Marie Joanna Roginska: "I was immediately fascinated by this vine-growing atmosphere"

A Wine journalist, Mary Joanna Roginska collaborates with specialized magazines and notably obtained the award of the Best Wine taster of the Year 2007 at the International Competition of the Wine Selezione del Sindaco (Città del Vino) in Italy. She recently sent us her comments on "A Fabulous Year at Chateau Gruaud Larose".

" Someone could have asked me "What a strange idea to read an ode to the glory of a great Grand Cru classified Bordeaux in a train that takes you to the burgundian vineyards?". I would have replied in a few simple words "we can do both"... and I would have continued to read my novel. I went through the book very easily, thanks to Guillaume's "dynamic writing" that brought me directly into the life of his hero, Paul, a young man "neuilly-passy style" - as we would say in Paris - who has everything or nearly everything... He wants to find himself, right in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyard, at Chateau Gruaud Larose, in search for a true direction in his life. The kind of life that he thinks he has lost in his daily luxurious Parisian world. I was immediately fascinated by this vine-growing atmosphere: I felt like I could hear the vines growing, I was breathing the fresh air of the vineyard, I was hearing an elegant music and I was in love with the good wine and the beautiful vines! I was almost with Paul in his new life. Oops! My train just arrived. Today's trip went so quickly... And I am now ready to taste some of the greatest burgundies."

Many thanks to Mary Joanna who, between France, Italy and Spain notably, visits a large number of winegrowers and tastes thousands of wines. A passion and a work that our hero Paul would have loved to experience!