Wine, Wine

We arrived in the beautiful city of Bordeaux on Sunday, June 3. There is a medieval city at its heart, but the face of the city is stunning 18th Century architecture. Bordeaux is located on the Garonne River, about 60 miles inland from the Atlantic.









We got checked into our home for the next week, the Princesse d'Aquitaine. She has 69 cabins and was renovated in the last year, so is quite sleek and polished.





Monday morning we sailed to Pauillac, which served as our base for learning about and exploring the Medoc, Haut Medoc, St. Estephe, and St. Julien appellations of Bordeaux. Pauillac is located in the Gironde, which is the estuary of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers.

Chateau Kirwan, where we had a tour and a tasting:





Chateau Lanessan, another tour and tasting:





We sailed Tuesday morning for Blaye (pronounced "Bligh"), across the estuary on what is called the right bank (Pauillac was on the left bank). From here we drove through vineyards in the Cotes de Blaye and Cotes de Bourg appellations. We then drove on the corniche (a high, scenic drive along the estuary) and back to the barge. Blaye is a pretty ordinary looking town, but has a large citadel along the riverfront. We had to hurry to get back to the barge by noon, as we were setting sail for a 5+ hour cruise around the estuary, clear out to the mouth which empties into the Atlantic. This was a fantastic opportunity to see the Gironde, with its unique fishing platforms and dwellings carved into the cliff faces.

Our one winery visit this day:







The citadel in Blaye:




Fishing platforms along the Gironde:








Dwelling spaces carved into the cliffs along the estuary, very near the mouth into the Atlantic:





Wednesday morning, we sailed early for Libourne on the Dordogne River, our base for visiting Saint Emilion (the city--a UNESCO World Heritage site--and the wine district). We also drove through Pomerol and stopped briefly at the famous Petrus winery.





A storage room at Chateau Laniote, where we had a tour and a tasting:




Each day started with a class to learn about winemaking, wine tasting, and the various appellations we would be visiting that day. We would taste three wines during each class. Then in the afternoon, we would visit several wineries, tasting multiple wines at every stop. This was not a trip for someone not willing to be steeped in wine from morning to night. (And I'm not even mentioning all the free-flowing wine at our on board lunches and dinners!)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad