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| En route to Saint-Émilion |
This day we were headed back to the Saint-Émilion area to spend a few extra days for in-depth exploration of this beautiful region to the east of Bordeaux by car.
Our first stop was to drop our bags at the lovely B&B, the Clos de la Barbanne where we would stay. We only paused as we had to dash back to the city of Saint-Émilion for a Sunday lunch reservation in town at L'Huitrier-Pie (the oyster-catcher bird!).
Saint-Émilion has always been at the heart of the wine region in this part of France. Viticulture was introduced to this fertile area of Aquitaine by the Romans, and intensified in the Middle Ages.
It benefited from its location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and many churches, monasteries and hospices were built there from the 11th century onwards. It was granted the special status of a 'jurisdiction' during the period of English rule in the 12th century. It is an exceptional landscape in a region devoted largely to wine and cuisine.
Having found this charming restaurant, tucked away down a steep and winding lane, we happily indulged in the Sunday lunch menu (photos below).
Needless the say lunch was delicious, and the experience was made all-the-more more delightful by being able to sit in the lovely courtyard under the olive trees.
Photos of our lunchtime feast (I drool again as I write the blog!):
And so, after walking off lunch around the hills of the town we were lucky enough to find a special Sunday market in the town cloisters. So we picked up some local cheese and bread so that we could retreat to our lovely inn for the evening and sip the wine that we had previously purchased.
Clos de la Barbanne (http://www.closdelabarbanne.com/) is actually a small working winery run by Laurent and Annie Gerber. The inn has four guest rooms looking out over the soft, rolling countryside a short distance north-east of Saint-Émilion. The inn is exquisite in every detail, and pin-drop quiet.
Our room had a terrace looking out over the vineyards, and at night we had a full moon illuminating the magical countryside.It was a good thing we had a sound sleep because the next morning we were off to explore the countryside and visit a number of historic villages and world-class wineries.
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| Laurent and Lee at work |
But before we could depart, Lee started exploring the wine making at the inn and Laurent was kind enough to invite Lee up to help with the punching down of the recently-crushed grapes that will make this year's vintage of Concerto Bordeaux.
Our first full morning was dedicated to exploring the villages surround Saint-Émilion, all dedicated to growing grapes. Since 1289 these villages have fallen under the Saint-Émilion jurisdiction and the whole region (!) was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.
And so we spent the morning driving through Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, Saint-Pey-d'Armens, Vignonet, and Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens. Each village had a special character--a Romanesque church, a prehistoric menhir, a château in addition to the vineyards.
What made this such an interesting time of year to visit was that the harvest was well under way and so there were many pickers and machines dotting each site, truly a beehive of activity.
We then hurried back to the inn to freshen up and change our clothes because we had a lunch date at a one star Michelin restaurant, Les Belles Perdrix at the Château Troplong Mondot.
As with so many wonderful restaurants in France, the setting is half of the pleasure. The restaurant sat on a rise overlooking the vineyards of the château and the interior was warm and cozy.
But what drew us here was the promise of amazing food and wine! And we were not disappointed.
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| The menu of the day |
Each course was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The composition of the plate and the decoration made each dish a work of art.
We savored each course along with wines from the Château. Lee selected glasses of the same wine, but from different vintages so that we could sample the characteristics of each year. This experience was truly one of the many high points of this trip.
Upon finally leaving the restaurant we decided to drive along the roads that led to the Pomerol region and the world-famous Château Petrus so that we could pay homage to one of the greatest (and costliest!!) wines ever produced.
While we stood there admiring the Château and the adjoining vineyards, several other cars of devotees arrived to look and admire as well. No tasting room here though!
As we drove back to the inn at the end of the day, we spotted one of the massive harvesters going through a field and so we pulled over to watch. The driver was kind enough to pause so that we could get a photo up close. Truly an amazing machine and what skill to run it!
And so after a long and fascinating day immersed in the wonders of this part of Bordeaux we arrived back at the inn. Annie had prepared a large plate of cheeses, bread, olives and, of course, wine. We sat on our terrace and room and reflected on a perfect day.
Our final day was to be dedicated to exploring deeper into the Dordogne area to the region of Périgord and Quercy and the town of Périgeux. But then Annie and Laurent persuaded us to head to the smaller town of Brântome. Our drive to this region was interesting in that we gradually left behind the gently rolling hills and vineyards of Saint-Émilion for the flatter lands where wheat and corn are grown.
This charming town, on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, sits on an island encircled by the Dronne river. Its buildings cluster around an 8th-century Benedictine abbey founded by Charlemagne. The Vikings (adept at traveling along rivers in their flatboats as well as the sea) laid waste to it in the mid-800s. It was rebuilt many times over, and has one of the oldest bell towers in France.
While there were not many tourist attractions to occupy us, it was a charming place to stroll around and to have yet another delightful lunch of local specialities at a simple restaurant along the banks of the river.
And so the following morning we bid a fond farewell to our hosts at the Clos de la Barbanne and Bordeaux and prepared for our return to Florence. It had been lovely to be back in France for a stretch of time and enjoy the very special tastes and sights of this region, especially since we even managed to resuscitate our long-unused French language skills for a time.
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| Au revoir to Bordeaux |
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