Well, yes, we did do another winery, or chateau as they like to call themselves. It was a little side trip on our way out of Bordeaux. The region we chose was Saint-Emilion, a very famous sub-region of the Bordeaux wine region. We registered at Chateau du Ferrand the night before by email. But our first stop was the town of Stain-Emilion for a quick tour of the town. We had 20 minutes and then had to be on the road for a 10 minute drive to the nearby Chateau tour at 11:30. Cathy and I were both impressed with the beauty of Saint-Emilion. It is quite a small town, but it's all about wine. And it appears to have done very well for itself over the years, perhaps centuries. Here are a few photos of our brief walking tour - note the fog in the first and fourth images.
We arrived at the chateau on a beautiful cool, sunny morning. Our tour guide spoke quite reasonable english. We shared the tour with a young Australian couple. The wine was quite nice and reflected a greater use of the Merlot variety in their blended wines. The great part of this tasting was that we were able to taste the difference between a young wine that was good for drinking early, and an aged wine that was good for drinking only after a number of years of cellaring. The older wine had less colour density and a more subtle taste. It was a good experience. The outdoor images below show the gapes surrounding the chateau.
Then the long drive north to Tours, about 3 hours on the super highway.
Yes, this is were we stayed the night. Wow, what a hotel. This was definitely the highlight of the trip as far as accommodation. Superb. We had one the best dinners we can remember having. Absolutely outstanding - with of coarse a local wine.
The forth photo down is a cottage with 2 rooms that can be rented. The place was originally a chateau. It was converted to a hotel in the 1950s. Many famous people have stayed here, including Catherine Hepburn.
Tomorrow, we are off to Paris, with stops at a royal chateau and a church.
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