Day 43 - Saint-Émilion and its satellites

These are not heavenly bodies orbiting the earth... No, these are four villages where the vineyard owners of Saint-Émilion historically had their second vineyards giving rise to the four Appellations of:
Saint Georges-Saint-Émilion
Montagne-Saint-Émilion
Lussac-Saint-Émilion
Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion
The villages are within a very short distance of Saint-Émilion and very much share the same terroir, grape varieties and vinification processes (though not the price!).
I drove to Lussac where I stopped at the Château Haut Piquat... A beautiful setting.... I walked through an archway to be greeted with row upon row of vines stretching away from the vineyard as far as the eye could see.

The gentleman who took me round was not the owner, but rather in charge of the growing of the vines... not the making of the wines. I say this because as the explanations continued, he basically tried to bullsh*t me and while I have pretty good radar for this sort of thing, (a) I didn't want to be rude, and (b) I was getting a free tasting out of this and didn't want to jeopardise my chances.
So, anyway, he showed me where the wine was held for 1st fermentation... in concrete tanks...

I later discovered these were quite normal around Saint-Émilion...


So, the owner of this vineyard has 2 others; one in Montagne and one in Lalande de Pomerol. My guide tried to tell me that the blend was exactly the same in all three, but when he presented me with the price-list at the end, the blends were also described... and funnily enough weren't identical, though all were aged in oak barrels for 18 months!

1. AOC Lussac-Saint-Émilion - Château Haut Piquat 2003 - An 80/15/5 blend of Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignan/Cabernet Franc with a subtle cherry nose and flavours of plums and cherries, a bit peppery and the tannins still very astringent. Can be kept for 15 years.
2. AOC Montagne-Saint-Émilion - Château de Beaulieu 2005 - A 40/30/30 blend of Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignan/Cabernet Franc with a nose of cherries and plums and a light fresh and fruity taste of strawberries and blackberries - again still a little astringent with the tannins, but better than the 1st.
3. AOC Lalande de Pomerol (Saint-Émilion's next-door neighbour) - Château Moulin de Lavaud 2004 - A 70/30 blend of Merlot/Cabernet Franc giving a very fresh fruity nose of cherries and raspberries... and similarly on the palate, cherries, raspberries, good acidity and round tannins... Although this also could be kept for 15 years.

Now, call me petty, but after someone had tried to pull the wool over my eyes, would I really buy a wine from him?? Not on your nelly! So I drove through the other satellite villages and stopped in Saint Georges to get my bearings when a car pulled up beside me, a man jumped out, came running over and very excitedly asked me if I was part of the Barchetta club.... He apparently had the same model car as mine only in yellow! For a split second, I was really tempted to lie as he was just so excited, but I came clean and explained that the car belonged to a friend and I wasn't sure, but I didn't think he was part of the Barchetta club of France! Oh, he was so disappointed, bless him. And he went running back to his car and roared off! :-(
I must take a photo of her... I keep forgetting, but she is popular... When I first used the Autoroute, I kept getting flashed by lorry drivers (their lights, that is) and I was so terrified that something was wrong with the car and I would pull in at the next services and check her over... and invariably she would be fine, so they must just think she is as pretty as I think she is! Now I don't worry when it happens.
Anyway, I had a slight problem with my camera, so I nipped back to the hotel to sort it out and by the time I was able to leave again, it was time to go back into Saint-Émilion for my bus tour of the vineyards.
Saint-Émilion is a UNESCO World Heritage site; not just the village, but also the vineyards

So our guide, Florent, took us through the winding roads surrounding the village, into the appellations of Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Pomerol and the satellite villages... I even manged to see Pétrus...

Sorry, bit of reflection in the coach windows, but the building is quite understated for probably the most prestigious wine of the area.
We stopped, and got out, at a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru vineyard, Château Laroque - one of the more beautiful houses and a wonderful location

After a little more touring, we stopped at Château Cantenac, another Saint-Émilion Grand Cru vineyard where we were given a very warm reception by the owner. She told us about the history of both the house...

and the vineyard. In fact, this was my very first time, tasting one of the grapes... I had been tempted before by the vineyards literally on the side of the road, but I have developed a very peculiar sense of respect for the vines and just didn't feel right taking a berry... Also, I wasn't sure what they would be like... I really didn't expect them to taste nice.

