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PAST COMMANDERIE EVENTS (2009 onwards)

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You can view some of the events that were held prior to 2008 by clicking on this link.

Otherwise, click on the following links to view the menu and wines presented in Past Events held in 2009 onwards.

Click on the photos to view full sized shots taken at these events (webmaster is continually uploading the photos onto the following link http://picasaweb.google.com/commanderie.sg).

Dinner with Edouard Miaihe, Owner of Chateau Siran on 21 Jan 09
The dinner was held at Cassis at 6 Rochester Park. Click on menu to view the delectable food and wines that were served that evening.

A Vintners Evening on 26 Mar 09
Our dinner was with Didier Barbas of Pape Clement and showcasing wines from other Magrez Family vineyards.

2009 AGM Dinner held on 29 Apr 09
Our annual AGM was held on 29 Apr 09 at DOMVS Restaurant at Sheraton Towers Hotel. Please click on minutes of the AGM to review the minutes and know who are elected to the new council, and on the menu for the dinner for details of the delectable food and wine for the evening.

Joint Chaine des Rotisseurs and Commanderie de Bordeaux Dinner held on 13 Jun 2009
This joint event was held at Pan Pacific Hotel in Marina Pacific Rms 1 and 2. Click on menu to view the marriage of good food and wines for that night. The Chaine has cordially invited Commandeurs to view the photos taken by Dr Jen by following the link, or cut and paste it to your internet web browser : http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=DJSW2009&target=ALBUM&id=5356713352986196433&authkey=Gv1sRgCMfkoODD6_qE2wE&feat=email

Bastille Day Dinner on 13 Jul 09
This Bastille Day Dinner was celebrated with H.E. Pierre Buhler, Ambassador of France and Bernard de Laage de Meux, Director of Chateau Palmer on Monday, 13th July 2009. The venue for this celebratory event was held in the Atlantic Dining Room - Tower Club at the Republic Plaza Tower 1. For more details, please click on the menu for the menu.

Bins End Dinner on 7 Oct 2009
Our annual Bin End Dinner was held Wednesday 7/10/2009 at La Breeza, Level 2, St Regis Hotel. Lots of interesting wines including 94 Aile D'Argent Blanc-Mouton Rothschild, 85 Ygrec-Cheateau Y'quem, 89 Gazin, 89 Leoville Lacases, 90 Rayne-Vigneau, 90 Suduiraut, etc. Check here for the menu. 24th Anniversary cum Induction Dinner, with Association of St Emilion Grand Cru on 9 Nov 2009.

We are proud to present our 24th Anniversary cum Induction Dinner.  The event coincides with the visit by The Grand Cru Association of St. Emilion. We welcome the large delegation from St. Emilion (18 Chateau Owners / Representatives).

We are glad to announce that the new French Ambassador to Singapore, HE Olivier Caron will be inducted as a member on 9/11/2009. Kindly come early to lend your support to the following who will also be inducted into "Our Hall Of Fame":-

Michael Seet
Michael Loke
Soichiro Yamaguchi
Nana Chua
Alfred Leung
Glenn Chin
Raymond Lee
Jon Vestal
Julian Cheong
Patrick Goh

A slight change in timing:- 7.00pm - Induction, 7.45pm - Cocktails, 8.15pm - Dinner (these timings override the RSVP below).

Check the menu and RSVP.

Golf Game - a Rematch on 10 Nov 09

On our visit to Bordeaux in May 09, the St. Emilion Association hosted us to a golf match which ended in a tie. On the morning of 10th Nov, we will have a rematch. For the golfers among us who would like to participate, please contact le Maitre (Kok Leong).

Ch Pontet Canet Dinner.

The Pontet Canet Dinner scheduled for 13/11/09 at the Decanter Room, St. Regis Hotel is postponed as the dinner coincides with a major Regional Forum and access to the hotel will be severely constrained.

BYO Dinner on 5 Jan 10.

The dinner featured wines from 1980 to 1999 vintage. Members drew upong their cellars to showcase their wines from this period. Follow the link for the sumptuous Menu cooked by the renowed chef at the Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant, and of course "wiped out" by our members and guests.

AGM cum Dinner on 9 Apr 10.

