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Blanche: a guided tour around the newest (and best) gym in Paris

By Hugo Compain

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As soon as you step into the lobby, the contrast is striking – a contemporary steel counter, not unlike a hotel reception, unfolds on the ground floor between the historic marble columns. It’s becoming a signature of the Benzaquen brothers, who open Blanche nine years after the Klay – promising a five-star sporting experience in a historic location, retaining its character. Discovered by the duo six years ago who both immediately fell in love, 21 rue Blanche is listen as a historic building; it was built in 1901 by Charles Girault , one of the four architects of the Grand Palais . From the 1940s to the 1990s, the venue was home to the École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre where giants of French cinema – Isabelle Huppert , Michael Serrault , Kristin Scott Thomas – learned their craft. To create their vision, the design duo encountered many structural challenges in making the location contemporary, having to dig three levels into the basement.

By Héloïse Salessy

By Kathleen Walsh

By Hannah Jackson

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The vast ballroom-style group-class room and boxing studio share the first floor with Jean Imbert ’s restaurant, B.B. (in a nod to Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot ), the second venture for the chef after L'Acajou , spreading over two adjoining rooms in the mansion’s former dining room, facing a large terrace with an unobstructed view of the neighborhood. Here, the splendid historical heritage (original parquet floorboards, frescoes on the ceiling, convex mirrors) contrast with Toro & Liautard ’s unapologetically contemporary and highly Instagrammable interior design. The menu, loyal to the chef’s ethos, will use seasonal, local and ethically sourced ingredients, and will offer a selection of juices and protein shakes. Perfect post-workout.

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On the second and third floors (designed in the purest of minimalistic style by Franck Hammoutène ), you will find the weight, cardio and spinning rooms (equipped with Technogym ’s latest connected machines). The courses offered within the historic, typically Parisian walls include the classics (pump, barre, WAB) and the more niche (TRX, Breathe & Stretch, HIIT, Seal Training…), with a particular focus on all forms of yoga, pilates and boxing (Antigravity, Hatha, Ashtanga, Extreme HIIT…).

In the basement are the striking, monastic change rooms, saunas, and steam rooms in addition to the 20 by 10 meters swimming pool, which was carved out of the granite and illuminated with a skylight leading to the top of the building. The massage jet-equipped infinity pool will play host to an eclectic selection of aquafit classes.

Last but not least, the fourth floor, which will open in September, will be home to a 30-seat private cinema, where Jean Imbert will serve menus assorted to the movies being projected.

Blanche, 21 rue Blanche, 75009 Paris. Tel: +33(0)1 42 40 12 12. Rate: €1810/yr (can be paid in monthly installments), individual membership.

By Julia Hobbs

By Clovis Goux

By Alexandre Marain

Nuit Blanche, a Paris Arts Festival for Night Owls

Last Updated on September 15, 2023

First celebrated in 2002, Nuit Blanche is an arts and culture event in Paris that’s ideal for the nocturnally inclined– and entirely free. Translating as “White Night” and now typically held in June, the fete keeps you, as you may have guessed, up through much or all of the night.

Wander through galleries, catch live performances and roam streets illuminated by odd murals and dreamlike installations. And remember: you’re part of the happenings, too.

Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, Nuit Blanche sees dozens of Parisian museums, galleries, city-owned buildings, parks and even swimming pools transform into after-dark happenings.

Expect everything from elaborate light installations, curated spaces and performances from international artists to live music and specially decorated metro cars.

Related: The Best Small Museums & Collections in Paris

To enjoy it to the fullest, don’t over-plan. Read on to learn more about the Nuit Blanche program in 2021, and tips on how to make the most of the long, hypnotic night.

Nuit Blanche 2023: Dates & Practical Details

In 2023, Nuit Blanche Paris falls on June 3rd, starting at around 6:00 pm or nightfall.

• Where: Dozens of locations around Paris. An updated program in English is available ; in the meantime, scour the main details below for an overview of what to expect this year.
• Transportation: All lines of the Paris Metro will remain open until around 2:00 am as usual, while Line 1 will stay open until 5:30 am for the occasion of Nuit Blanche. Travelers can ride free between 2:15 am and 5:30 am on that line. Several night buses will also operate throughout the early morning; see this page at the RATP (Paris Transport Authority) for more information.

How to Make the Most of Nuit Blanche ?

While everyone has their own approach and you should go with your gut as well, here are a few key tips to ensure your sleepless night goes without a hitch.

• Much like the annual  Paris Music Festival (Fête de la Musique), Nuit Blanche is best experienced by ambling. You might choose two or three installations and events to focus your evening around, then leave the remainder of your time to chance and open exploration. In other words, treat the event with the spirit of avant-garde curiosity and non-conformity it embodies.
• Metro cars and night buses are likely to be busy , especially toward the end of the night, so if feasible, plan to walk back to your hotel or apartment. Take along an old-school Parisian street/neighborhoods map with you to stay oriented. Your phone may well run out of batteries, and if you don’t have 3/4G abroad, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get online at the spur of the moment to load a map.
• J une in Paris  is generally warm, but sudden downpours aren’t uncommon — plan on dressing lightly, but bring a waterproof jacket and shoes if forecasts predict soggy conditions.

The 2023 Program

This year, the program will extend beyond the Parisian city center and spill into the nearby suburbs, in an effort to make the event more inclusive and to encourage visitors to look beyond tourist areas.

You can see an interactive map of all the events for Nuit Blanche 2023 at this page . The page is in French, but if you’re comfortable using maps to plot a potential itinerary, using Google Translate to find out more details, it can still be helpful.

Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.

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Chateau la Tour Blanche Sauternes: 2019-1975

by Ian D’Agata

Chateau La Tour Blanche (the circumflex accent on the first “a” of the word château no longer appears on the winery’s newer labels, while it was present on the labels of the older vintages, such as for example in the 1970s) is one of the most important and best-known wines of Sauternes. It is, without doubt, one of the top five-six wines of Sauternes and one of the world’s truly great sweet wines. In fact, most people are not aware that Chateau La Tour Blanche was once viewed as the best Sauternes wine of all right after Château d’Yquem (the latter estate does use the accent on the first “a” of château ). Though it is not often addressed, the well-known 1855 Classification of Bordeaux’s wines, drawn up by the Syndicat des Courtiers des Vins en Bordeaux (under the watchful eye of the city’s chamber of commerce) on the express request of Emperor Napoleon III (who wished for Bordeaux’s best wines to be showcased at the Exposition Universally to be held in Paris), did not list the wines haphazardly or in alphabetical order. Rather, the order in which the wines were placed in the classement followed a scale of quality (and this for both the red and the sweet white wines: it is not by chance that Mouton-Rothschild was initially placed first among the second crus): in this respect, it is important to know that Chateau La Tour Blanche was listed in the first spot among the Premier Crus of Sauternes (the “ premier of the premiers ”, if you will), second only to d’Yquem (which is the only Bordeaux, white or red, to have been qualified as a Premier Grand Cru Supérieur) . It follows that Chateau La Tour Blanche has been held in extremely high esteem since a very long time. And given the quality of its wines, both past and present, we probably should too.

A little bit of history

Not surprisingly for a wine from Bordeaux, the history of La Tour Blanche goes back many, many centuries. But for simplicity’s sake, it is generally taken to start in the seventeenth century with the arrival on the scene of Jean de Saint-Marc, one of the many important individuals (he was treasurer to King Louis XVI) who contributed to the property’s fame throughout the centuries). It was he who was the one to give the estate its present-day name. No, the name of the Chateau does not derive from a white tower ( tour blanche , in French) that stands there. Rather, the name of the winery stems from Jean de Saint-Marc being the Sieur de La Tour Blanche (Lord of the Tour Blanche); he added his name to the property’s as was the custom of the times. He also invested heavily in upgrading the estate, turning what used to be a more modest chartreuse (or country house typical of France’s Southwest) into the beautiful château that we know of today. And among his building endeavours, he did have a white tower built, so as to make the estate’s name more pertinent (for a while, the tower was a pigionnier , a very common construction of the time). Another owner of La Tour Blanche, Frederic Focke, did much to promote the need to late harvest in the area, a winemaking technique that was already in use in Sauternes but apparently not as widespread as it was to become later in time, or as it is today. (Focke was of German descent and was well-aware of how important late harvesting was to the success of his original country’s Riesling wines.) The third important figure in the history of La Tour Blanche was Daniel Iffla, who went by the pseudonym of Osiris. An exceptionally wealthy man who loved the finest wines, he spent a good deal of his time in Arcachon but never failed to live at La Tour Blanche during harvest. As he had no heirs, he specified in his will that upon his death Chateau La Tour Blanche would be donated to the French state upon the government meeting the testamentary provision that a viticulture and oenology school would be built on the château ’s grounds. Iffla passed away in 1907; in 1909 the French government accepted the stipulation and the school was officially opened once construction was completed in 1911. (In this respect, note that all the bottles of Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes carry the words “Donation Osiris” at the bottom of the front label.) Today, the estate belongs to the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, who has been its owner since 2010. The school and winery run separately but are under the control of the same government entity. The school has had many noteworthy, even famous graduates over the years, including for example the world-famous winemaker Michel Rolland.

