Bordeaux

-
The next part of my trip was all about food & wine.  I spent two nights at Château Cordeillan-Bages, 1.5 miles south of Pauillac on the left bank of the Gironde Estuary (and 32 miles north of the city of Bordeaux).

I had a leisurely morning in Saint-Martin-de-Ré -- left around 11:30am -- and arrived in Bages around 3pm (120 mile drive).  By the time I arrived, the hotel restaurant was closed for the afternoon -- but they put together a lovely plate of cheeses and bread for me -- that, along with a glass of wine, was more than enough to tide me over to dinner.  I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the grounds of the chateau and taking a dip in the pool.

Dinner was at the Café Lavinal, a chic bistro located in Bages -- an ancient hamlet restored by Jean-Michel Cazes, the owner of Château Lynch-Bages, in 2003.  The food was excellent at the bistro -- the service on the other hand was horrendous.

On the 19th, I spent the day driving and walking around.  The Médoc peninsula is rather breathtaking -- gently rolling hills dotted with small châteaux and vineyards -- bordered by the Gironde estuary to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west with vast manmade forests protecting the vines from the buffeting winds to the south.

Dinner on the 19th was the tasting menu at the hotel's 1-star Michelin restaurant (unfortunately I didn't take a pic of the menu - so I can't say what anything is -- except that it was all delicious).  Service at the restaurant (and the hotel in general) was exceptionally good.  The chef, Julien Lefebvre, took over the restaurant in 2017 -- he was raised in Normandy -- and is a huge fan of using local products to create contemporary French haute-cuisine.

Breakfast both mornings was fantastic -- served outside on the patio beneath mulberry trees with a view of the vines.

Click here to read about the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 (I didn't realize there was such a thing!).





  • 1:  Château Pichon Longueville Baron
  • 2:  The view of the courtyard from my hotel room patio
  • 3:  Walking to dinner (about a 5 minute walk) --- passing the vineyards of Château Lynch Bages


  • 1-2:  Village of Bages
  • 3:  Pumpkin soup as a starter on the house


  • Starter:  tomatoes and burrata (the cheese was excellent)
  • Main:  fried chicken -- the French way!  
  • Dessert:  chocolate and delicious


  • 1:  Breakfast view 
  • 2:  Walking around Pauillac


  • Dotted along the banks of the Gironde Estuary are countless wooden fishing huts which have been built on stilts.  Their main fishing implement is a square-shaped pulley-operated net (or "filet carré") which has given the shacks their name:  "carrelets".


  • 1-2:  Saint Seurin de Cadourne
  • 3:  Saint Yzans de Médoc - there were a lot of wayside crosses/crucifixes, I'm not exactly sure why.  


  • 1-2:  Ordonnac.  I really liked this tower -- not sure exactly what it's used for 
  • 3:  Peyressan - very cute little village


  • 1-2:  More of Peyressan
  • Prignac-en-Médoc


  • Lesparre-Médoc
  • Gaillen-en-Médoc
  • Queyrac


  • Soulac-sur-Mer - a lovely resort town on the Atlantic.  Filled with charming Belle Époque villas / cottages.
  • 1:  Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres (Our Lady of the End of the Lands)


  • 1:  Lunch (cheese and ham on delicious bread -- with a refreshing glass of wine ☺)
  • 2:  Soulac-sur-Mer Town Hall
  • 3:  I loved the detail on the shutters


  • Soulac-sur-Mer


  • 1-2:  Phare de Grave, Verdon-sur-Mer
  • This looked like a giant cupcake to me - but I think it's supposed to be a buoy☺


  • Verdon-sur-Mer
  • Naujac-sur-Mer
  • I liked this gate - must have been a leftover from a departed château


  • 1-2:  Naujac-sur-Mer
  • 3:  Back in Pauillac - the grape harvest has begun!


  • 1:  Pauillac
  • 2:  Back at the hotel -- early moon rising
  • 3:  Dinner view (similar to the breakfast view☺)


  • Dinner was amazing; the wine pairings were spot on; service was impeccable; lots of fish; everything very fresh!  As expected, the bread was delicious -- especially the charcoal and hazelnut bread.


  • Dinner


  • Dinner


  • Dinner
  • 2:  Label from the Château Lynch Bages vineyards


  • Dinner


  • Dinner - lots of delicious desserts!


  • 1:  Pauillac - for some reason, there's a church tower in the middle of a vineyard
  • 2-3:  Cool cemetery in Listrac-Médoc

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

île de Ré

-
Image
Next up was two nights on Île de Ré .  Home to glorious beaches, vineyards, salt marshes, and authentic French villages, Île de Ré has been the second home of fashionable Parisians for generations (kind of like the Hamptons or maybe Cape Cod).  The island is described as the epitome of understated French chic -- there is no garish glitz and glamour of the Côte d'Azur -- instead there is an elegant nonchalance, a low-key sophistication that only the French can do so well. The island is accessed via a 2-mile toll bridge across the Atlantic.  The bridge was built in the late 80s -- it's been paid off, but they haven't lifted the toll -- looks like they are trying to keep the "riff-raff" from La Rochelle/Rochefort away . Île de Ré is essentially a 20-mile-long flat strip -- perfect for exploring by bicycle -- which is exactly what I did!  After I checked in at the hotel and dropped my car off -- I walked into town and rented an e-bike for my stay.  Note:...
Read more

Estonian Islands

-
Image
One of the Baltic's most alluring regions, the west coast of Estonia encompasses forest-covered islands, verdant countryside, and seaside villages slumbering beneath the shadows of picturesque ruins left behind by pagan Estonian warriors, German knights, and Soviet military planners. I stayed at the Pädaste Manor on Muhu island.  There isn't much on the island -- I think that there is only one other restaurant beyond the two at Pädaste Manor.  I spent two nights at Pädaste -- and absolutely loved it.  I had a beautiful room in the manor house -- just a 30-second walk from the restaurant (very convenient given the amount of wine that I drank at dinner!)  And the manor grounds are just gorgeous -- I really enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. I spent the 14th on Muhu -- and then all of the 15th driving around  Saaremaa  (Muhu is connected to Saaremaa by a 2.5 km causeway).  On the 16th I took the ferry back to mainland and drove up to...
Read more

Selous Game Reserve

-
Image
Selous Game Reserve  is a vast (19,000 square miles) wilderness area lying at the heart of southern Tanzania.  It is Africa's largest wildlife reserve, and home to large herds of elephants, plus giraffes, buffaloes, crocodiles, hippos, wild dogs, lions, and many bird species.  Bisecting the reserve is the Rufiji River which cuts a path past woodlands, grasslands, and stands of borassus palm . I stayed at Nomad's Sand Rivers lodge.  The lodge has eight spacious, open-fronted cottages built from stone and thatch.  I stayed in a riverside room -- so up on the banks of the Rufiji River -- with an absolutely stunning view.  I stayed at the lodge for three nights and I went on two morning drives and two afternoon drives -- and skipped an afternoon boat ride.  The lodge was just gorgeous -- so I spent a beautiful afternoon lounging around the pool listening to the hippos (and reading). Selous has the reputation for being the last true stronghold f...
Read more