On to Saint-Emilion

 We left Bordeaux on our coach at 9:45 am. Nick had managed to pack Sue’s and his carry-ons into his one big suitcase. At least managing one huge bag is easier than balancing a small one on top of it. As we drove toward Saint-Emilion, Maria gave us an idea of our day, which consists of a wine tour, lunch and scenic walk at Chateau de Pressac and then a short drive to our next hotel near Saint-Emilion. We then heard remarks from Donal concerning the first weekend’s matches. It was very interesting to hear his take. He was not shy about criticizing the referee in the Wales Fiji game. He thought the fact that Johnny Sexton, Ireland’s 38-year old captain, played so well was a very good sign. He fielded questions about what the next game against Tonga may entail. 

Maria gave us some info about Saint-Emilion, a medieval village named for a monk who performed a miracle here. She said all the religious orders were represented, and they all made wine. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The limestone beneath Saint-Emilion was extensively quarried for the buildings in Bordeaux, including the Grand Theater.  Pressac, where we will visit, has tons of history, including the end of the Hundred Years War. 

We passed numerous vineyards as we climbed narrow streets to the Chateau. We arrived early so were told to take the path around the Chateau before our tour rather than after. We were on top of a slope surrounded by acres of grapevines as far as the eye could see. The vines were heavy with bunches of grapes. Maria had said that tomorrow we will see some grapes being picked. Later we did see some workers in the fields with spades looking at the vines and even later some pickers with bins on their backs. 

Our tour started and a young French woman explained the process. It was very difficult to hear her but we had heard it before anyway. She did talk about two different pressings, with the first one being the desired blend and the second one lesser. The first pressing is a Grand Cru Classe which is the second highest classification they can receive. She described many variables that go into the flavors including soil type, location on the hill and, importantly, the size of the oak barrels (bigger ones have more oxygen). We saw the large stainless tanks in the new cellar which are easier to clean and regulate the temperature than in their concrete tanks in their old cellars. She described the two fermentations including the second one where they add bacteria to balance the acidity. She said they use 70% merlot grapes in their blends. 

We then had a buffet lunch with some delicious cold meats, cheeses and salmon. They had very good potato and pasta salad. They served their two wines which were in some people’s opinions better than the wines we tasted in Medoc last week. The 1st press cost 40 euros per bottle and the second one is 20 euros. During lunch the owner came to visit us and explained again the painstaking process of choosing the correct blend. We sat near Pat a former French teacher and master of bad puns. After dessert we decided the din in the room was annoying so we left to walk around. It immediately started raining on us. We waited under a tree and got pretty wet. We finally gave up and went back into the lunchroom and then it stopped raining. We had to kill another 35 minutes before we could leave on the bus for the next hotel. “Hurry up and wait.” 

Before leaving Sara had us pose for a group photo. Then we drove to Montagne and our hotel. It is a newer property and the rooms are stylish. We made dinner reservations for a restaurant in Saint-Emilion and are hoping Maria’s prediction about the difficulty of getting a return cab doesn’t come true.