Our Annual General Meeting was held 6.30pm at the Port Room, Harbour Grill - Hilton Hotel. This was followed by dinner with Emmanuel Cruse, Owner of Chateau D'issan who presented six vintages from his estate. Chateau D'issan has considerable history. The Chateau that stands here today was erected in the 17th century. It was classified as a third growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux. During world war 2, the Chateau was occupied by german troops and by the time peace arrived it was in a sorry state as were the vineyards. Their saviour was the Cruse family who purchased the property in 1945. With only 2 hectares of the estate still committed to vines. There was much work to be done and this was duly undertaken. Today, the vineyard is 53 hectares out of a total of 120 hectares, the rest being pasture. The effort and expenditure the Cruse family have poured into Chateau D'issan over the ensuing decades are paying off and recent vintages have given us some very good wines. The main vineyard which gives rise to the grand vin has a typically gravely terroir and is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Chateau D'issan is sourced from vines with an average age of 35 years and sees 50% new oak, the average vine age for the second wine, Blason D'issan is 18 years and goes into oak of which 35% is new.
Emmanuel Cruse also serves as the President/Grand Maitre of The Medoc and Graves, Sauternes and Barsac Commanderie du Bontemps. The Bontemps was founded in 1949 and is the largest of the 16 brotherhoods that form the Grand Conseil du Vin de Bordeaux. Please click here for the Menu.

The Quartet of Beychevelle, Guiraud, Kirwan and Latour-Martillac - 29 May 10.

We were pleased to host lunch on Saturday 29/5/10 for the Owners/Representatives of Beychevelle, Guiraud, Kirwan and Latour-Martillac. Check out the menu . For more information of the Quartet

Ch Ducru Beaucaillou Dinner on 4 Jun 10.

We were pleased to welcome Stephen Lemaitre of Ducru Beaucaillou who will guide us through the fabulous wines of this 2nd growth estate situated in St. Julien. The property has belonged to the Borie family since 1941 and when one speaks of the wines of Ducru we hear the essence of elegance, symmetry, balance, breed, class and distinction. Ducru is one of Bordeaux's most expensive second-growths, reflecting the international demand for the wine and the consistently high quality.he dinner featured wines from 1980 to 1999 vintage.

Bastille Day Dinner on 15 Jul 10.

Our annual Bastille Day dinner was held at Mandarin Oriental hotel , with His Excellency Olivier Caron as our Guest of Honour. Click here to view the wines and dishes tasted that day.

Bins End Dinner on 15 Sep 10.


Dinner at Pamplemousse and click here for the menu.

Chateau Figeac (Members Only) Dinner on 13 Oct held at Infuzi, Biopolis, Chromos Block.


As a tribute to Thierry Manoncourt who died August 27th 2010, the council had put together a dinner featuring some of the best vintages from the sixty plus years he was at the helm of Chateau Figeac. Vintages served were 2000, 1995, 1990, 1986, 1983, 1982, 1964, 1911. Thierry was born in 1917 and took charge of Chateau Figeac (Family owned since 1892) in 1947 although his first vintage was 1943. He was Co-founder of the Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux and also served as head of the Jurade de St. Emilion for many years.

Chateau Branaire Ducru Dinner on 27 Nov 10 at Hilton Hotel, Vista 2&3.


The origin of the Branaire-Ducru vineyards may be traced to the 17th century when they were once part of the estate at Chateau Beycheveue. Part of the estate purchased by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre in 1680 became what we know today as Branaire-Ducru. During the creation of the 1855 classification, Branaire-Ducru was ranked as a fourth growth. In 1899 the estate was bequeathed to 3 nephews, these three live on today on the Branaire-Ducru Label, each represented by a crown. In 1988 Branaire-Ducru was purchased by Patrick Maroteaux. There are 50 hectares planted with roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernot Franc & 3% Petit Verdot. Its neighbours include Beychevelle and St. Pierre. We were honoured to have Patrick Maroteaux take us through six vintages over dinner. Click here for the menu.


25th Anniversary Dinner on 10 Dec 10 held at Hilton Hotel.


Our society was founded in 1985. We gathered to celebrate the 25th Anniversary with a 1985 vintage dinner. During dinner, we introduced a silent/open auction of Bordeaux wines to raise funds as a contribution to charity/society. We have been advised that the tax deduction is 250%, the contributor will get a receipt based on an assessed value of the wine contributed with the purchaser getting a receipt based on the purchase price less assessed value. His Excellency, Olivier Caron, the French Ambassador was our guest of honour, and other guests include Vincent Cheung, Grand Maitre for Asia and Agustin Que, Maitre of the Jakarta Chapter. We returned to the Hilton for our dinner. As always, they have been impeccable in their wine service and the food was consistently of a high standard for the evening. Click here for the menu.
Members donated generously wines from their impressive cellars for a charity auction dinner during the dinner; these wines included 2004 Pichon Lalande - magnum, 2003 Laville Haut Brion - magnum, 2001 Haut Brion Blanc - magnum, 1983 Haut Brion - double magnum, 1983 Margaux - bottle, 1982 Latour - bottle, and 1979 Leoville Lacases - double magnum.

