Cotes de Bourg
After an almost non-trip to France no thanks to Ryanair over the weekend, I thanked my lucky stars that eurostar had available seats to Poitiers the next morning (The Ryanair rant shall be left for another day). It was S's birthday on Sunday and we decided to do something we both loved and planned to do last summer when we passed Bordeaux through to Spain, but didn't have time to. Lunch was had with S's dad in Melle and here's Nougat digging for rabbits in the back garden. Spring is here, all the flowers are in full bloom and it was sunny with balmy breezes. I kid you not, it was the most peaceful afternoon I'd had in a long while! We had a quick degustation at the vineyard next to the B&B were staying in Cotes de Bourg before heading to his aunt's 50th birthday dinner held in a restaurant by the river in Bordeaux.
(T-B : Chateau des Rudel in Blaye, Talmont-sur- Gironde, L'eglise Sainte-Radegonde which overlooks the Gironde)
We spent the better part of Sunday driving about looking for St Emilion. No thanks to S's dead phone we had no GPS and no map, so we meandered about the Dordogne and Gironde where we ended up in the port town of Blaye and after, the seaside village of just 83 inhabitants along the French Atlantic coast known as Talmont-sur-Gironde. We spent the afternoon wandering through the villages, watching the waves, observing the numerous ducks waddling about the dock. The issue with little villages is that we were hardpressed to find food on a Sunday evening! That said, we found our way to a little seafood restaurant overlooking the Gironde in the next village aptly punned Pierr'eau. :)
We spent Monday on a mission to enjoy the local produce of Cotes du Bourg, the Little Girondine of Swizterland at Chateau Mercier and Chateau de Barbe. I was eager to try the different reds that Bordeaux is so famous for (and also because I am not such a big fan of whites, except those of Chablis and Vouvray). People say that the soil in Cotes du Bourg is one of the most diverse, with the red wines varying so vastly in flavour and depth. We only managed to try the wines primarily from these two chateaus (and neighbouring chapelles), sampling their wares from different soils, vines and years, primarily from 2000 onwards. That said, in summary, whilst 2004 garnered some support with its complexity in flavour, my palatte was indisputably in favour of the 2000 and 2005 :).
We had a long chat with Phillipe from Chateau Mercier about the wines and grapes from various regions in Europe, as well as from the New World. A point that he mentioned was that the New World wines were generally more 'uniform' in taste through the years due to the climates and methods of wine production. The older vineyards produce wines that differ in flavour from year to year, though was sad to note that the bigger enterprises that own several of the well-known vineyards in France are now compelling the locals to produce the 'same' wine every year, which, due to the climate, is a herculean if not impossible task.
All in all, my humble opinion on the weekend - Wine, like a woman, should be how it's always been through centuries, complex and mysterious, not to be devoured in a hurry, but to be savoured with much love, pleasure and attention.