Chateau La Tour Blanche: grape varieties and the unique terroir of Bommes

Chateau La Tour Blanche boasts 44 hectares most of which are under vine, planted to roughly 83% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle (beware that you will read of varying percentages on various websites and written reports, such as 83% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle). No matter: what is interesting and noteworthy about Chateau La Tour Blanche is that this is one Sauternes property that boasts large plantings of Muscadelle, nowadays a very rare variety in the Sauternais but that has very strongly marked many vintages of this Sauternes in particular (witness the very excellent and very underrated 2013 and 2016 Chateau La Tour Blanche wines). The estate also grows a few hectares of Merlot, and is one of the rare Sauternes estates that also makes and sells a Rosé and a red wine (see below).

Chateau La Tour Blanche is located in Bommes, one of the five communes that are part of the Sauternes Appellation along with the towns of Barsac, Preignac, Fargues and Sauternes itself. Of these communes, only the wines of Barsac have the right and option to be called Barsac instead of Sauternes (something that a select few Barsac estates choose to do, while others prefer to use the better-known and more easily recognized Sauternes monicker). But there is a well-grounded reason for this exception, one that actually applies to the other communes of the Sauternais as well. Whereas most everybody tends to think of the Sauternes area as one and the same, nothing could be further from the truth: Barsac, for example, is a lower-lying area with soils that are siltier and sandier than those of Sauternes, making for lighter, more refined wines that are very clearly distinguishable, even when tasting blind, from the richer wines of Sauternes. The same caveats apply to the other communes of the Sauternais, not just to Barsac: with a little experience, the wines of Preignac are recognizably different from those of the other communes, for example. It is so too with the wines of Bommes: more or less minimal soil differences between the communes aside (that are nonetheless present), it Bommes is an area characterized by a special topography and hence very different wind currents than the rest of the Sauternais. This has very meaningful consequences on the formation of frost and noble rot, as has been observed in many vintages, such as for example 2017. In that vintage, while most of Barsac’s grapes were wiped out by horrific frost episodes, Bommes enjoyed (for the most part) bumper crops. In a wine production area as unique as that of Sauternes, another important aspect is the altitude at which the vineyards lie: in this respect, La Tour Blanche lies at one of the higher spots of the Sauternes Appellation, at roughly 67 meters above sea level. It is also very close to the Ciron stream, the cool waters of which mixing with those of the Garonne help create copious amounts of noble rot in many vintages (other necessary conditions for the development of noble rot permitting). The soil at La Tour Blanche is mostly gravel over clay-limestone. In short, the property as a truly blessed terroir when it comes to potentially making outstanding Sauternes wines.

Physical parameters of terroir aside, at La Tour Blanche they are also lucky to have a very talented and forward-thinking technical staff. While La Tour Blanche’s wines have always been immediately recognizable for a generally richer, thicker, sweeter style in most vintages, this truism may in fact no longer apply, as at least to my mind, La Tour Blanche wines after 1990 have been less marked by a “full throttle” approach and are not as mouth-coatingly rich and thick as they once were. Part of this is due to the larger than usual presence of Muscadelle in the final blend of many vintages, a good idea that rather than making the wines more dilute helps make them more drinkable and refined. Since the 2011 vintage, I find there has been a noteworthy uptick in purity and approachability to La Tour Blanche’s wines that I welcome wholeheartedly.

The estate also makes a second Sauternes wine, the Le Charmilles de La Tour Blanche and even a third Sauternes wine, called the Brumes de La Tour Blanche. These two other Sauternes (especially the Brumes) are much lighter in style and very approachable for those who prefer off-dry, lighter styled wines. But the winery also makes two splendid classically dry white wines, the Les Jardins de La Tour Blanche (100% Sauvignon Blanc) and the Duo de La Tour Blanche (usually a 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc wine, but Muscadelle can find its way in here too, given that the objective with this wine was to highlight the potential of all three of the classic grapes of the Sauternais). Note that these two dry wines are Vins de Bordeaux or Bordeaux Blancs, and not Sauternes as is instead often mistakenly reported on websites and magazine articles everywhere (the Sauternes Appellation’s name, at least for now, can be used only for the zone’s famous sweet wines). Last but not least, the winery makes, as mentioned before, also a pink and a red wine from 100% Merlot, both of which are meant to be enjoyed early on in their lives (many of the wines once had different names, such as Jardins de Thinoy and Cru du Cinquet, in case you should come across older vintages). The wines are generally aged in either stainless steel or a mix of stainless steel and oak barrels, but such regimens are also applied differently based on the grape variety used: for example, while Sauvignon Blanc gets treated preferentially with stainless steel, the Semillon tends to be matured in oak.

The wines in this tasting

All the wines in this report were tasted in Shanghai in September 2023, save for the 2001, 1990, 1988 and 1975, sourced from my own personal cellar to make this tasting report more complete (wines bought in France upon release save for the 1975 bought in 1988 in Italy thanks to a wine merchant with a reputably good cold cellar). My thanks to the estate and Bert Van Dessel, the estate’s brand ambassador in Asia for making all the other vintages reported on in the tasting, with bottles sourced directly from the estate, available.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2019 Les Jardins de La Tour Blanche Sec Bordeaux                        90

Bright pale straw yellow. Archetypal Sauvignon Blanc aromas and flavours of green fig, gooseberry and kiwi, with bright lemony lift. Easygoing and fresh on the long close, but not at all unbearably green as far too many boring and to my palate fairly undrinkable world Sauvignon wines tend to be nowadays (mostly because the grapes are picked unripe in the name of freshness). This 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine is instead a beauty, with good juicy ripe fruit and very lively. Won’t make old bones, so drink up soon and enjoy. Drinking window: 2023-2025.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2018 Sauvignon Duo de La Tour Blanche Sec Vin de Bordeaux                          91

Luminous golden-tinged straw colour. Deep aromas of ripe citrus fruit, peach and a hint of beeswax speak of Semillon, with plenty of fresh lemony lift provided by the Sauvignon. Light on its feet but texturally interesting, the aftertaste is long, clean and flavourful. This is a real step up in concentration from Les Jardins, and will be able to stand up even to light white meat dishes. The Semillon here adds a complexity and size to the finished wine that would be completely missing if this was made with Sauvignon Blanc only. A blend of 65% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc. Drinking window: 2023-2027.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2019 Sauternes                    96

Now this is a gem. The 2019 Chateau La Tour Blanche is one of the best Sauternes of the vintage, offering a magical sugar/acid balance and deep aromas and flavours of tropical and ripe citrus fruit, saffron, honey and beeswax, complicated by notes of lemony botrytis. The clean, precise, rising finish is at once smooth yet penetrating and lasts for minutes. This beauty boasts sneaky concentration and complexity but is remarkably light on its feet and seems much less sweet than it really is. A great vintage for this estate, in a year that was marred by the presence of grey rot and fruit flies (and a hot dry summer with rain in late September and October), this is a gorgeous Sauternes that will match heavenly with raw shrimp, light pumpkin soups and pumpkin ravioli and chicken or veal filets with mushroom sauces. A blend of 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Drinking window: 2023-2050.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2018 Sauternes            89