But, I tasted a Merlot grae which was so sweet and delicious, though small, big pips and quite a thick skin.
After, the tour of the vineyard and cellars, we had a tasting of two of their wines:

1. AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Château Cantenac 2007 - Sélection Madame - On the nose, this 90/10 Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend aged  for 12 months, had aromas of cherry and vanilla... and to taste, cherries, plums, a little toastie and vanilla. Still a little young, so should be kept for a bit longer.
2. AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Château Cantenac 2007 - On the nose, this 80/5/15 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend aged  for 12 months in new oak, had aromas of cherry jam, vanilla and sweet cinnamon. To taste the flavours were dark cherry, dark chocolate, raspberries and blackcurrant. This wine was delicious now, but even better to keep, as long as 15 years!

We returned to Saint-Émilion and I pottered about the town - it's just so pretty, with so many streets to explore - before I headed for bed!

Day 42 - Sunday in Saint-Émilion

As has been my habit, I attended my local church this Sunday morning... this time in Saint-Émilion. A lovely church (I took the pic much later in the afternoon when all traces of Mass had finished)

with a lovely little garden in the centre... much like the cloisters in and around Provence.



I have to confess to not feeling very motivated today.... I would gladly have curled up with the sunday papers, even out in the garden as it was another scorcher! Instead, I had a little dander round the town... and I should add here that while Saint-Émilion is a gorgeous and picturesque destination, it is set on a hill and paved with cobbles which over time have worn to the point of being like glass... i.e super slippy! Even in my sensible Birkenstocks, I was struggling, so eventually I just took them off and descended in bare feet... A few funny looks, but then I saw other girls following suit... I've started a trend!

I took a long lunch and then took the car out for a little hunt... A wine I am very fond of is a Saint-Émilion, called Château Magdelaine, so after one or two dead-ends, I eventually found it.  I know for most of you, this will seem silly, but for me, it was a real triumph:

So, having found the house and vineyard, I took myself back into town to find a bottle, which was duly purchased.

I headed back to my lodgings as I had been promised a tasting of the wine:

1. AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Château Monlot "Cuvée Prestige" 2008 - An 85/15 Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend, aged for 16 months in oak barrels. On the nose blueberries, cherries and vanilla; and to taste raspberries and blueberries and smokey wood. The wine had loads of potential, but was just too young... the tannins were astringent... This needed to be kept for another 3-5 years, with the possibility of keeping for 15!
2. AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Château Monlot "Cuvée Prestige" 2007 - An 85/15 Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend, aged for 14 months in oak barrels. Very fruity aromas of raspberries, cherries, blueberries and then vanilla. On the palate, a finer rounder wine than the 2008 - the tannins had already mellowed on this cherry fruity wine with notes of tobacco. It could be drunk now or kept for a little while.
3. AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - L'Excellence du Château Monlot 2006 - A 95/5 Merlot/Cabernet Franc Blend, aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. A little more time and care has been taken over this wine and while drinkable now, can be kept for another 15-20 years. On the nose, cherries, vanilla, raspberries and wild strawberries. The flavours were those of cherry and raspberry. A slight remaining astringency to the tannins, but nothing a little time wouldn't fix. Velvety smooth.

Because I was 'home', I was able to enjoy that last one... Ooh, very nice!

Day 41 - Fronsac and Pomerol

Saturday and only a week until the beautiful wee car goes back to Marseille, but until then, we took a spin along the Dordogne river to Fronsac. This is actually where Bordeaux wine began, before the Médoc was reclaimed from the marshes, before even Saint-Émilion made wine, and it's also rather a beautiful part of the world.

Looking down to Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac

As is my modus operandi, I headed for the Maison du Vin in Fronsac, but they were only offering the one wine:
AOC Fronsac - Château Barrabaque 2003 - A 70/10/20 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend aged for 13 months in oak barrels. While the damson jam aromas were familiar, this also exhibited kirsch, cinnamon and star anise on the nose. On the palate, cherries and plums, a little pepper, but the tannins were rounded.

I have to say that I am a recent convert to these wines, probably only the last couple of years, but I am always pleasantly surprised by how delicious they are. It's a shame there weren't more to taste, but it seems that while accommodation prices are higher in August, it is the best time to visit France as everything is open. Since September, I have found it increasingly difficult to find exhibits, domaines, visits open. Here they seem to close at the weekend, whereas in the Loire, it was the converse!

