Ladies, Commandeurs, Dear Friends,

Yet another busy beginning to the year, which is ample proof of the vitality and growing worldwide reputation of our left-bank wines!

And it is hardly surprising, because the Commanderie has done everything it could to promote our great Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac wines as we approach the opening of Vinexpo.

After our traditional Saint Vincent’s Day celebrations and the rainy year we have had, but which fortunately turned out to be a success, we continued with the qualification rounds of the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and finally Paris!

This contest, which is an international showcase for our Commanderie, is growing in importance year after year. And we have all noticed the amazing progress of the Asian teams!

And finally, the Fête de la Fleur will be immensely successful, as it is every Vinexpo year, and will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the acquisition of Château Lagrange by the world-renowned Japanese group Suntory.

I wish you all a great exhibition at Vinexpo.
See you on 20 June at Lagrange!

Emmanuel CRUSE, Grand Master.

The Commandeurs chose to commemorate the Patron Saint of Winegrowers, Vincent of Saragossa, in full robes before Bordeaux City Hall this year. The procession first marched to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral where Mass was celebrated at 10.30 by Jean-Pierre Ricard, Cardinal and Archbishop of the Diocese of Bordeaux and Grand Almoner of the Commanderie, followed by a blessing of the new wine.

After the Mess, the procession returned to the City Hall, then on to Hangar 14, where the traditional investitures are held. Following the ceremony, more than six hundred guests gathered for the famous Saint Vincent lunch in a festive atmosphere, worthy of the greatest tastings!

The US qualifying rounds for The Left Bank Bordeaux Cup were held on Tuesday 22 January at the Consulate of France in New York. Nine major schools were there:
1.  Harvard Business School, Boston
2.  Columbia Law School (Devinimus), NYC
3.  Columbia Business School, NYC
4.  Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago
5.  Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
6.  Yale Law School
7.  Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
8.  Stern School of Business, NYU
9.  Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

At the end of these qualifying rounds, Yale Law School and Wharton Business School were declared to be the first two teams selected for the Final of the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup 2013, scheduled to be held on Friday 14 June at Château Lafite-Rothschild.

The first semi-final for Asia was held in Hong Kong on 23 February at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Six teams took part: 
1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
2. University of Hong Kong (HKU)
3. HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE)
4. City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
5. Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)
6. Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (UST)

The winner of this first set of qualifying rounds was HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE).

A few days after the qualifying rounds in Hong Kong, eight more teams met in Park Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai to determine the second team to go through to the finals representing Asia:
1. Hubei University of Economics (CHINA)
2. Nanjing University (CHINA)
3. Tsinghua University (CHINA)
4. Chongqing University (CHINA)
5. Zhejiang University (CHINA)
6. MBA Zhejiang University (CHINA)
7. NTU SINGAPORE
8. Yonsei University (SOUTH KOREA)

At the end of this competition, Chongqing University qualified to join the finals at Lafite-Rothschild.

On 10 April, during the week of Primeurs 2012, the Commanderie du Bontemps de Médoc, des Graves, de Sauternes et de Barsac celebrated its prestigious 13th Vintage Proclamation, a much sought after event.
Organised as part of the “Primeurs” tastings, the Vintage Proclamation every year gathers all the principal merchants firms in Bordeaux.
This year, nearly 600 guests, including buyers from all over the world, connoisseurs and journalists from the national and international Press, came together to taste the new vintage of Bordeaux left-bank wines.

The five teams from UK, Denmark and the Netherlands met in the Connaught Hotel for the European qualifying rounds of The Left Bank Bordeaux Cup. They were:
- Oxford University (UK)
- Cambridge University (UK)
- Saint Andrews University (UK)
- Nyenrode Business Universiteit (NETHERLANDS)
- Copenhagen Business School (DENMARK)

Copenhagen Business School and the University of Cambridge came through to win these qualifying rounds, ready for the final contest!

For the last set of qualifying rounds, Paris-Dauphine University hosted 15 French teams at the end of May: HEC, Ecole Polytechnique, Skema Lille, Sciences-Po Paris, Mines, ESSEC, ESCP Europe, ENS Lyon, ENS Paris, Centrale, Edhec Lille, Sciences-Po Bordeaux, Faculté d’Orsay, Centrale Lille and Dauphine.

This year, the teams of ESSEC and EDHEC Lille will face the six other finalist teams at Château Lafite-Rothschild.

Château Lagrange – 16 September 2012 : M. Roger BOUGEARD ; M. Pascal CLAUDEL ; M. Yves CHARRIERE ; M. Jean-François DOUMAYROU • Château Maucamps – 18 October 2012 : Mlle ZHANG JUN ; M. ZHANG DENGCAI • Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux – 31 October 2012 : M. Monte AHUJA ; M. Arthur BIRSH ; M. Greg DONOVAN ; M. Arthur HAMMONS ; M. Jerry LANZ ; M. Steve LETBETTER ; M. Sydney MARTIN ; M. Ralph MIESEL ; M. Earl NORDBY ; Dr B.J. PARK ; M. Howard SCHER ; M. Peter VARHEGYI ; M. Wayne WINTON • Château Larose-Trintaudon – 5 December 2012 : M. Yannick BRU ; M. Philippe SAINT ANDRE ; M. Antoine MARIN ; M. Olivier FAURE ; M. Christian GAUBERT • Beijing – 9 December 2012 : Mme Wang Chunling ; M. Wu Shourui ; M. Tu Xianghui ; M. Kong Yiming ; Mme Qu Xiaoping ; M. Liu Xiangwei ; M. Wang Jianguo ; M. Cao Chengquan ; Mme Qi Hongkai ; M. Wu Weixiong ; M. Lin Hua ; M. Jiang Yong ; Mme Wang Yunna ; M. Ning Fenglian ; Mme Ma Yanzhu ; M. Fan Xiangdong ; M. Wang Hui ; M. Wang Binglong ; Mme Wen Shuai ; M. Qi Lei ; M. Guo Jianshi ; M. Rong Li ; M. Zhao Jianxin ; M. Li Xiaolin ; M. Feng Qilin ; M. Zheng Renping ; M. Liu Tao ; Mme Gao Nina ; M. Wang Boming. • Saint Vincent’s Day Celebrations, Hangar 14, Bordeaux – 13 January 2013 : M. Alain MARTUNG ; Mme Isabelle AUDOUIN WASTIN ; Mme le Colonel Véronique BATUT ; M. Lionel DESAGE ; Mme Danielle CHAT : M. Jacques LHOSPIED ; M. Hubert LEFEVRE ; M. Jacques GUYARD ; M. Jean PICHON ; M. Laurent CRESPY ; M. Matthieu CARLES ; M. Jean-Luc FOURTON ; M. Dominique TRUY • Château Léoville-Poyferré – 17 April 2013 : M. Didier van CAUWELAERT • Château Smith Haut Lafitte – 14 May 2013 : Mlle Virginie TONDEUR ; M. Christophe MARTIN • Restaurant La Tupina, Bordeaux – 25 May 2013 : M. Yann ELIES ; M. Ludovic MARTINEZ; Mme Claire PRUVOT.

The Final of The Left Bank Bordeaux Cup
Château Lafite-Rothschild

Fête de la Fleur
Château Lagrange in Saint Julien Beychevelle

Harvest Festival
Domaine de Chevalier