I always dreamed of celebrating a birthday in Bordeaux wine country, pairing the beauty of the vineyards with medieval towns and delicious wines. For years leading up to turning 40, I thought that would be the one.
I recall being out one night at Oak (a wine bar in Brooklyn), chatting with a couple of guys and enjoying wine together. At some point I invited them to my 40th birthday in Bordeaux, seeing how passionate they were about wine and how well we were getting along. Needless to say, they accepted the invite without hesitation and promised to be there in earnest.. this however was not to be.
Fast forward a few years and throw in a move to France and all of the sudden a birthday in Bordeaux seemed attainable, very attainable at last.
We planned on spending a few days in the global wine capital, staying at a B&B on the Right Bank and using it as our launch point to wine tastings, château visits and other attractions. Our tasting at Château Pape Clement in Pessac opened our itinerary, the winery interestingly situated in town somewhat contrary to the setting for most countryside wineries we had experienced. However Pape Clement’s impressive grounds and gardens quickly made us forget about its actual location. The tasting was informative and the wine was superb. Equally impressive, the wine boutique boasted the château’s proprietor’s wine from most (if not all), of his 40+ global wineries, making it a fun experience picking up wines from places like Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, Italy and of course France.
From Château Pape Clement we made our way into Bordeaux city, the first time either Brigitte or I had ever visited. Even as a top 5 largest city in France, Bordeaux’s centre ville or town center, was very walkable and never felt overcrowded. At face value architecturally it’s a stunning city replete with gothic style churches, charming squares, public gardens and views of the Garonne River upon which it’s situated.
The much awaited day had finally come… we spent it cruising through Saint-Emilion, the medieval town where Roman vineyards were planted as early as the 2nd century BC (harping on the long history of wine making in the region). Today the region is Bordeaux’s Right Bank star for merlot forward blends. We came to indulge in this local treasure, the food and the splendor of the area (defined by rolling hills covered with vineyards, cobble stone streets and limestone buildings). L’Envers du Decor served as our lunch spot followed by an afternoon tasting at Château de Candale, where we worked our way through the Grand Cru offerings, a beautiful setting accompanied by tasty wines. A visit at Saint-Emilion’s Maison du Vin is my recommendation to peruse and taste the AOC’s numerous offerings, especially if you may not have time for cellar visits and château tastings.
To top off our evening, we took our hosts’ recommendation from Verrieres & Vignes and dined at La Villa Lubesienne, another delightful meal in a charming courtyard setting. The sun soon set upon the horizon closing out a memorable birthday. Fait accomplis.
On our last day in the region we paid visit to Château de la Brède, the birthplace and home of one of France’s most notable political philosophers, Montesquieu. Montesquieu evolved the idea of separation of powers, a novel concept utilized in many constitutions around the world today. The château presented itself well for its maturity, being that it’s 800+ years old.
We had one last wine tasting in us and popped into Château Lartigue Cédres unannounced. We were graciously hosted by the proprietor and enjoyed his wines as well as his other spirits produced on-site (i.e. Gin and Fine Bordeaux, in other words cognac without it legally bearing that name, as it’s not produced in the Cognac AOC). The tasting room at Lartigue gave off more of an American country bar vibe than a Bordeaux winery, and brought back a sense of home.
Cheers!
Our Provençal Year 