Chef Nicolas Magie of the popular Restaurant La Cape has struck a chord with his French-Spanish-Asian fusion cuisine.
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		Bordeaux 2000 Tasting Report
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In Bordeaux today, a glorious past is struggling to survive a turbulent present, with the goal of achieving an even more dynamic future.

In the capital city, Bordeaux, streets lined with beautiful 18th century buildings are choked with traffic and dust, as construction proceeds on a multibillion-dollar tramway system.

In the nearly 300,000 acres of vineyards that surround the city and that constitute France's most important wine region, the spirit of renovation and renewal has likewise taken hold. From the leading classified-growths in the Médoc on the Left Bank of the Gironde to the winemakers operating on shoestring budgets in obscure appellations on the Right Bank, Bordeaux's nearly 10,000 vintners are preserving the best of the old traditions while fearlessly exploring new frontiers in grapegrowing and winemaking.

Visitors to this expansive, diverse region can taste and compare the Old World and the New. In the wines, and also in the food, at restaurants both experimental and traditional. After visiting the châteaus and tasting young wines from barrel, sitting down to enjoy a mature vintage with a meal puts the tasting in a pleasurable perspective. Returning to a comfortable hotel completes the experience. Bordeaux is large and not altogether easy to navigate, but with the help of this guide, a traveler will find it both educational and fun.

The Médoc can be an eye-opener for a first-time visitor driving up the lovely Route des Châteaux, route D2, past the communes of Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac and St.-Estèphe. The land is rather flat, the slight undulations in the vineyards like subtle ripples on a pond. Surrounded by manicured vineyards, the well-kept châteaus vary in style -- neoclassical, Baroque, Renaissance -- but most share a golden hue, the color of the local limestone. Alluvial sand and stones deposited over millennia form the poor soils, called graves, that yield the great Cabernet Sauvignon grapes used in the red blends of the region.

In the Médoc, you can discover the estates behind the prestige wines. It's best to call in advance for an appointment and to find out what a visit might entail, but many châteaus receive visitors free of charge, complete with a tasting.

Go beyond the familiar names, in search of the new faces, and you'll perhaps find tomorrow's stars. Bordeaux offers great diversity; the region produced 73 million cases of wine in 2001. Not all of this is worth a detour, but a pioneer spirit has taken hold in unexpected places, raising quality in Right Bank appellations such as Fronsac, Côtes de Castillon and Premières Côtes de Blaye.

Here vintners are proving that there is a bright future for Bordeaux wines from outside the established appellations. They are clearing land to plant high-density vineyards, experimenting with new methods in winemaking and viticulture, and building new wineries outfitted with top-notch equipment. The result is surprisingly rich and ripe values from areas that used to make weedy reds.

Bordeaux is on the move, although the wineries have progressed far more impressively than have the kitchens. A cursory look at the Michelin red guide tells the story: Bordeaux doesn't come close to Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Provence or southern France. Bordeaux has no three-star restaurants and only one two-star, the justly esteemed Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac.

However, the dining scene is more active, exciting and promising than Bordeaux's reputation as a culinary backwater might suggest. In November, I spent two weeks in Bordeaux, eating at about two dozen restaurants and bistros, the best of which are reviewed below. Young chefs are setting high standards with modern, energetic cuisines. Their ranks include Nicolas Magie, 30, chef-owner of Restaurant La Cape, and Franck Salein, 37, chef of the Michelin-starred La Grand'Vigne, both of whom took over the kitchens in these restaurants three years ago. Others are newer, such as Michel Portos, 39, of Le St.-James, and Laurent Blanchard, 31, of Relais de Margaux.

Although Bordeaux is anchored in the southwest, which is known for foie gras and other rich comestibles, the food served by the area's leading restaurants is refined and light yet satisfying. I came away feeling that the region's chefs are tired of playing second fiddle to the winemakers. They are determined to improve, and ready to apply themselves with the same determined effort that has worked so well in the châteaus' drive for excellence.