For the complete set of pictures taken by our professional photographer for the evening, Simon Leo, follow his picasa link here.
See below for some of the pictures taken from his album and click on the thumbnails for a bigger sized picture.


Dinner with No Menu paired with 2001 Vintage - 22 Feb 11.

At our 25th Anniversary Dinner, we managed to raise $31,000/- for the Northlight School. A big thank you to all who contributed wines and those who bid for them.

We kick off 2011 with a 2001 vintage dinner. We hope this will be a permanent feature in our society's calender to do an annual 10 years after the harvest event.

The dinner will start with a rose from Troplong Mondot followed a few second wines. We will then feature one wine each from St Estephe, St Julien, Graves, St Emilion, Pomerol and Sauternes.

Ten wines in all to go with 10 courses at No Menu, Osvaldo Forlino's new restaurant. As the name suggests there is no fixed menu, so come and let Osvaldo surprise you.

Wines to be served in the following flights:

  • Clairet De Mondot

  • Pagodes de Cos, Reserve de Comtesse, Clos du Marquis

  • Cos Estournel, Leoville La Cases, Gazin, Cartier, La Mission Haut Brion

  • Lafaurie Peyraguey

    • UGC Tasting - 8 Mar 11

    The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux will be organizing a 2008 Tasting on Tuesday, 8 March from 1430 to 1730 hours. We have arranged for free admission for our members but admission is strictly by registration only, so kindly register with us if you intend to attend. The origin of the Branaire-Ducru vineyards may be traced to the 17th century when they were once part of the estate at Chateau Beycheveue. Part of the estate purchased by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre in 1680 became what we know today as Branaire-Ducru. During the creation of the 1855 classification, Branaire-Ducru was ranked as a fourth growth. In 1899 the estate was bequeathed to 3 nephews, these three live on today on the Branaire-Ducru Label, each represented by a crown. In 1988 Branaire-Ducru was purchased by Patrick Maroteaux. There are 50 hectares planted with roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernot Franc & 3% Petit Verdot. Its neighbours include Beychevelle and St. Pierre. We were honoured to have Patrick Maroteaux take us through six vintages over dinner. Click here for the menu.

    Judgement of Singapore - 22 Jun 11

    The Judgement of Singapore to be held on 22 Jun 11 at Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar, Blk 7 Dempsey Road. In the spring of 1976, in Paris, Steven Spurrier came up with the idea of doing a comparative blind tasting of unheralded napa cabernets with the top chateaux of bordeaux and, for whites, california chardonnays alongside white burgundies. French winemakers, critics and merchants were asked to give numerical ratings to all the wines they tasted blind. These numerical ratings were then tallied, and the winners were, to everyone's astonishment, an american red and white.So absurd to most people was the notion of such a tasting that only one journalist showed up, this was George Taber, Time Magazine correspondent. Taber's piece in Time Magazine and subsequent book, "The Judgment of Paris", set off a wave of press coverage around the world. Even today in the United States this tasting is spoken about in reverential tones and there are very few american winemakers and critics who don't cite it as a watershed event.
    A 30-year Anniversary re-tasting was organized by Steven Spurrier in 2006. The same wines were tasted again after 30 years and again California prevailed. We have put together a comparative tasting of our own.
    We will however not be scoring the wines. It is a tasting to enjoy what Bordeaux produces and how Bordeaux- like wines from California come across. Kok Leong, Maitre.

  • A dinner tasting of Chateau Lafon Rochet - 12 Jul 11


    • The origins of Lafon-Rochet date back to the 16th century. The current owners, the Tesseron family from Chanterais were farmers, landlords who specialised in the production, blending and selling of cognac, they purchased the estate in 1959. Guy Tesseron's move to Bordeaux was motivated in part by his marriage to Nicole Cruse, of the Cruse dynasty who owned D'issan.

    His acquisition of Lafon-Rochet brought him some untidy vineyards and a collection of derelict buildings. The latter he dealt with by demolition, replacing it with a newly constructed edifice painted a vibilant yellow hue. In 1975 Guy acquired Pontet-Canet from the Cruse family. Both Chateau subsequently passed on to the next generation with Lafon-Rochet coming to Michel. We are delighted to have Michel's son Basil take us through 6 vintages on the 12th of July.

    The grand vin is Lafon Rochet and the second wine, Pelerins de Lafon-Rochet.
    Lafon-Rochet produces, certainly from the 1990s onwards, good value wines with plenty of structure, flavour and appeal.
    This dinner is limited to 25 pax, so do sign up early.

  • 16 Jul 11 - Celebrating Bastille Day with Chateau Pichon Lalande, in the company of our honoured guest, the Ammbassador of France


    • Our annual Bastille Day Dinner with His Excellency, Olivier Caron as guest of honour will be held 16th July at the Raffles Grill. We will be serving wines from the great second growth estate, Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande. Menu and RSVP.

