on the questions. Some in the room were returning to the LBBC after past appearances: “This is the first year that [we] really finalized or crystalized a training regimen,” said McGill coach and former competitor McEnroe Jean. “I’m super proud of our participants for their work this year … I’m feeling good!”
For others, this was a debut match: “We certainly had a very intensive weekend ahead of this competition,” said first-time Cornell competitor Michael Mo, noting how rigorous the selection process was for assembling the team. “The thing with Cornell is that we have a hotel school, so we already have lots of students [interested in food and beverage] … We have a much bigger qualified community, in a sense.”
“This whole process has been fantastic,” said Caity Butcher of the Booth team. “We’ve been prepping for a bit over three weeks, every day or second day … It’s been an absolute joy to really connect with the history, the terroirs, the family stories behind every single vineyard.”
As competitors chatted, laughed and awaited the results, it became clear what a special moment this was, so many young people from around the world coming together to celebrate wine. “It’s wonderful because it’s something international,” said jury member and Château Giscours general manager Alexander Van Beek. “To unite all these people together in wine creates a wonderful wine network.”
Who Were the Champions?
“For the Commanderie, this competition is very important, because you are the next generation of Bordeaux ambassadors,” Cruse told the crowd just before dinner, lightheartedly recommending that they avoid Dry January (to resounding laughter). “We are extremely pleased to have such a number of teams.”
Then, with the scores counted, Fouriscot announced which two teams were victorious and would head to the next round: McGill in second place, Harvard in first, notching their second and third New York wins, respectively.
“[Our training] was fairly rigorous this year,” said McGill team captain and former coach Graham Colquhoun. “We really wanted to have a shot; we assembled a strong team. We had an internal competition at McGill, modeled after LBBC.” The team trained for four months, even designating a Sauternes and Barsac expert (who correctly answered all three white-wine questions). “Maybe it’s less romantic, but we made spreadsheets of every label, every château.”
What comes next? McGill and Harvard will represent North America at the June final at Château Duhart-Milon Rothschild in Pauillac. There, they will compete against teams from France, Europe (beyond France) and Asia. Ahead of that competition, the finalist teams will tour the local vineyards.
But it wouldn’t be a competition without a prize: The winning teams will get double-magnums of Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac presented by vintner Baron Éric de Rothschild. Depending on their placement, the other finalists will also receive bottles from across Bordeaux.
“I’m feeling extremely excited for the opportunity to be able to participate in the final,” said Harvard team captain Kabir Gandhi. “This competition is an amazing opportunity to dive into one of the most prestigious and well-renowned wine regions in the world, if not the most. It’s an amazing opportunity for young people to engage with the complex and fascinating and storied terroir of Bordeaux.”
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