If you are looking for the quintessential French village then look no further then Saint-Emilion. It is next to impossible to describe just how utterly spectacular this town is. Set on a hilltop, surrounded by huge historic Chateau's, the contrasting colours of the miles of vines, intermixed with the golden limestone houses, vineyards and finally the walls of the village itself. Entering from the valley floor, the views make it difficult to drive. The road is narrow, cars travel in both directions, their passengers, blinded by the beauty. Add to that the throngs of cyclists and you have an excellent opportunity for a major road incident. We managed to avoid the potential carnage, parking at the first lot we pass, right at the base of the village.
Not necessarily the best place to park as the walk up the street to the main square is steep, the cobblestone roadway is uneven, making footing slippery. Still, it is safer then driving at this point. This area is the first vine region to garner the UNESCO world heritage designation as a Cultural Landscape. If you are a cyclist, then this is Nirvana. Beautiful Chateau's, great food, a spectacular landscape, what are you waiting for? When we come back, a cycle tour is in our future. Want to join us?
No visit would be complete without a degustation. There is a small tourist train that will take you on a 2.5 hour tour of the area, including a stop at Chateau Rochebelle. The entrance to their wine cave can be seen above. Dug deep into the limestone rock directly below their vineyard, Chateau Rochebelle is a very small "Grand Cru" designated wine maker. A family business since the early 1800's, they only produce 18000 bottles per year from their 3 hectare site. We had the pleasure of a complete tour of the facility along with a very nice tasting. I brought a 2010 Grand Cru to savior at some point in the future. 2010 is among the very best years for Bordeaux wines. Keep that in mind when you are looking for your next great bottle.
The wines of Bordeaux get there unique qualities from the terrior. Limestone with a very thin layer of soil above makes for a vine that has to work hard for water. This creates strong rich grapes, which translates in the the unmistakable taste, colour and bouquet of Bordeaux wines.
Outside one of the many, many wine merchant shops, was this fairly non-descript chart. Look closely, it lists the highest selling bottle of Bordeaux wine from Chateau Petrus and Mouton each year since 1945. Some years are absent, I haven't found out why but I assumed those are the years where they scrapped the production because of bad quality. Maybe one of you know another reason? If you do let the rest of us in on the secret. For those that can't read it, a bottle of 1945 from either vineyard will set you back a cool 12,000 euro!
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this region, can't wait to come back. Next stop is Cognac, then the Chateau's of the Loire Valley.
Be Well
Sante
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