    The early history of Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande naturally matches that of its twin sibling, Pichon Baron.  The two having both been created from the great Pichon estate, the estate as a whole dates back to the time of Bernard de Longueville, the son of Francois de Pichon.  The family assumed the barony of Longueville when Bernard married Anne Daffis de Longueville in 1646.

    Their second son, Jacques married Therese de Rauzan of the family behind
    Rauzan-Segla and Rauzan-Gassies.  Her father, Pierre had purchased several
    plots in the commune of Pauillac, these vineyards became a dowry for Therese
    and they formed the foundation of the Pichon vineyard.

    The split came when Joseph de Pichon died.  He had five children, two sons and three daughters.  Only one of the boys was still alive and he assumed the title of Baron and ended up with two shares and thus the Pichon-Baron die was cast.

    The remaining three shares passed to the daughters, these vineyards forming the nexus of Pichon-Lalande, Pichon-Lalande came under the direction of one
    daughter in particular, Marie-Laure-Virginie.  She had married Comte Henri de
    Lalande in 1818 and has thus taken the title of Comtesse de Lalande.

    In 1924, Edouard Miailhe purchased the estate but it is his daughter, May-Elaine de Lencquesaing who has been responsible for the current fame.  She came on board in 1978 till 2007 when Pichon-Lalande was purchased by the Rouzaud family of Roederer.

    Its vineyards lie both in Paullac and St. Julien, the latter characteristic
    often given as the reason for Pichon-Lalande's supple style.  The blend is a
    majority of Cabernet Sauvignon and includes Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit
    Verdot.

    We are honoured to have His Excellency, Olivier Caron join us for our Annual
    Bastille Day celebrations.


    18 Aug - Bin's End Dinner at Ngee Ann City


    It was the time of the year where we dress down, relax and gather for our Bin End Dinner. Richard Lee, our Regent had kindly arranged for us to sup at the penthouse of Ngee Ann Development, Ngee Ann City. The Hilton hotel provided free grub as a token of appreciation for our support through the years. There were wines from 1985, 1989 and 1990 among others.

    5 Nov - Lunch with Christopher Salin at Imperial Treasure, Great World City

    We were pleased to host lunch for Christoper Salin, President of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, the owner of Lafite, Evangile, Duhart-Milon and Rieussec. Each of the privileged attendee brought a bottle from the above Chateaus. Lafite from 1975, 1987, 1990, Evangile from 1989, 1990 and 1999, and Rieussec from 1983 were spotted on the tables.

    There were wines from 1985, 1989 and 1990 among others.

    8th November - Nicolas Glumineau, the Technical Director of Chateau Montrose will present his estate's wines.


    Someone once said, "The key to success with Montrose, is to tuck away a bottle in the cellar and then simply forget about it.  On returning in fifty years you will find a vinous pleasure beyond the comprehension of us were mortals".

    Chateau Montrose is one of the youngest of all the classified growths of the Medoc.  At the end of the 18th century the land which today is the Montrose vineyard was moorland.  In 1778 it was acquired, as part of the Calon-Segur estate.  Attention was drawn to part of the estate, a plot of land to the south of the Calon vineyard and adjacent to the Gironde entitled La Lande de L'Escargeon.  The soil beneath was graveily and emminently suitable for the vine.  The plot was renamed Montrose and the wines were initially sold as Montrose-Segur.

    Montrose went on the market in 2006, the buyers being the bouygues brothers, construction and telecommunications magnates.  They installed Jean Delmas of Haut Brion fame to be in charge of the chai.

    From an initial 67 hectares, the estate has seen considerable expansion, so that today it accounts for 95 hectares, much of this increase came via the purchase in 2010 of 22 hectares from Phelan-Segur.

    The vines themselves are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

    The oak utilised is 60% new for the Grand Vin, Chateau Montrose (typically 19000 cases/annum), the remaining 40% one year old and the duration of the elevage may be 16-18 months.  For the second wine, La Dame de Montrose (typically 9000 cases/annum) the oak will be 15-20% new, and the elevation will be around 12 months.  The Dame for whom this cuvee is named is Yvonne Charmolue who ran the estate from 1944 to 1960.

    We are honoured to have Nicolas Glumineau, the Technical Director of Chateau Montrose take us through a tasting of this estate's wondeful wines.We will also be having our Induction of new members on this day. Menu and RSVP as attached.

    11th or 12th December

    - Our last dinner for the year will feature representatives from Haut-Bages-Liberal a 5th growth from Pauillac and Durfort-Vivens a 2nd growth from Margaux.