Medium straw-green with some gold. Discreet, even subdued aromas and flavours of orchard fruit, herbs and flint, but not much depth or complexity. The aftertaste hints at saffron and peach. By no means a bad wine, but this is probably the only disappointing wine in this tasting. I’m afraid there wasn’t getting around much the difficulties posed by the 2018 vintage (characterized by a much too hot summer, meaning there wasn’t much noble rot, plus episodes of hail and plenty of downy mildew). A blend of 83% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle that will age well but that won’t ever deliver a great Sauternes drinking experience. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2017 Sauternes            94

A real work of art, the 2017 Chateau La Tour Blanche showcases an archetypically rich Sauternes in a glorious vintage. Medium deep golden yellow. Intense spicy botrytis complements opulent, showy peach, tangerine, mango, orange blossom, honey, crystallized ginger and saffron on the complex, multilayered nose. Then also multilayered and opulent in the mouth, with a suave rich texture and just enough acidity to carry and extend the flavours on the long rich finish without the wine ever becoming tiring or cloying. So good you can drink this already now, but it will prove even more complex if you let it rest another five to six years in your cellar. The 2017 vintage was characterized by late April frosts, uneven flowering, and noble rot developing late in the year  (something that tells you a little about the wines, provided you have an idea of wien the estate picked its grapes). A blend of 85% Semillon, 13% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. Drinking window: 2023-2042.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2016 Sauternes            95

One of the most underrated Sauternes vintages ever, the exact merits of the 2016 La Tour Blanche have gone unrecognized, and unfairly so; but mark my words, this is an exceptionally elegant, sneakily concentrated Sauternes that will appeal to those who prefer these wines in a less rich and mouthcoating style. Pale lemon-gold colour. Extremely refined, mineral-driven aromas of mango, guava and passion fruit complemented by hints of acacia flower honey, nutmeg, jasmine and ginger. Utterly seamless in the mouth, and boasting impeccable balance, this is long and pure, rich and pleasantly oily, featuring nicely lingering flavours of orchard and tropical fruit with hints of beeswax and nutmeg. A blend of 80% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Muscadelle that showcases just how well that high a percentage of Muscadelle, which is generally unheard of, can contribute to the making of magnificent Sauternes. Noble rot developed late in 2016, so those estates that picked too early made wines from mostly raisined grapes losing out on the added complexity that noble rot brings. Trust me, this beauty is in no way a lighter-styled Sauternes. Drinking window: 2023-2040.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2013 Sauternes            94

Bright golden-tinged yellow. Aromas and flavours of minerals, herbs, lime, jasmine and lemon verbena are lifted by hints of spicy botrytis. Long and layered in the mouth but less opulent than the 2016 and other La Tour Blanche wines, but very well balanced and pure. This is another La Tour Blanche marked by an inordinately high percentage of Muscadelle (the 2013 is a blend of 80% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Muscadelle), and far from being dilute or simple, it’s an exceptionally fine, highly satisfying wine. The lively, harmonious acidity leaves you with an impression of welcome steeliness. This and the 2016 are two of the most underrated La Tour Blanche wines ever. Readers should avoid making the mistake of thinking that 2013 was poor year for Bordeaux: it was, but for the region’s red wines, not so for the Sauternes that have mostly turned out very well indeed. Drinking window: 2023-2038.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2011 Sauternes            92

A throwback to the older style of La Tour Blanche, this is a much richer, sweeter and broader wine than any to have followed since then. Deep vivid golden straw yellow colour. Deep, thick, composite aromas of crystallized mango, saffron reduction, peach jelly, orange nectar and caramel. Then rich, ripe and lusciously mouthcoating, with very nice delineation to the ripe rich flavours of tropical fruit, sweet spices and musk. Not the most nuanced La Tour Blanche ever made, but rather light on its feet for such a big wine, the aftertaste is only medium-long but will leave you not wanting to let go of your glass until its emptied. It’s a gorgeous wine and one that sweet wine lovers, and lovers of Sauternes in general, can’t help but fall in love with, but those who prefer nuanced wines will like the other vintages of La Tour Blanche described in this tasting report more. A blend of 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Drinking window: 2023-2035.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2009 Sauternes            97

An amazing wine ever since it was first presented at the Primeurs, the 2009 Chateau La Tour Blanche is a La Tour Blanche I know extremely well having tasted it not just back then but countless other times over the years. It has never been short of exceptional, and it still is so today. A very big, sweet and luscious wine (as it ought to be, given the characteristics of the 2009 vintage’s wines and of La Tour Blanche back then) it separates itself from all other similarly big Sauternes because of an amazing amount of lift and precision.

Deep vibrant yellow gold colour. Captivating aromas and flavours of almond paste, custard cream, tropical fruit nectar, glazed pineapple, crystallized apricot and ginger are extremely well delineated, pure and long. Copious amounts of marmelady botrytis add a whole other level of complexity here that is simply not found in any other wine made at La Tour Blanche since the late 1980s. Closes very long with a whiplash of welcome harmonious acidity that helps make this even more enticing than it already is. A blend of 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Drinking window: 2023-2035.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2008 Sauternes            94

Pale golden-tinged yellow. Nectarine, white peach tea, sweet spices and oak-related scents of vanilla and nuts on the very refined deep nose. Rather silky in texture, with a glyceral softness and a hint of banana complementing the nicely cut and clear flavours of lemon verbena, ginger and pear. Boasts noteworthy sugar/acid balance with an attractive plumpness rising slowly on the long, elegant back end. This reminded me of what an ideal crossing of the La Tour Blanche 2009 and 2016 would taste like. Make no mistake about it, this is heavily underrated Sauternes that is drinking beautifully now and that will pair very well with even complex white meat dishes like roast fowl with mushrooms, or try it with Thanksgiving turkey and yams. A blend of 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Springtime frost, plus bouts of downy mildew greatly reduced the 2008 crop, but what grapes were left made excellent Sauternes, as the 2008 La Tur Blanche clearly shows. Drinking window: 2023-2040.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2001 Sauternes            95

Deep yellow-gold. Knockout nose offers orchard fruits, glazed pineapple, papaya, marzipan and nutmeg. Very rich, ripe and oily, with a glyceral texture and sweetness that leave an impression of girth behind. But the wine is evolving beautifully, now showing greater grace and refinement than when it was first released, with delicious nuances of white chocolate and toffee building on the caramelized-apricot core of flavours, nicely framed and lifted by smoky botrytis that further accentuates the fruit. Wonderfully concentrated wine with a very long, sweet, palate-staining finish. Drinking window: 2023-2035.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 1990 Sauternes            94

Full yellow-gold. Orange peel, peach nectar and spicy oak on the nose, with obvious undertones of marzipan and toffee. Sweet, suave and very glyceral, with seamless, complex flavours of ginger tea, grilled yellow peach, lime, coconut and crystallized mango. Still wonderfully fat and sweet after all these years (the 1990 was always a richer-styled La Tour Blanche) but with a lively core of minerally fruit that actually helps this come across as less full-bodied and rich than the 1988 (usually, with most Sauternes, it’s the other way around). Fully evolved and currently offering a rich drinking experience, I wouldn’t hold on to this much longer. Drinking window: 2023-2030.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 1988 Sauternes     94 

Medium yellow-gold. Deeply pitched aromas of honey, orange and dried apricot are complicated by lemony botrytis and by suggestions of spicy oak. Rich, sweet and wonderfully pure, with a nectar-like quality to its extremely flavourful decadently ripe peach, orange marmalade, nutmeg and cinnamon nuances. This boasts an exhilarating chewy texture and superb aromatic persistence and finishes long with plenty of repeating botrytis character. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

Chateau La Tour Blanche 1975 Sauternes            93

Vibrant burnished golden-yellow colour. Spicy, linear aromas of pineapple, nutmeg and ginger, with a complicating smoky botrytis and a caramelly nuance. Then not overly concentrated but nicely detailed pineapple, apricot and candied citrus flavours have a penetrating quality and surprising juiciness for a wine this old.  Almost painfully spicy, leaving a somewhat aggressive character on the long, complex, smoky finish. But even after almost fifty years, this is still light on its feet and youthful. Drinking window: 2023-2028.

