In 2016, the « Fête de la Fleur » moves to the Jardin Public
On Friday 24 June, the Jardin Public park in the centre of Bordeaux was the setting for the 2016 Fête de la Fleur (Flower Festival), which attracted 1000 wine professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world for this traditional celebration.
An international festival to celebrate the start of flowering
Every year since 1949, when it was initiated by the Commanderie du Bontemps, the Fête de la Fleur has been an unmissable event for the world’s wine lovers, who come together for a prestigious evening to share their passion for the great wines of Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac and celebrate the flowering of the vine. Stars of cinema and music, Michelin-starred chefs and international celebrities have flocked to honour this exceptional festival with their presence.
The gala evening takes place in a château in Vinexpo years and in the heart of Bordeaux when the city is celebrating wine. The Commanderie du Bontemps Médoc et Graves, Sauternes et Barsac, led by Grand Master Emmanuel Cruse, decided this year to organise the Fête de la Fleur 2016 in the Jardin Public, a park in the centre of Bordeaux.
The Jardin Public in party mode for the evening
With decorations created for the occasion, the evening began with the famous enthronement ceremony. The Grand Master of the Commanderie du Bontemps, Emmanuel Cruse, enthroned several new commanders in 2016, including the sailor Michel Desjoyeaux. In the presence of Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux, the guests also included Régis Labeaume, mayor of Quebec, which is twinned with Bordeaux.
©Commanderie du Bontemps
A dinner dreamed up by the chef star Michelin Vivien Durand
Three wines were offered to launch the festivities: Château Brondelle white 2014 (Graves Supérieures), Château Myrat 2010 (Barsac, 2nd Grand Cru Classé) and Château Paloumey 2009 (Haut-Médoc).
The guests then enjoyed a dinner dreamed up by Vivien Durand, the Michelin-starred chef from the restaurant Le Prince Noir in Lormont.
The menu for this exceptional dinner:
Chilled hake, baby green vegetables, quail’s egg cooked in vinegar, savoury broth, early Sturia caviar
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Rack of Aquitaine milk-fed veal cooked two ways, thick-cut ravioli, baby squid in ink
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Arrokiaia tomme cheese matured and partly produced by Beñat, Saint Jean de Luz, with Charente summer truffle salad
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Crunchy rhubarb with natural juice, infused spelt fondant, chicory cream and “mitchut” biscuit
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Coffee on the patio
Accompanied by the following wines:
Château La Louvière blanc 2012 (Pessac-Léognan)
Château Rauzan-Ségla 2006 (Margaux, 2nd Grand Cru Classé)
Château Branaire-Ducru 2005 (Saint-Julien, 4ème Grand Cru Classé)
Château Mouton Rothschild 1995 (Pauillac, 1er Grand Cru Classé)
Clos Haut-Peyraguey 2009 (Sauternes, Grand Cru Classé)