Anyway, I mosied on down the Dordogne till I reached Saint-André-de-Cubzac - eh, where? Well, yes, there is no appellation here, but it is not too far past Fronsac and is the birthplace... and final resting place (per his request) of Commander (no, I didn't know he had this title either) Jacques Cousteau.
The house of his birth is now a chemist, but there is a plaque in his honour...

I did have quite a lengthy wander round the not especially attractive town to see if I could find a little museum or exhibit to his marine work, but alas, not a thing... That's not to say there isn't one... It just wasn't immediately obvious, but for me, it was a little disappointing as he is one of the people I remember being educated about as a child.









Anyway, I headed back towards Fronsac and stopped at Château de La Rivière, a 16th century castle sitting on a limestone quarry, which the owners cleverly used as cellars... 30 odd kilometres of them. The house and vineyard are in private hands, which is rare for a vineyard of this size.
I arrived just in time for the 2.30pm visit... except the guide was flustered as a coach party due at that time were running late, so wouldn't arrive till 3.15pm and would I wait till then? It was a glorious afternoon, and the setting was spectacular, so yes, I was happy to potter about.

The guide returned and had calmed down a little. She was a very charming woman who explained that she worked here 5 or 6 months of the year, then travelled (and worked) around the world at different things. My initial reaction was 'wow! that sounds great!' and then I thought about my case full of clothes and my constant moving and I decided that no, it would be nice to travel, but to have a home as well. She said she felt she was getting too old for this nomadic life - she is 53 and I have to confess feeling a little sadness for her... and also wondered if that would be me in another 20 years, given my inability to settle? Sorry, maybe that's a bit deep and meaningful!!

Anyway, she took me into the chapel, where the statue of Christ was not nailed to the cross, but rather lying on his mother's lap having just been taken down from the cross... It was different, but also rather moving. Separately, the stations of the cross had been depicted in glass and gold leaf by a contemporary artist - not commissioned, simply someone who visited the chapel and was moved to create something.

There was also a heraldry room, where the table was carved from one solid piece of wood from an elm tree felled in the forest within the castle's grounds.

As we continued to wait for the coach tour, my guide offered to do a little tasting as I might get lost in the crowd otherwise. The three wines were two from this castle's vineyard and one from one of the vineyards of the owner's two sons, situated in the Bordeaux region:

1. AOC Bordeaux Clairet - Château de La Rivière 2009 - This is the wine I had encountered in Blaye... deeper than a rosé, and made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Again the rich red fruit aromas of strawberries and raspberries and to taste strawberry and cherry flavours with slight tannins... Have to admit, I preferred the other one I tasted... It was much more refreshing.
2. AOC Bordeaux-Supérieur - Blanc de Bois Noir 2009 - A 50/25/25 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Muscadelle blend with a citrus and slightly herbaceous nose ( a bit like how a wood/forest smells after rain when it's damp). On the palate, grapefruit with slight minerality.
3. AOC Fronsac - Château de La Rivière 2002 - Oak aged for 16 months, this 80/15/5 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend smelled of red cherries, strawberries, damsons and vanilla and to taste cherries and sweet spice. The tannins were beautiful and this was just like velvet to drink. I was told that keeping it another 7 or 8 years would make it even better!

I had barely spat out my last mouthful when the busload of Indonesian tourists arrived. I accompanied them as they toured the extensive cellars, but I'll be honest, after the cellars of Champagne, I'm not so easily impressed!

The limestone table and stone chairs are in pitch blackness - this is only visible due to my flash. It is used to initiate new vignerons and also to celebrate the harvest... Can't say I'd like to come down here for dinner!

As I was leaving the castle, I stopped to view the 'Ladies' bath' a little bathing area built around one of the natural springs so that the lady of the house could bathe - very extravagant!

Before I headed back to the hotel, I wanted to stop off in Pomerol. There is a Maison du Vin, but unfortunately it is closed for renovation... I hoped to drive round to see if I could spot any of the well-known vineyards like Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin or Château LaFleur... Nope, drew a complete blank, but still, a nice bit of countryside...

Pomerol

It has to be said that the opportunity for wine tasting in this area is quite slim, unless you are a serious buyer and an appointment made at a particular vineyard, but I'm not altogether disappointed... I'm just so pleased to be here. Now I know what to picture in my mind's eye when I drink these wines back home... Would I have liked to taste some of them in situ? Of course, but maybe it's better I didn't - these are wines for a special occasion, to be drunk with people you love, to celebrate something important to you, in your life... Having a swill and spitting them out just wouldn't seem appropriate.