Ian D'Agata

Editor-in-Chief of Terroir Sense Wine Review President of Terroir Sense Academy Vice President of Association Internationale des Terroirs Chief Scientific Officer of TasteSpirit

Ian D’Agata has been writing and educating about wines for over thirty years. Internationally recognized as an distinguished expert, critic and writer on many wine regions, his two most recent, award winning books Native Wine Grapes of Italy and Italy's Native Wine Grape Terroirs (both published by University of California Press) are widely viewed as the "state of the art" textbooks on the subject. The former book won the Louis Roederer International Wine Awards Book of the Year in 2015 and was ranked as the top wine books of the year for the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times and the New York Times, while the latter was named among the best wine books of the year by Food & Wine Magazine and the NY Times.

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Château La Tour Blanche 2018, Sauternes 1° Grand Cru Classé - Parker 92-94

Pale to medium lemon-gold colored, the 2018 la Tour Blanche is a little reticent to begin, opening out to notes of honeydew melon, nectarines and baked apples with touches of lightly browned toast, allspice and powdered ginger. The palate features loads of zip and zing with bags of freshness to counter the rich fruit, finishing on a lingering gingery note.

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Pale to medium lemon-gold colored, the 2018 la Tour Blanche is a little reticent to begin, opening out to notes of honeydew melon, nectarines and baked apples with touches of lightly browned toast, allspice and powdered ginger. The palate features loads of zip and zing with bags of freshness to counter the rich fruit, finishing on a lingering gingery note. robertparker.com

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Nuit Blanche 2023 : practical information

How to find your way and get around

The map @nuitblanche on mapstr, where to get information, info points.

• Parvis de l’Hôtel de Ville, 75004 Paris (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.)
• Place de la Bastille, 75004 Paris (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.)
• Port de Solferino, 75007 Paris (7 p.m. – 1 a.m.)

Cultural mediators and ambassadors

Giant info labels, visits for all audiences, accessibility for people with reduced mobility, the visually impaired and the hearing impaired.

• Visits are organised for the visually impaired and the hearing impaired with Accès Culture.
• Visits are organised for the mentally disabled with the Ce Que Mes Yeux Ont Vu association.

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Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes (Premier Grand Cru Classé) 2019

How to Watch All the Biggest Pro Cycling Races of 2024

Here’s a look at the pro road races we can’t wait to watch in 2024—plus where to stream all the action.

Milan-San Remo—March 16

Tour of flanders—march 31, paris-roubaix—april 6 and 7, itzulia basque country—april 1 to 6, la vuelta femenina—april 29 to may 5, giro d’italia—may 4 to 26, giro d’italia donne—july 7 to 14, tour de france—june 29 to july 21, olympic road races—august 3 and 4, tour de france femmes—august 12 to 18, vuelta a españa—august 17 to september 8, world road race championships—september 28 and 29.

Believe it or not, the 2024 pro road season is already underway, with the women’s and men’s Tour Down Under kicking things off in Australia this month. As the first races on the men’s and women’s WorldTour calendars, these are important events–and the riders taking part are certainly doing their best to get the season off to an exciting start.

Here are thirteen that we’ve already got marked in our calendars–and what streaming services you’ll need to enjoy them from home.

Strade Bianche—March 2

Taking place on the white gravel roads of Tuscany, Strade Bianche is easily one of the hardest and most beautiful events of the year–and a race in which the strongest rider always wins. So it makes sense that the event’s list of winners reads like a “Who’s Who” of the sport’s best racers.

For example, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the men’s race in 2022 with a solo attack 50 kilometers from the finish line in Siena, an incredibly gutsy move that only a rider like Pogačar could attempt (and pull off).

Last year, Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) added his name to the event’s impressive roll of honor with a daring ride of his own after catching the breakaway with about 40km to go, attacking on his own with about 20km to go, and then using his cyclocross and mountain bike skills (gravel descents can be treacherous) to stay away and win the race by himself. And while Pidcock won’t be back to defend his title this year, Pogačar will be taking the start (it’s his first race of the season), making the Slovenian the top favorite.

The women’s race always produces fireworks of its own. Last year, Kopecky (who won the race in 2022) and her teammate, the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering, hit the finish line (in Siena’s historic Piazza del Campo) together after working to catch and overtake the lone leader, American Kristen Faulkner (Team Jayco-AlUla).

But instead of crossing the line hand-in-hand, Vollering out-sprinted Kopecky with a well-timed bike throw to take the win. This was an uncomfortable outcome (at first), as it was unclear as to whether or not the riders were “supposed” to be sprinting against one another with such intensity. (Frankly, we loved it.)

This year, Kopecky and Vollering will look to make it four in a row for SD Worx (the Netherlands’ Chantal van den Broek-Blaak won the race for the team in 2021). We’ll be rooting for Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM Racing), a four-time podium finisher who’s still searching for the top step.

While they haven’t released their calendar yet, we’re assuming (and hoping) that this race–and other major Italian events–will be included with the new B/R Sports add-on package that’s available to Max subscribers (essentially replacing GCN+). So stay tuned–we’ll announce more details when we have them.

How to Watch Strade Bianche: Max with B/R Sports add-on

At almost 300km, Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race on the calendar. And thanks to the fact that the outcome is almost always decided in the final 10km, the riders say it’s the easiest of cycling’s five Monuments to finish, but the hardest to win.

We love Milan-San Remo’s slow build to the finish as the riders head south from Milan toward the coast, then wind their way along the sea toward the cluster of climbs that host the Monument’s traditional finale. The day’s final and most famous ascent is the Poggio, a short, punchy ascent just a few kilometers from the finish line with a descent that often creates more gaps than the climb itself.

Case in point: Last year Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked over the top of the climb and used the descent to lengthen his lead over an elite group of chasers. The Dutchman held on to take his first win in the season’s opening Monument.

And while there’s no women’s Milan-San Remo, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a major stop on the women’s WorldTour and a pillar of the former women’s World Cup series, takes place the next day–and (we assume) will be streamed live via Max.

Last year, the Netherland’s Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) brought Trek’s winning streak to three, escaping to win the race alone, 23 seconds ahead of her teammate–and the defending champion–Elisa Balsamo. One of the brightest young riders in the sport, the win announced van Anrooij as a future Classics superstar. And the 21-year-old promptly lived up to the hype, scoring top-10 finishes in Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, the Brabantse Pijl, and the Amstel Gold Race.

How to Watch Milan-San Remo: Max

Many riders consider the Tour of Flanders (known locally as the “Ronde van Vlaanderen”) to be the hardest one-day race on the calendar. The women’s and men’s events cover over 150km and 250km of the toughest terrain in the Flemish region of Belgium including tight, technical roads, cobblestones, and short, steep climbs called “bergs.” The course is so challenging that it can take years for riders to master the nuances of the race enough to contend to win it.

Last year’s men’s race went to Pogačar, who won the race alone after dropping everyone on the third and final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Van der Poel finished second, and has now finished first or second in each of the last four editions.

Pogačar won’t be back to defend his title this year, which means van der Poel has a shot to tie the record for the most wins in race history. But we’ll be rooting for Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who’s completely overhauled his early-season program (he’s racing less and spending more time at high-altitude training camps) so as to be at his absolute best for his nation’s most important event.

The women’s event should once again be SD Worx’s race to lose: the Dutch team has won three of the last four editions, with Kopecky taking back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023. It’s always a team effort though: last year Vollering joined Kopecky on the podium in second and in 2022 van den Broek-Blaak took third. Lidl-Trek, with van Anroij and Italy’s Eliza Longo Borghini (who finished third last year and won the race on 2015), should be the Dutch squad’s biggest challengers.

When it comes to streaming this and many of the Flemish Classics, you’ll need a $150 annual subscription to FloBikes, the only legal way to stream them in the USA. If you’re a diehard fan who doesn’t want to deal with pesky VPNs, it’s the most reliable method, but it comes at a significant cost and doesn’t offer much in terms of other events that can’t be streamed through other services.

How to Watch Tour of Flanders: FloBikes

The “Hell of the North.” The “Queen of the Classics.” Whatever you call it, the men’s and women’s editions of Paris-Roubaix are probably our favorite one-day races on the calendar. Famous for covering 30km and 55km of some of Northern France’s worst cobbled farm roads, they’re loaded with drama and always produce worthy champions.

