 |
The Esplanade's twin towers, "commerce"
and "navigation," which pretty well sum
up Bordeaux's history
|
 |
The arc of the Garonne (later, the Gironde estuary), with
Bordeaux on both sides, for miles
|
 |
Looking back from the Footpath, to the two
towers and the Monument to the Girondins
in the distance
|
 |
Navigation, pointing the way
|
 |
It was dark when I got back from the wine tour, but Vicki wanted to stroll about the old town, especially the marche de noel |
 |
There were shops of every description, every nationality |
 |
The customary French double-decker, very popular |
 |
I told her he was roasting snails, and she bought it! |
 |
Shopping district, all Christmas bedecked |
 |
What the Mouse has to do with Xmas I do not know (maybe the rampant commercialism?); but, hey, these people think Jerry Lewis was brilliant... |
 |
Typical Medoc vineyard; the soil is extremely rocky and chalky ...almost looks like snow in places; "to make great wine, the vine must suffer" |
 |
St. Julien country |
 |
Chateau Bycheville, "the Versailles of the Medoc"; actually, the guide said most of the great chateaux now are owned by banks and insurance companies, uninhabited and unvisited; I was disappointed with the Medoc, scenically, no comparison with Burgundy; except for the boarded-up chateaux, it was mostly pastoral squalor; maybe it's just the season.... |
 |
Chateau Kirwan |
 |
The Schiffer family still live there, the guide said, although they did not personally welcome us, as the Reverdis did |
 |
Kirwan cellar; actually, there are few actual cellars in the region...high water table |
 |
Sitting area outside the cellar; nice place to sit and watch over your investments |
 |
Margaux chateaux; Kirwan is on the left, second or third down |
 |
Actually, I was surprised at how generous the servings were; she gave me three; maybe it was my excellent "Merci! Sil vous plait! Bonjour"; Kirwan is a far older grand cru; I forgot what we tasted, a 2004 maybe, but I do remember the price, 49 euros; lots of tannin; I preferred the mellower Reverdi |
 |
I have always been reasonably confidant that Bordeaux wines
come from Bordeaux (see earlier post), and so, while I was
touring Hennessey's, Vicki booked me onto a Medoc tour Saturday afternoon. We drove into Bordeaux, a big beautiful city, and as is our habit, right into the center, and parked innocently at the disused tour bus section of the Esplanade de Quinconces, Europe's largest city square (they say) and huge park and market. The Office of Tourism said the police are generally very tolerant of camping cars, especially tourists, and we probably could even spend the night, which we eventually did. I boarded the tour bus after lunch, and, with a very mixed crew of French, Italian, Spanish, Brits, several Americanskis, set forth to the Mecca of wine (they say). Apart from scenic driving, narrated in French and then
English, we stopped for long tours and tastings at two
chateaux, Reverdi, a new, family operation that has been
winning awards (cru bourgois), and Kirwan, which is an
old grand cru. Above is Chateau Reverdi's fermentation
hall.
|
 |
Big modern vats
|
 |
Bottled inventory
|
 |
Vat interior view; this is the last thing the
grape sees before the lights go out
|
 |
About 80% of the grapes are machine-picked
these days, but still have to be separated from
leaves, stems, etc.
|
 |
Grape crushing machine; they do not do it the old-fashioned
way anymore
|
 |
Over in the cellar/tasting area, the tables are set
|
 |
2009, aging; they are using American oak in the barrels,
adding complexity and spice (they said); damn, I was proud;
but then, all the wine root-stock in France is American,
but that's another phylloxatic story
|
 |
We tasted a 2006 and a 2004; I bought the
now-drinkable 2004 (alas, the Grey
Wanderer does not have a wine safe or cellar)
|
 |
But the 2006 wasn't bad
|
 |
On the way south from Cognac, next day, near the river Ny, out in the vineyards, we ran into a colossal dolmen, completely unidentified, but huge limestone |
 |
Really huge |
 |
Lots of modern carving on this fallen stone, but nothing to reveal its name |
 |
The tour begins with a ride across the Charente in this boat --just a bit of French flourish that a bridge could not provide; incidentally, I was joined on the tour by two others, both French, but they graciously consented for the tour to be entirely in English, for my benefit |
 |
But, before the tour, at Vicki's suggestion, urging even, I tasted the "Paradis" blend, the best normal people can buy, $700 a 70cl bottle; well, the tasting was only 19 euros; and worth it! Hey, you have to establish standards... |
 |
Stills, where grapes go in and eau-de-vie comes out |
 |
Barrels of fun; cognac, like scotch, is largely about the wood and the aging; and blending...unlike single malt scotch |
 |
In the "paradis" section of the warehouses, whey they keep the treasures, going back to 1830; 1947 was a good year for many reasons, and several barrels remain |
 |
Row after row of barrels, dozens of warehouses; Hennessey's does about 41% of the market; the scent is, um, intoxicating |
 |
So, there we were, parked on a quiet street right outside the door to Hennessey world headquarters, on the Charente, swans ambling by; we decided to have dinner and then spend the night |
 |
Vicki's delicious galette complet and Normandie cidre; I already had had my quota of cognac |
 |
End of a pretty good day |
 |
While I awaited my Hennessey's tour and tasting, I visited the Museum of the
Arts of Cognac (the beverage, man), which is a superb collection of historic artifacts, high-tech,and high-touch displays, art, and marketing history |
 |
Ancient press
|
 |
Some wonderful cognac-related paintings
|
 |
Pleasant surroundings for high-tech presentations
|
 |
And some savvy displays about how the stuff has been
marketed over the years |
 |
As we departed Brittany and entered the Loire Atlantique and then the Charente, Vicki astutely surmised that the city of Cognac might have something to do with one of my other favorite beverages, cognac, and that it might indeed hold some attraction for me. She is so thoughtful. Although I was initially skeptical--hey, you can't just naively assume the name has anything to do with it--we re-routed for Cognac, and there, to my pleasant surprise, as we entered the city, emerged the warehouses of Remy Martin, Courvosier, Martell, Camus, and, greatest of all, Hennessey. We booked a tour for me later in the afternoon and then set about briefly exploring the old city. |
 |
A city of cream-colored limestone, a bit monochrome for me, but nonetheless beautiful; incidentally, the minute you leave Brittany into the Loire Atlantique the roof-tops consistently change to tile! |
 |
Hey, he had 3 inches on either side! |
 |
Shopping district, Cognac |
 |
Indoor market |
 |
Interior of an office building, lawyers and real estate offices |
 |
Vicki made me take this picture...$112 underwear, typical of what we see in France; would nicely match the ass-less chaps we saw in San Francisco |
 |
Part of the old castle and city wall |
 |
Portal trowers |