Day 40 - Entre Deux Mers

Entre-Deux-Mers is an appellation situated between the 2 rivers (not really seas, but anyway) of the Garonne and the Dordogne. I was already geographically in the right place, though not quite in the appellation. I decided to make a quick foray north along the east bank of the Garonne to Cadillac before entering E-D-M proper. The morning dawned very misty, but these are the perfect conditions for the sweet wines, so I'm sure there were a lot of happy wine-growers this morning! And they deserve every break they can get from nature, as to make the sweet wine it requires manual picking, on a berry by berry basis, making maybe up to TEN!! passes of the vineyard until the whole harvest is complete.

It had already lifted quite a bit by then!
Anyway, at Cadillac, I tasted 2 of the local sweet white wines and a red:

1. AOC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux - Château Faugas 2006 - 100% Sémillon with a nose of raisin and dried apricots. To taste, baked apples and apricot jam.
2. AOC Cadillac - Château Moulin de Corneil 2009 - Again 100% Sémillon with a nose of dried sultanas and apricots. To taste, all honey and apricots, with only a slight blossom.
3. AOC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux - Château Clos Bourbon 2006 - An 80/20 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend aged in oak for 12 months. Again, as has been typical, it had a nose of cherry and vanilla, though also a slight nuttiness. On the palate, cherries, blackcurrant and a peppery spiciness - still a bit of heat and good tannins. Another year and the alcohol will be integrated, taking away the heat.

I then made my way into the heartland of the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation to a village called La Sauve which is the home to the Abbaye de la Sauve-Majeure.

A beautiful ruined abbey with huge local and national significance, built in the 13th century and on the Route to Santiago de Compostela. I very much enjoyed the walk up to and around it.

However, what I was most delighted by were the carvings at the tops of the columns. Many of them were depictions of stories from both the old and new testaments, but the naïvety of the sculpting really mesmerised me. I loved them all, so forgive me if I am boring you:

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Samson, first with the lion he killed, then having his hair cut by Delilah!

Even some myths are represented... If you zoom into each side of this picture you will see the mermaids or sirens calling on one side, and Ulysses bound to the mast on the other:

Finally, the story of John the Baptist. Salome can be seen dancing and have a look at Herod - he is twirling his moustache, this was a sign that he was seduced by her and of course, the platter with John's head:

Tremendous carvings... there were many more, but I just felt they were more accessible than some of the very fancy 'art' in churches. The simplicity made them more real, more down-to-earth.
Far from the earth, was the very high bell-tower which I felt the need to climb... all 157 steps... but what a view!

Once safely back to the ground, I made my way out of the abbey and straight into the Maison du Vin, which was unfortunately about to shut for lunch, so I only had the opportunity to taste 1 wine. The Entre-Deux-Mers is a dry white only appellation.

AOC Entre-Deux-Mers - Château Sainte-Marie 2009 (vielles vignes) - The blend, which was very typical of the appellation, was 70/20/10 of Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Muscadelle. It was odd to be drinking a similar blend of grapes and it be so dry a wine in comparison to the sweet wines from yesterday. This was fruity, blossomy and minerally on the nose. On the palate, refreshing, crisp grapefruit and orange blossom flavours, and the minerality - a perfect accompaniment to oysters!

I hopped into the car and stopped for lunch at Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, a larger village with a beautiful square and the two arched gates at each end.

I had also hoped to stop and explore the stalactites and stalagmites in Celestine's cave in Rauzan, but despite turning up at the specified time... As there was only one of me, they wouldn't do the tour :-( So I headed a little earlier than anticipated to my stop for the night and the following three nights in St. Hippolyte, just outside Saint-Émilion. Once unpacked, I headed into Saint-Émilion to try to book a couple of tours... Again, the chances of tasting wines on the hoof are likely to be slim, so I had to resort to the Tourist trail!

At 4.30, I wasn't anticipating doing anything more than research and reservation, but I was just in time to join a tour of the underground monuments, which was fascinating...

We explored the cave where the hermit monk Émilion lived and founded his own Benedictine enclave. There are also catacombs and a beautiful chapel, but most impressive is the monolithic church. For those of you unfamiliar, monolithic means from one rock... So this church was not built, it was literally carved and quarried out of the large limestone rock in the centre of Saint-Émilion, an amazing feat. Inside is now stabilised with metal as years of flowing water in the underground springs has soaked into the porous structure, but nevertheless, an incredible achievement.