The weekend begins with Saturday’s fourth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes (145km), which–if it sticks to last year’s course–should start in Denain and include the final 17 or so sectors of cobbles (called “pavé”) from Sunday’s men’s race—all the way to the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome, where Canada’s Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) shocked the world by outsprinting her breakaway companions to take a surprise win in last year’s edition. Surprisingly, this is the only spring Classic that SD Worx hasn’t won yet, so they’ll be super-aggressive after missing out in the first three editions.

In last year’s men’s race, van der Poel followed up his win in Milan-Sanremo and his second-place finish in the Tour of Flanders with a victory in Paris-Roubaix, a race seemingly made for the 5-time world cyclocross champion. The Dutchman followed an attack by van Aert on one of the race’s final cobbled sectors (a famous stretch called the Carrefour de l’Arbe) and then surged ahead on his own after the Belgian flatted.

Expect the two of them to renew their rivalry this year, with van Aert doing everything he can to end his spring with a victory in the French Monument (especially if he comes up short at Flanders the week before).

How to Watch Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Peacock

Once known as the Tour of the Basque Country, the 6-day Itzulia Basque Country is one of the hardest stage races on the calendar. Raced through the steep, punchy hills in the Basque region of northern Spain, each road stage (one stage is usually an individual time trial) is raced like a mini-Classic. And the overall winner is usually a grand tour contender who’s using the event to build form for the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France.

The racing here is always exciting, but this year’s edition offers an even better reason to watch: it is expected to be the first race of the season in which former Jumbo-Visma teammates Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (who’s now riding for BORA-hansgrohe after a respectful divorce from the Dutch super team) will go head-to-head against one another as rivals.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) is likely to be racing as well, meaning three of the four contenders for this year’s Tour de France will be in action together–the only time that’s expected to happen before the Tour de France itself.

How to Watch Itzulia Basque Country: FloBikes

For the past 8 years, the organizers of the men’s Vuelta a España have organized a women’s event. Originally starting as a one-day race run alongside the last stage of the men’s grand tour, the event grew to consist of four days of racing. But that’s hardly a grand tour, isn’t it?

Enter last year’s new and improved La Vuelta Feminina which in addition to being expanded to seven stages, moved from September to its own spot on the calendar–away from the men’s event that often overshadowed it.

Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar) won last year’s new and improved edition, but somewhat controversially. On Stage 6, the Dutch star and her team attacked the front of the race just as Vollering, who had entered the day as the overall leader, stopped to take a “nature break” off the back of the peloton. Thanks to strong crosswinds that split the race apart, Vollering and her SD Worx teammates were unable to bring back Van Vleuten, so Vollering’s chances to win the race went up the road as well.

This year’s course has yet to be unveiled, but one thing is certain: Van Vleuten–who became the first woman in history to win all three of the sport’s grand tours–has since retired, making Vollering the top favorite to take the title for herself this year.

How to Watch La Vuelta Feminina: Peacock

While the Tour de France gets all the prestige, riders generally consider the Giro d’Italia to be much, much harder.

This year’s race begins in the Piedmont region and–aside from a brief trip into Switzerland–stays within Italy for each of its 21 stages. Always characterized by its mountains, the 2024 Giro d’Italia boasts five high mountain stages and four summit finishes, including a trip over the infamous Stelvio, the tallest climb in this year’s race.

The Giro will also feature two individual time trials, which is perhaps why Tadej Pogačar has made the Italian grand tour one of his goals. This will be the Slovenian’s first time competing in the Italian grand tour, and he’s easily the top favorite.

This year will also mark the first Giro appearance for Wout van Aert, who says he’s not targeting the General Classification. But given the fact that he’s not racing the Tour de France this summer, we can’t help but wonder if he’ll shoot for a top-10 or top-5 finish overall.

How to Watch the Giro d’Italia: Max

Before the arrival of the Tour de France Femmes a few years ago, the Giro d’Italia Donne was the most prestigious women’s stage race on the calendar. But it was plagued by sketchy organization, and in some years seemed to be teetering on the edge of collapse.

But now the event is organized by the same group that organizes the men’s Giro which means better support, more stability and–hopefully–improved TV coverage.

The race begins with a short time trial in Brescia, then works its way south, with two flat stages for sprinters, three punchy stages for breakaway and classics riders, and two mountain stages on the final weekend, including a Stage 6 summit finish on the Blockhaus, one of the Giro’s most famous climbs.

Van Vleuten won last year’s edition by almost four minutes, taking her fourth victory in the Italian grand tour. This year–with the Tour de France Femmes taking place a few weeks later than it usually does–we wonder if Demi Vollering will make the race a target, perhaps in an attempt to win all three women’s grand tours in one season.

How to Watch Giro d’Italia Donne: Max

The 2024 Tour de France should be one of the most exciting editions in decades, with an Italian start, a route filled with mountains, and a non-traditional finish in Nice instead of Paris.

The race begins in Florence with the first of three Italian stages and is then followed by an early trip through the Alps (Stage 4) that should sort the General Classification just a couple of days into the Tour’s first week. This will also be the first men’s Tour to feature a gravel stage, with Stage 9 covering 32km of gravel roads through the Champagne vineyards around Troyes before the Tour’s first Rest Day.

The second week brings the race through the rugged Massif Central and into the Pyrenees, where the week ends with back-to-back summit finishes including the Tour’s return to Plateau de Beille, one of the toughest ascents in the Pyrenees.

The Tour’s final week takes a southerly route back to the Alps and a final showdown in and around Nice that concludes with an individual time trial–35 years after American Greg Lemond overtook France’s Laurent Fignon to win the 1989 Tour in a time trial on the Tour’s final stage. This is a big change: the Tour usually ends in Paris, but with the Olympics set to begin in the City of Lights on July 26th, the Tour needs to finish elsewhere so as to avoid any logistical conflicts.

Vingegaard, the two-time defending champion, will be back to try and score a hat trick, but he’ll face the toughest list of challengers he’s ever seen including Pogačar, who’s hoping to win the Giro-Tour double; Evenepoel, who’s riding his first Tour de France; and Roglič, his former teammate and now newest rival. With a difficult course and a star-studded startlist, this could be a Tour for the ages.

How to Watch the Tour de France: Peacock

Taking place about two weeks after the conclusion of the Tour de France–and one before the start of the Tour de France Femmes–gold medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s road races at the Olympics in Paris.

Covering 278km and 158km, respectively, both the men’s and women’s races are expected to favor the sport’s Classics stars, with lots of short, punchy climbs and a finishing circuit through downtown Paris that takes the riders up the cobbled Côté de la Butte Montmartre three times. So it comes as no surprise that riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert, Lotte Kopecky, and Demi Vollering have the Olympics written in nice big capital letters on their calendars.

If you watched last year’s world championships in Glasgow last August, you’ve seen what a challenging urban circuit can do to a peloton, and with smaller teams (countries can start 1-4 riders depending on their nation’s UCI ranking), fewer riders overall (just 90 in each event), and no race radios (so riders will get less information and direction from their team cars), we’re expecting aggressive, dramatic outcomes.

How to Watch the Olympics: NBC/Peacock

The first two editions of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift started on the last day of the men’s Tour de France. But with the Olympics coming closely on the heels of the men’s Tour, this year’s third edition of the incredibly popular Tour de France Femmes was pushed back a few weeks–which is great because it means the race doesn’t have to share the spotlight with the world’s largest sporting event.

In addition to changing its place on the calendar, more than half of this year’s Tour de France Femmes will take place outside of France with three stages taking place in and around Rotterdam (including two stages in one day on Tuesday, August 13), a transitional stage that takes the race from Valkenburg to Liège on Stage 5, and a stage starting in Bastogne (Stage 5) before finally bringing the riders across the border and into France.

But just like the first two editions, it’s the final weekend that packs the biggest punch, with two days in the Alps with back-to-back summit finishes including a finish atop Alpe d’Huez–arguably the most famous climb in professional cycling–on the last day of the Tour.

Last year, Vollering and SD Worx dominated the Tour. The team won four of the Tour’s eight stages, held the yellow jersey from start to finish, put two riders on the final podium, took the green jersey for winning the Points Classification, and won the Tour’s Teams Classification. Defending Vollering’s title is one of the team’s main goals 2024.

