Day 9

Cadillac – Castets-en Dorthe

7:30-9 am breakfast
It’s our last day and we’ve a full agenda. Breakfast mingling is animated with laughter and chatter. Coffee tastes really good this morning and the cheeses are superb. The local yogurt is very tasty – we try to have some every day.

9 am Langon Market
We bus to Langon, home to a large, comprehensive Friday Market located at the edge of town along the riverfront. Parking at a premium so our big bus is at a disadvantage. We circle for a bit, eventually Jean-Michel using his French ingenuity creates a place for us! 4 or 5 rows of shaded tables are arranged with produce. The French appreciate the art of attractive fresh food arrangements and are known to ooh! and aah! over food displays. The baker’s booth has a line forming while serious shoppers fill their carts with produce, meat, eggs and cheese. There’s a garden section with vegetable plant starts, flowers, vines and trees. Live baby ducks and chickens are available for home coops. Local honey and a table of preserves display near a man busy weaving a rush chair seat. Middle aged men gathered in small groups joke and gossip: surprisingly, many men do the family marketing. The food and garden shoppers are an older generation while younger folks check out jewelry, clothing, handbag, shoe and household booths or visit in the nearby café. It’s noisy, vibrant and colorful, truly expressing the French culture we’ve come to enjoy.

  19 miles/30 km

11:30 am visit Cadillac Maison des Vin go
A combination of ecole, museum and tasting room, the Maison’s well organized displays begin with Julius Caesar and the Roman occupation originating the vineyards of Cadillac. Explanatory panels in English cover vineyard history, AOC origins, terroir diversity, vinification stages, bottling, and wine aromas.

In the tasting center we stand around a large table to taste white wines of this AOC  They are poured and described by an Irish woman studying French. We learn that 70% of the grapes are Semillon, a grape variety with potentially high concentrations of sugar and a thin skin allowing noble rot to develop. When grapes contain at least 225 grams of sugar per liter, have begun to dry out on the vine and become shriveled, the golden-colored berries are picked by hand. The resulting wines range in color from light golden to deep amber, with fruity aromas (apricot, citrus), floral (honeysuckle, honey, acacia) and spicy (vanilla). The sweetness of aroma and sugar content are balanced by the wine’s acidity. The wine must have a minimum alcohol content of 12% by volume. Wine can be enriched but the potential alcohol content can’t exceed 19% by volume. This is wine you can age if you can keep yourself from opening the bottle!

We go in to a castle of the movies – which it has been. We learn about the two restorations. Many Renaissance features were added, windows opened and monumental chimney pieces created in the 17th century. The second restoration put the castle on the monument historique list because in the 19th century famous French architect Viollet le Duc created unique interior decorations and furniture for the castle. All quite spectacular but the kitchen is our favorite room with its huge walk around stove, bellows, fireplace, copper pots, cooking crocks and other tools of the trade.

A beautiful day – blue sky and high puffy clouds as we walk toward the family chapel. Remnants of the old fortifications scattered over the grounds are easily seen. The  chapel is quite small, all original, still very beautiful but needs restoration. The same family has occupied Roquetaillade for 700 years. They opened it to the public in 1950, probably to help with the considerable maintenance cost.

5 pm visit Domaine Rousset Peyraguey go
Classified Biodynamie AOC Sauternes, Rousset Peyraguey makes sweet Sauterne wines. Biodynamic wines have very balanced sweetness and acidity. They combine strength and finesse, sensitivity and delicacy, with subtle aromas. With vines averaging 50 years old, the Dejean family practices a non-interventionist approach to growing and wine making. They harvest late, with successive manual picking, using old methods and equipment, long fermentation, and aging without yeast, enzymes or glues. The wines are aged in old oak or acacia barrels for 6 years or longer, are never filtered or fined.

Mother and daughter pour and describe their vintages. We taste at least 5, possibly 6. Colors range from orange to amber and delicious to our taste! Sauterne makes a great aperitif, but is more than that. These wines go well with foie gras and seafood, are a great contrast to strong cheeses and harmonize with bacon dishes. And they are suitable for aging, some up to 30 years. Buy one for a grandchild?

8 pm Gala Dinner Mirabelle dining room
Menu
two trouts tartare gras
duck breart honey sauce and vegetable tian
cheeses: Reblochon, Roquefort
lemon meringue pie
wines: • Bordeaux Blanc – Château Gayon • Pomerol – Les Columbiers de Feytit Clinet • Champagne

Much gaiety at tonight’s Gala and after dinner it continues. We end the evening with many Champagne toasts, laughs, thanks, and hugs.

Barge cruising – no better way to travel. Unpack once, meet new friends in an intimate setting, enjoy regional cuisine and wines, see the sights – everything taken care of – a  marvelous experience.