Day 39 - Graves

Nothing to do with cemeteries... Rather the area south of Bordeaux, but still west of the Garonne river. I headed south to Bordeaux, to join the ring road, but as I passed west, at about the "9 o'clock" point, I headed in towards Bordeaux to Pessac, location of the 5th Premier Grand Cru Classé, Château Haut-Brion. Again, I didn't visit, but I was absolutely flabbergasted by the location... It is literally a fenced off vineyard in the middle of the suburbs, with busy traffic rushing past constantly... I'm not convinced that the grapes would be unaffected by all the pollution. My picture doesn't come close to conveying how busy it is - I would have had to put my life in jeopardy to get that shot - but it goes some way!

Back onto the ringroad, and this time when I left it was outside the circle, to Léognan. All of this area falls within the Pessac-Léognan appellation and I had the opportunity to visit one of the nearby châteaux for a tasting. Again, I was fortunate to find a château which was one of a stable of a few in the area, so had the opportunity of tasting more than just this château's wine.

I have to comment, once again, on the welcome and information from the girl carrying out the tasting at Château La Louvière - she knew her wines inside out, but was also so very interesting to listen to. I really have been blessed by the tutelage I have received from the various people I have encountered in my tour of France.




So, to the wines - 3 whites, then 3 reds:

1. AOC Entre-Deux-Mers (the area to be visited tomorrow!) Château Bonnet 2009 - A Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Muscadel - These are wines that should not be kept any more than 2 years - they are made to be drunk young and fresh. This one had intense fruit aromas with hints of blossom. The flavours were intense as well - grapefruit and lemon, though not astringent, just really refreshing.
2. AOC Pessac-Léognan - Château de Cruzeau 2007 - This 10 month barrel-aged 100% Sauvignon Blanc had a nose of raisins, confit lemon and a vanilla/wood note. To taste, it was citrus and green apples.... the wood hadn't yet reached the taste. In 2-3 years this would be fully integrated and the wood flavours would be apparent in the taste.
3. AOC Pessac-Léognan - Château La Louvière 2004 - An 85/15 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend, aged for 10months in the barrel. This time the taste delivered what the nose promised - a nose of raisin, slight citrus, slight tropical fruit, minerality and vanilla (very complex) and equally complex flavours - citrus and apple fruits, with a hint of butter and nut - very round... Long length. Bit of a star, all told!
4. AOC Pessac-Léognan - Château de Rochemorin 2005 - A 60/40 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend aged for 12 months. On the nose, blackberry and black cherry and caramel. On the palate, blackcurrant, sweet spice a slightly astringent tannins. My guide suggested that this wine should be kept for a further 3 years, to allow the Cabernet Sauvignon flavours to open... A lovely way of phrasing and in french it conjured up the image of a flower opening. One of the other guides I encountered (I think it was the lady in Margaux) also described tannins as blue and becoming more orange as time progressed.... The blue describes the young astringent tannins, the orange, the mellow rounder tannins... But again, another lovely phrase as there is a french verb "to orange"!
5. AOC Pessac-Léognan - Château Couhins-Lurton 2006 - A 23/77 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. On the nose, vibrant red fruits - cherries, raspberries, maybe a hint of blackberry. On the palate, a light elegant wine, delivering flavours of red and black cherries. It is nonetheless complex with vanilla notes. This would be a good wine for dark chocolate!
6. AOC Pessac-Léognan - Château La Louvière 2002 - A 60/37/3 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Petit Verdot blend with really intense aromas of plums and damson jam, sweet spice and leather. The flavours on the palate were equally intense - blackberry/blackcurrant jam, slight leather, but perfectly rounded, wonderful tannins and finish... Just a beautifully integrated wine.

I continued my journey south into the heart of Graves and stopped at the town of Podensac and the Maison des Vins de Graves where I was once more illuminated by the information and explanation on offer. There are a great deal of oyster shells found in the soils of the region and this is due to the area being a sea 20 million years ago (sorry - I didn't note the timescale and I'm rubbish at that sort of thing, so apologies if it's completely wrong!). Anyway, after the explanation, we got down to some tasting... Ooh, and I was given a little notepad, about the size of the palm of my hand for tasting notes... Very cool (you know me - easily delighted by little things!)
So let me just flick to my notes... won't be a moment... 3 whites, 4 reds and 2 sweet whites at the end:
1. AOC Graves – Château du Mayne 2008 – A 40/60 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend, aged in stainless steel with a gooseberry and elderflower nose and a refreshing, crisp gooseberry and citrus flavour in the mouth. Notes of minerality were also present.