How to Watch the Tour de France Femmes: Peacock

As the final grand tour of the season, the Vuelta a España is traditionally one of the last chances for riders hoping to end the year on high note, earn a contract for the following season, or get themselves in shape for the world championships in late-September. So with lots of mountains and a start list filled with motivated riders, the Vuelta always delivers some of the year’s most exciting racing.

This year’s race begins in Portugal, with two time trials, eight mountain stages, and several jagged, hilly stages (some of which have short uphill finishes of their own) to test the riders. Every year the organizers create a course that seems to say: “If you’re not a climber, stay home.”

At this point in the year it’s tough to predict who will add the Spanish grand tour to their program as lots of things can change between now and August. But we’re hoping that last year’s surprise-but-not-a-surprise winner, American Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), will get a chance to come back and defend his title from last year.

How to Watch the Vuelta a España: Peacock

After taking place in Glasgow in early-August last year (as part of the UCI’s “mega world championships”), this year’s World Road Race Championships are heading to Zurich and moving back to their usual spot on the calendar in late-September, with our favorite events–the Elite Road Races–taking place on the final weekend of the month.

On Saturday, the Elite Women will complete a 154km road race that begins in Ulster and ends with four laps of a tough, 27km finishing circuit in and around Zurich. The next day, the Elite Men will cover a 274km course that starts in Winterthur and concludes with seven laps of the Zurich finishing circuit.

This is another race for Classics riders, with a finishing circuit that should favor the riders we saw at the front of last year’s World Championship road races. In the women’s race, Kopecky will be a favorite to defend her title, but she’ll face stiff competition from the Dutch, most likely led by her SD Worx teammate Vollering, who–despite being one of the sport’s best racers–has never won a rainbow jersey. We love how races like the Olympics and Worlds pit riders who spend much of the season as teammates against one another.

The men’s race should play out in a similar way–albeit with fewer teammates racing against teammates. The defending champion–van der Poel–should again be the top favorite, with the Belgians–led by van Aert and Evenepoel–his biggest rivals.

How to Watch the World Championships: FloBikes

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Le Corbusier’s Paris Architecture: A Walking Tour

Few architects have had as seminal an impact on modernism as Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier . He made his mark on the early half of the 20th century with innovative work that made use of open floor plans, spare interiors and walls of windows — now all stylistic signatures of sophisticated urban living. And while Le Corbusier’s best work is spread across the world — from New York City to Chandigarh, India — a concentration of private homes and public buildings may be found in Paris.

The architect called the French capital home for decades, and his Parisian masterworks are worth an entire day of sightseeing all their own. Here’s how to spend an entire day in Paris, through the eyes of the great Le Corbusier.

10 a.m. Villa La Roche and Villa Jeanneret

Start your Le Corbusier-themed day on a quiet cul-de-sac in the ritzy residential area of 16th arrondissement, home to two of Le Corbusier’s most famous private homes. Villa La Roche (10 Square Du Docteur Blanche) was commissioned by Swiss banker Raoul La Roche in 1923 as a gallery to display his painting collection.

Now open to the public as a museum, stroll through the various levels of the home, including the light-filled, jaw-droppingly beautiful center vestibule, taking in the various Le Corbusier art pieces and furniture, spread throughout. Don’t forget to spend some time admiring the iconic all-white façade of the home, too.

Next door to Villa La Roche is Villa Jeanneret, originally commissioned by Le Corbusier’s brother Albert Jeanneret and his fiancée, and now home to the Le Corbusier Foundation. It houses the library archives of Le Corbusier, including everything from drawings to studies to written works to photographs. The space is open by reservation only, so remember to call ahead (33-1-42-88-75-72).

Photos via Fondation Le Corbusier .

12 p.m. hotel molitor.

Break for lunch at the nearby Hotel Molitor (13 Rue Nungesser), home to a restored Art Deco swimming pool that happens to be the site of the very first public display of a bikini worn by a woman. Grab a seat in the modern dining room with a good vantage point of the pool, and unwind eating locally sourced modern bistro fare.

Photo via Hotel Molitor .

2 p.m. appartement atelier de le corbusier.

After lunch, head to an apartment and studio (24 Rue Nungesser et Coli) that Le Corbusier both designed and lived in from 1934 until his death in 1965, which is now open to the public as a museum. Designated as a historical landmark in 1972, the light-filled space still contains Le Corbusier’s personal belongings.

Photo via Fondation Le Corbusier .

3:30 pm teathécha.

Hop on over to the 13th arrondissement for a midday break at cult tea salon TEAthécha (119 Rue de la Glacière, 33-1-53-80-48-29). Relax over a scone with homemade jam, while sipping tea from a selection of over 200 that includes pure teas, blended teas and flavored teas from around the world, all also available for purchase.

4:30 pm Ozenfant House

After your midday sojourn, get started on your own mini-walking tour of Le Corbusier’s greatest hits, starting at the Ozenfant House (53 Avenue Reille). Created as a house and studio for Le Corbusier’s friend, the Cubist painter Amédée Ozenfant , it is one of the earliest examples of minimal architecture, and an early prototype of what is now known as a Dom-ino House .

Photo via Hansen-Hansen .

5 p.m. the swiss pavilion.

Next up, head to the Swiss Pavilion (7 Boulevard Jourdan), created in 1930 by Le Corbusier at the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris as a dormitory for Swiss students. Composed of a free façade and open plan, the purist building engulfed in greenery remains one of the best expressions of Le Corbusier’s ideas on urban living.

Photo via Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris .

5:30 pm maison planeix.

Then take a quick stroll to The Maison Planeix (24 Boulevard Masséna) row house, created in collaboration between Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret , and constructed between 1924 and 1928. Take note of a few of Le Corbusier’s signatures while taking in the house including the typical Le Corbusier roof garden, his trademark ribbon windows, and the home’s geometric façade.

Photo by Tiresome Moi .

6 p.m. fondation armée du salut.

Conclude your Le Corbusier tour at one of his most iconic (and colorful) Paris buildings, the Fondation Armée du Salut (12 Rue Cantagrel). Built for the Salvation Army as a massive shelter in 1930, the building was immediately viewed as radical after its construction, because of its colorful façade and light-filled open spaces.

6:30 p.m. FanFan by la Tulipe

After a busy day of Le Corbusier sightseeing, stop for an aperitif at FanFan by la Tulipe (14 Rue des cinq Diamants), a neighborhood gem known for its cocktails. While the spicy mojito and the cucumber martini are crowd pleasers, true regulars swear by having the expert bartenders mix up a made-to-order drink.

8 p.m. L’Ourcine

Finish off your day at L’Ourcine (92 Rue Broca), an inspired local bistro, for dinner. The duckling au sang (in blood sauce) with celery-root puree, and the crémeux au chocolat (chocolate pudding) are two of the best dishes you will eat while in Paris.

(Post reviewed on the 19th October 2022)

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Year of construction: 1967 Renovation: 2004 and 2014 Architects: Luc and Xavier Arsène-Henri, with Bernard Schoeller Surface area: 28,500 sq.m Height: 100 m, 27 floors Former names: Chartis, AIG, Aquitaine

Address: 34 place des Corolles - 92400 Courbevoie Nearest car park: Corolles Nearest public transport: La Défense (Grande Arche)

The first private operation in the business district, the White Tower is initially part of a programme of 21 identical office towers. According to the two white cement experts - the Arsène-Henry brothers - this constraint hinders the expression of their know-how. In response, they designed a deliberately thick façade made of white concrete posts leaving little glass surface - only 40%. A plastic that echoes the collective of architects and sculptors of Le Monde vivant, founded in 1965. To contrast with the austerity of the exterior, the architects called on decorators and artists, including the sculptor Francesco Marino Di Teana, to design the interior. The interior includes a sports hall, a sauna and several lounges for rest and music.

A word about the architects

Graduates of the Beaux-Arts de Paris, Luc (1924-1998) and Xavier (1919-2009) Arsène-Henry had an important career until the 1980s. The two brothers made themselves known in 1953 with the Franciscan monastery of La Clarté-Dieu in Orsay. A building they imagined in white cement concrete, a material that very quickly became their trademark.

They designed several residential, office and administrative buildings and established themselves in Paris, Nîmes and Bordeaux. In 1967, they built Le Galion in La Défense, in association with Bernard Schoeller. This was followed by Le Galion and the Minerve apartment building.

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Le Rendez-Vous

Guests meet up all around the city with their tables, chairs, and picnic baskets in tow. Except for a few volunteers who will lead everyone to the event site, no one knows where they’re going…

Guests reach the secret location in a stunning wave of white. They come from all over! In just 20 minutes of organized chaos, thousands of guests set up their tables, chairs, and place-settings with great excitement and determination. Dinner is almost served!

The Napkin Wave

Once the scene is set, guests wave their white cloth napkins in the air, in unison, to signal that Le Diner is about to commence.

Guests savour their carefully prepared meals and drink in this magical time and place with friends, new and old. Everyone remains seated until the meal is over.

End of dinner

Guests light up the sky to signal the end of their elegant dinner and the rest of the night. It’s time to mix and mingle and enjoy the live entertainment!

Let's Dance!

Everyone is up from their seats, taking pictures and getting out on that dancefloor!

Guests leave the scene, as though it was all a dream, with nothing but their belongings and memories to last a lifetime—or at least until next year!

80+ Diner en Blanc Around the World

Albuquerque

Atlantic City

Charleston, SC

Columbia SC

Fort Lauderdale

Florence, SC

Grand Rapids

Hampton Roads

Indianapolis

Jacksonville

Jersey City

Long Island

Los Angeles

New Orleans

Orange County

Palm Springs

Philadelphia

Rhode Island

San Francisco

Washington D.C.

West Palm Beach

Fort McMurray

South Georgian Bay

Victoriaville

Buenos Aires

San Jose, Costa Rica

Guatemala City

Aguascalientes

Mexico City

Panama City

Puerto Rico

Port of Spain

Saint Martin-Sint Maarten

Fraser Coast

Johannesburg

Ho Chi Minh City

Each event has its own flair. See what the city has in store for you.

25 April 2024

Introducing our new logo & website.

08 March 2024

A look back on 2023.

22 February 2024

Throw-back-thursday - puerto rico.

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Dinner in Paris: With a view of the Eiffel Tower, La Maison Blanche

In Paris there are many options to see the Eiffel Tower, but few give you a wonderful dining experience too. To be honest, there are so many tourist traps that are, just good enough, but not this one! The rooftop of la Maison Blanche not only delivers on an aesthetic level with Paris most famous attraction in clear sight but with equally richly decorated plates that I dub the best place to have a romantic dinner or celebratory lunch when the weather is nice and warm!

A perfect place for an after dinner wedding anniversary or birthday celebrations.

It was our turn to celebrate the birthday of one of our dear girlfriend Gabrielle (who handmakes these leather bags in Paris)…

going back off my tangent – ?we wanted to do luxurious afternoon in fine Style – the sun was out and the terrace was open – and it was absolutely perfect!

THE TEAM & AMBIANCE:

La Maison Blanche team was bilingual ?- welcomed us with big smiles (somewhat still rare to get a warm customer service experience here in Paris!) and the other dinners looked to be also having a good time. One table to our left was also celebrating the birthday of the dad in the family and the table to our right looked like a romantic lunch with a 30 something english speaking couple.

There are various seating areas and you can also dine inside (from one of the mutli levels) and still have a view from the glass walls.

There is a fixed menu for lunch of appetizer, main dish, and dessert for 58 Euros.

We started with duck?Fois gras ?with artchoke paste for the appetizer…

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Then we dinned on this yummy pollock fish with a cauliflower , broccoli puree…

and for myself – I could not resist a cheese cake in the form of red lips! – called the Le French Kiss – cheeky eh!

The wine selection was diverse – and their sommelier was there to educate us on the options in terms of what pairs best with the dishes we ordered, and also sharing info on the regions and I was impressed with the organic wine selection.

Address: La Maison Blanche?

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Travel the Globe with the Enchanting New Le Grand Tour Collection by Diptyque

Celebrating the french fragrance house’s 60th anniversary, the limited-edition array is a magical collaboration between some of the world’s most famous artists, craftsmen, and perfumers .

The French perfume house Diptyque is today so synonymous with coveted fragrances that its origins as one of the world’s first concept stores is often overlooked. Founded in 1961 by three art students—Christiane Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet, and Yves Coueslant—in Paris’s Saint-Germain neighborhood, where the brand’s flagship remains, Diptyque’s debut boutique was a visionary place that sold ornaments sourced from around the globe alongside their own collection of textiles. That unique artistic spirit and wanderlust has never wavered. Now, as part of the label’s ongoing 60th anniversary celebration, Diptyque is presenting a magical new collection that combines art, travel, and fragrance.

Diptyque’s Paris candle from the new Le Grand Tour collection Photo : Courtesy of Diptyque

Diptyque Byblos scented candle is presented in a marbled-clay vessel encircled with wisps of smoke. Photo : Courtesy of Diptyque

Titled Le Grand Tour, the dazzling multi-tiered cache is inspired by the historic concept of the Grand Tour, a cultural journey throughout Europe popular in the 18th century. It spotlights five destinations that have long served as inspiration for the brand and its founders—Paris, Venice, Milies, Kyoto, and Byblos—in a series of limited-edition fragrances crafted by the maison’s master perfumiers in Paris.

Rounding out the artful journey, Diptyque has commissioned five contemporary artists—Joël Andrianomearisoa, Johan Creten, Zoë Paul, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Rabih Kayrouz—to craft special artworks that correspond to these stopovers, while artisans Cécile Bichon, Laguna B, Atelier Polyhedre, Takaokaya, and La vie en Bronze have created complementary decorative home accents. Each piece is made to order and available in very limited quantities.

Diptyque's five new fragrances from Le Grand Tour collection. Photo : Courtesy of Diptyque

Honoring the City of Light, the Paris candle evokes an afternoon stroll down the Left Bank of the Seine, conjuring the scent of antique bookstores and the mineral notes of the cobblestone lining the street. “To me, complexity is essential to the scent of Paris,” says Andrianomearisoa, an internationally recognized artist who represented his home country of Madagascar at the Venice Biennale in 2019. For Le Grand Tour, he created Youth and After , a tribute to literary Paris that takes the form of a book printed on 34 pages, assembled in a black box like a monolith.

Diptyque's Venice fragrance. Photo : Courtesy of Diptyque

Johan Cretan’s La Laguna creation for the Diptyque Le Grand Tour collection.

To celebrate Venice, where notes of fresh basil, mandarin, and vetiver recall the vegetable gardens and sea breeze of the Italian islands, the Belgian artist Johan Cretan crafted a Venetian bronze sculpture, La Laguna , submerged in a 1.5 kg four-wick candle in a blue-tinted glass vessel. The translucent green wax recalls the ominous “acqua alta” flooding customary in the Floating City. “Venice is the city of all fantasies, a mirage, a phantom, a siren; a city with a beauty that’s vivid, brutal, decadent and delirious,” the artist says. “It is a place of intersections, of diverse artistic influences, but it is also the reality of a dense, complex economic world, of dynamism and decline.”

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Tour Blanche building in Paris La Défense was acquired by Plaza Global Real Estate Partners (Plaza Global) for some €161 million (RM668.79 million) from a fund advised by Perella Weinberg Real Estate in late October.

Plaza Global is a joint venture between LaSalle Investment Management and Quantum Global Real Estate. The acquisition is one of LaSalle’s largest deals in continental Europe and its fourth on behalf of Plaza Global.

“Tour Blanche is an exceptional asset in an established and liquid market with strong growth potential for a long-term investor such as Plaza Global. It is well located within a five-minute walk of the main transport hub and offers high-quality green office space after a full refurbishment. Tour Blanche’s appeal is reflected in the successful letting to Électricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF) on a strong covenant, which will ensure a secured long-term income stream,” said chief executive officer of LaSalle (Europe) Simon Marrison in a press statement recently.

The 27-storey Tour Blanche building offers 25,783 sq m of Grade A office accommodation and 124 car park lots. It had undergone a €41 million refurbishment that was completed in March 2014. The building is fully let to ERDF as its headquarters on a new nine-year lease. ERDF is a subsidiary of the national electricity provider EDF.