2. AOC Graves – Château de Chantegrive 2008 – Cuvée Caroline - A 50/50 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend, aged in oak for 9 months. The nose was vanilla, apple blossom and citrus. The palate was sweet apple, raisin, melon, vanilla and citrus.


3. AOC Pessac-Léognan – Château de Rochemorin 2007 - 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged in oak for 10 months with a gooseberry and vegetal smell (maybe asparagus), with a smokey note. On the palate, grapefruit, gooseberry and vanilla.


4. AOC Graves – Château de l’Hermitage 2007 – A 60/10/30 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend aged in oak for 12 months. On the nose, cherries, sweet spice and vanilla; on the palate, a light fruity wine – red and black cherries, with mild tannins.


5. AOC Graves – Château de l’Hospital 2005 - A 90/10 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend aged in oak for 16 months. Cherries and sweet spice on the nose; Red and black cherry, raspberry and vanilla flavours on the palate.


6. AOC Graves – Villa Bel-Air 2005 (Grand Vain de Bordeaux) - A 50/40/10 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend aged in oak. This one was a strange one – the nose was Worcestershire Sauce… Couldn’t get anything but that! To taste, thankfully not the same, fruity cherries, sweet spices and a little coffee.


7. AOC Pessac-Léognan – Château Haut-Bacalan 2007 - An 80/15/5 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot blend aged in new oak for 16 months. On the nose, cherries, vanilla and violets. In the mouth, cherries, plums, vanilla and a touch of tobacco. Very long length.


8. AOC Graves Supérieures – Château la Fleur des Pins 2009 - A 10/80/10 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Muscadelle blend, aged in oak for 10 months. On the nose, sweet apple, blossom, raisin and pine (unsurprisingly). To taste, honey, apricots and cooked apples.


9. AOC Graves Supérieures – Château de Budos 2003 – Cuvée Clémentine – An 80/20 Sémillon/Muscadelle blend, aged in oak for 12 months. The nose was raisins, apricots and sweet apples and to taste: honey, apricots and orange blossom.

It was a god way to end the tasting, as it put me on the road to Barsac and Sauternes ready for some sweet wines. I passed through Barsac without stopping as I was keen to get to Sauternes... A little tricky to get to, but then I climbed a hill and...

Sauternes

I parked at the bottom of the village and walked up through its charming streets to the Maison du Sauternes where I tasted 3 of the dessert wine. They were described to me as a basic Sauternes, a more citrus flavoured Sauternes and then a more richly fruity/citrus Sauternes:

1. AOC Sauternes – Duc de Sauternes 2006 – A 15/80/5 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon/Muscadelle blend with an apple and raisin nose and apple, raisin and apricot flavours on the palate.


2. AOC Sauternes – Château de Moumic 2004 – Délices d’automne – A 15/80/5 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon /Muscadelle blend again. This time the maturity of this wine yielded a nose of confit lemon, pink grapefruit and orange blossom. To taste, it was sweet lemon, blood orange, honey and raisin.


3. AOC Sauternes – Château Filhot 1998 – Same blend and a nose of confit lemon and apricot. To taste, it was sweet citrus. Forgive me, but as a child I was given warmed honey and lemon juice mixed and I loved it and this tasted very like that, with the heat coming from the alcohol!


Today had been quite packed with the travelling, the 18 tastings, so I made my way across the Garonne to Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, a tiny village, also making sweet wines, but to a little house owned by Madame Chassagnol. She was a sweet little lady, about 70, who welcomed me warmly.

There is no website for her house, and she doesn't really advertise, but if you are passing that way and need a little haven for the night, hers is a great place to rest a weary head.
She took me into her garden and pointed up to the château and church looking down on her

I decided I would walk up to them and she explained I could cut through her garden and find a little trail, rather than walking in a great loop along the road and up, so that's what I did...

I had also hoped to visit a cave, paved with fossilised oyster shells which glowed in the dark (all naturally occurring!), but alas, it was closed.

Nevertheless, the views across the Garonne (including to Sauternes) were stunning, so I made the most of them before climbing back down to bed.