La Defense, Europe’s largest purpose-built district, is home to over 1,500 corporate head offices, the highest concentration in Europe, including 15 of the top 50 companies in the world.

The district comprises over 3.3 million sq m of office space and boasts some of France’s tallest towers. The district also has over 180,000 employees with 15 million travellers passing through the main transport hub, La Defense Grande Arche Station, each year.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily , on November 14, 2014.

Copyright © 1999-2023 The Edge Communications Sdn. Bhd. 199301012242 (266980-X). All rights reserved

Grand Tour of France

Itinerary Expand All

Day 1: arrive in paris, france.

Check into your hotel and spend free time strolling around Paris. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and travel companions.

Day 2: Paris - Rouen - Honfleur - Caen

Drive first to the historical capital city of Normandy, Rouen-one of the most prosperous cities of medieval Europe. Walk through its centre, rich in Gothic architecture. Next, visit lovely Honfleur , known for its picturesque port and houses with slate- covered facades. Continue to Caen. Today's Distance: 186 mi/ 300 km (B/D)

Day 3: Caen - Normandy Landing Beaches - Bayeux - Mont St. Michel

Time to see Caen before visiting the legendary beaches where Allied troops landed more than 75 years ago. Experience the most moving site of the American Cemetery at Omaha. Next, journey to Bayeux, home to the famous tapestry, listed by UNESCO, depicting William the Conqueror's epic battle in 1066 (entrance fee extra). Then, on to the unique beauty of Mont St. Michel, which stands on an island accessed via a causeway. Today's Distance: 118 mi/ 190 km (B)

Day 4: Mont St. Michel - Angers - Chateaux Country

Time to enjoy a visit of Mont St. Michel before departing for Angers to visit its cathedral. Then, travel along the banks of the Loire River to reach the enchanting Chateaux Country. This evening, join an optional dinner at a local restaurant. Today's Distance: 236 mi/ 380 km (B)

Day 5: Chateaux Country

Spend the day at leisure or take an optional excursion to see some of the most spectacular castles of the Loire Valley, steeped in the history of noblemen and kings since the 11th century. Gothic spires, medieval turrets, great fortresses, and beautiful chateaux make for splendid panoramas. (B/D)

Day 6: Chateaux Country - Bordeaux

Enjoy a scenic drive through the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, rich in agricultural resources including vineyards, forests and cereal fields, and stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Pyrenees in the South. On arrival in Bordeaux, discover the city on the included guided city sightseeing tour and consider an optional wine tasting excursion. Today's Distance: 230 mi/ 370 km (B)

Day 7: Bordeaux - Dordogne - Rocamadour - Toulouse

Discover one of France's most scenic regions, the Dordogne. Stop in the sacred medieval town of Rocamadour, dramatically perched high upon a cliff. Built on three successive levels, Rocamadour is both a place of legend and history where old stone houses, majestic towers and an impressive castle were built on the cliff edge of the Alzou Canyon. Continue southwards to Toulouse. Today's Distance: 267 mi/ 430 km (B/D)

Day 8: Toulouse - Carcassonne - Pont Du Gard - Avignon

Travel to Carcassonne, immerse yourself fully in the medieval atmosphere of the city and discover its secrets on a guided tour. Then, stop for a picture at famous Pont du Gard , one of the wonders of Antiquity, and the finest remaining example of an ancient aqueduct built 2000 years ago by the Romans. This architectural gem, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, is set in a beautiful, unspoilt natural setting.

Upon arrival in Avignon , free time to explore the old quarter featuring an amazing architectural and historic heritage, such as the Palace of the Popes . Today's Distance: 217 mi/ 350 km (B)

Day 9: Avignon - Arles - Aix-en-Provence - French Riviera

Visit Arles , known all over the world for Van Gogh's paintings. Admire the famous Roman amphitheatre, then continue to Aix-en-Provence. Walk down its main street, the Cours Mirabeau, lined with plane trees in the French tradition, and the 17th-century palace, houses, and fountains. Finally, head to the French Riviera on the shores of the Mediterranean. Today's Distance: 186 mi/ 300 km (B)

Day 10: French Riviera

Take time to enjoy all the amenities of the French Riviera at your own leisure. Tonight, maybe join the optional "Monte Carlo by Night" excursion to see the Principality of Monaco. (B)

Day 11: French Riviera - Orange - Lyon Area

See more of the Provence region today and stop in Orange, a town surrounded by beautiful countryside. It boasts Roman and Celtic heritages, as well as first class wines and original culinary and craft products. Next is Lyon , located at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers. On arrival, enjoy an orientation tour. Today's Distance: 298 mi/ 480 km

Day 12: Lyon Area - Beaune - Paris

Travel through the picturesque vineyards and fields of Burgundy to medieval Beaune, the region's wine capital since Roman times. Stop to visit the famous Hotel-Dieu. Return to the French capital of Paris. Today's Distance: 304 mi/ 490 km (B)

Day 13: Paris

Discover the glorious ville lumieres (City of Lights) and its many boulevards and monumental buildings. On your included sightseeing tour, a local expert will guide you through Parisian history, tradition, and modern living. Optional excursions are also available to complete your experience. (B)

Day 14: Paris

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Trip Inclusions Expand All

Trip inclusions, included meals.

• 13 Breakfasts

Accommodation

• Paris Tribe Paris La Defense Esplanade (First-Class)
• Caen Ibis Caen Porte D'Angleterre (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Mont St. Michel Hotel Vert (Tourist Class)
• Amboise Novotel Amboise (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Bordeaux Ibis Styles Bordeaux Meriadeck (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Toulouse Ibis Pont Jumeaux (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Avignon Ibis Avignon Centre Ponte De l'Europe (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Nice Ibis Styles Nice Vieux Port (Superior Tourist-Class)
• Lyon Area Doubletree by Hilton Lyon Eurexpo (First-Class)
• Paris Novotel Paris Charenton Le Pont
• Airport transfers at your arrival and departure destination are not included in the price of the tour.
• Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
• Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.

Enjoy inside visits to Europe's the must-see sites with a great mix of included excursions, free time and affordable value. Read more

Cosmos build free time into every one of their holidays, so you can eat, shop, and explore the way you want. Read more

Cosmos' easy going, fun-filled and multilingual Tour Directors and Local Guides love exploring as much as you do. Read more

Trip Reviews (49) View All Most Recent 'Grand Tour of France' Reviews

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• Guided Tours of Italy
• Shopping and a stroll around Rome
• Rome Highlights Sightseeing Driving Guided Tour
• Ancient Rome walking guided tour
• Appian Way Driving Tour
• Sightseeing Tour of Ancient Rome
• From the Dark Ages to the Baroque Splendor
• Guided Tours of Renaissance Rome
• Introducing Rome on The Grand Tour walking tour
• Gelato Tour around Baroque Rome
• On The Footsteps Of Saint Peter
• Guided Tours of the Palazzi of Rome
• Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica
• The Borghese Gallery and Gardens
• Private Guided Tours of Underground Rome
• Secret Rome Tour: Trastevere Undergrounds
• Guided Tour of the Underground of the Celian Hill
• Boat Cruise on Tiber River & Tour of the Scavi of Ancient Ostia
• Guided Tour of Pompeii and Amalfi Coast from Rome
• Guided Driving Tours of the “Castelli Romani”
• Tivoli Villas: Hadrian’s Villa and Villa D’Este
• Venite Adoremus: Nativities and Adorations
• Christmas Tour: Le Madonnelle di Roma
• Christmas tours: Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore
• Christmas Tour: Witches in Rome
• Christmas Tour: Christmas at the Vatican
• Christmas tour: Nativities and Masterpieces
• Guided Walking Tour of Florence
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• Tour of Pisa and Lucca from Florence
• Private Guided Tour of Capri
• The Gold of Naples walking tour
• Guided tour of Pompeii from Naples
• Siena and San Gimignano driving tour
• Highlights of Venice Guided Tour
• Private Guided Walking Tour of Venice
• Murano and Burano from Venice
• Guided Tours of Verona
• Amalfi Coast, Positano and Ravello driving tour
• Milan city tour
• Rome Highlights Private Excursion from Civitavecchia
• Rome Sightseeing from Civitavecchia
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