Bordeaux by Kim Bridges

Bordeaux A Travel Photo Essay

2020 ÂŠ K. W. Bridges & N. L. Furumoto www.kimbridges.com

Photographed and written by Kim Bridges and Nancy Furumoto This document stands in the middle of a three-part photo essay. Our week in Bordeaux is the core of a larger trip. As a result, this part is available first. Nine people traveled together through Bordeaux. A lively group of friends in search of fine wines, good food and fun adventures. This photo essay documents that trip.

COVER: The vineyard at ChĂ˘teau Haut Bailly. 2

Bordeaux, 2019 Saturday, October 12: Gathering in Bordeaux The planning documents say that Kim meets Randy at 3:30 PM. (Note: they’ve never met.) Randy’s in the hotel lobby, right on time. That’s a big help. Instant connection. They join Nancy in the room. At 4:00 PM this threesome heads to the airport on the city bus. Randy uses Nancy’s ticket; that extra tap simplifies things. Our bus takes a half-hour to get to Bordeaux Airport. Good timing. The rest of the crew arrives on their flight from Paris. With luggage in hand, everyone heads to the car rental office. There’s paperwork to complete. It takes a while. Now we have two cars. We’re ready to drive to town. Woops. One car has a low tire warning light. Check carefully. There’s a nail in the tire. We swap for a new car. That’s a slowdown. Never mind. We’re now at the hotel. The cars are in the parking garage well below ground level. Everyone gets checked into their rooms.

Lobby of the Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Gambetta, our Bordeaux hotel. This is the breakfast area.

We gather at 7:30 PM. We’re ready for dinner. First, we need to get to the restaurant, L’Oiseau Blu. This involves a trolley ride. It’s a modern system with several lines that run in different directions across Bordeaux. Tickets are an issue as the dispensing machine isn’t cooperating. Nancy resolves the situation with her ticket; she taps everyone else onto the tram. Riders crowd the train car; this is an important form of local transport. We exit our transport near the restaurant and walk the remaining distance. L’Oiseau Blu has a room set aside for our group. There are nine in our party and it’s helpful to have privacy. We’re noisy, too, as everyone is in a “catch-up” or “nice to meet you” mode. The waiter presents each of us with a simple menu. There are three courses. We choose from two alternatives for each course. We order Champagne to start and a few of the guys have harder drinks. Whiskey is a favorite. The meal starts with small hors d’oeuvres. Delicious. Each of the courses follows with elegant dishes. Tonight’s wine is 2016 Le Benjamin de Beauregard from Pomerol. This restaurant is a good choice for our first evening meal. It sets a high-bar for the rest of the trip.

Friends gather for our first meal. Neal and Teresa are happy to be here.

Nancy sits at the head of the table. Myra examines the menu.

Randy confers with the waitress. Debbie shows obvious pleasure.

We start with hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvre.

Our waiter shows us the wine for our meal. This is our first Bordeaux wine.

Two-color eggplant in two textures, flame-grilled mackerel, Madras curry caviar, lemon caviar and candied garlic emulsion.

Veal tartare with Marigold oil, creamy burrata with candied lemon, fried capers and Soustons peanuts.

Lean roast on skin, Paimpol coconut with pesto, pine nuts and basil emulsion.

Basque country pig, fine barigoule artichoke mousseline, roasted apricots with Tasmanian pepper and pig juice with sage.

The Namelaka chocolate and Timut pepper, hazelnut praline and creme, sacher cookie and vanilla ice cream.

We return to our hotel, satisfied with tonight’s event. A few people take an Uber. The others go on the tram. Wow. It’s late. We’re back in our rooms at midnight. Are we previewing how the week will run? Today, we had a great start in Bordeaux. Everyone is here, we’ve got the cars, our accommodations are ideal, and we ate an excellent meal. The only thing missing is sleep. Now’s the time for that.

Sunday, October 13: Exploring Bordeaux as a City We’re up early enough to get to breakfast by 7:30 AM. There is a breakfast service in the lobby, although the fee is not included in the room rate. The spread is adequate, with meats, cheese, fruit and — somewhat surprisingly — a machine to boil an egg. Soft or hard; your choice. There’s coffee, of course. Everyone’s gotta have coffee to start the day. The first activity is a city tour using mini-electric cars. It sounds strange. Mini-cars? None-the-less, our reservation is for 9:00 AM. Off we go to use public transit. The machine works and everyone can get tickets. We can tap ourselves onto the tram. The ride to the mini-car office takes us across town. The last part goes alongside the Garonne River. Bordeaux is a port city and lots of warehouses occupy this stretch of the river. We’re arriving at the rental agency just on time. That’s a good sign as this is a big group and we need to coordinate our activities. A key to our success is punctuality. The agency owner, Brigitte, is friendly. She speaks English well. It takes a while to finish the paperwork.

Jana and Randy are ready to move out to the streets of Bordeaux..

Richard and Teresa in their electric car. They’re also ready to go. Let’s get moving.

Everyone is ready to leave. Brigitte describes the in-vehicle tablet and warns us to keep our possessions safe. At the end of her introduction, she suggests that it might be best if she drives a vehicle and leads the others. We think it’s a great idea. Myra rides with Brigitte and the rest of the party split into the four couples, each with its own car. The mini-electric cars are Estrima Birò vehicles. Estrima is an Italian company. The Birò model is small. Just enough room for two people. This will work. Nobody in our group is too large. It’s simple to operate the vehicle. Press on the pedal to speed up. Use the foot brake to stop. Parked on a slope? Set the emergency hand brake. We’re all in a line. Off we go. These Birò are powerful! We head down the access road, cross the main highway, then double back. The vehicles are now moving at high speed along the street. Wow. This is more exciting than we expected. The route makes a big loop. We go to the opposite side of the Garonne River. Then head up the river. Cross over on the bridge. The tour concludes by wandering around the city. This last part of the trip takes us on narrow side-streets. Throughout the trip we make stops for observations, to hear Brigitte’s stories and to take pictures.

Our first stop is in a park along the Garonne River. Old Bordeaux stretches out across the opposite bank.

This is our first group shot. The Garonne River and old Bordeaux are in the background. We loo

ok like a happy bunch of travelers.

The tour runs at a good pace. It’s fun to use these cars. We’re going through much of old Bordeaux. The Birò offers great visibility. You can see in every direction. Even looking up. There are no side doors. This means we must (!) wear a seatbelt. The openness lets odors come enter. Many streets have a distinct smell. We flash a glance. Did you get a whiff of that? Yup. We’re passing by a restaurant. Cobblestone streets present a challenge. The Birò have no suspension to soften the bumps. Thump, thump, thump we go. The small size is one of the vehicle’s best attributes. The tour squeezes the cars through narrow streets. Roads clogged with parked vehicles add to the challenge. We manage. Our guide keeps moving at a “quick pace.” It’s a struggle to follow. We’re relieved each time our entourage stops at a historic or cultural attraction. We catch our breath as Brigitte gives the relevant history. Our “train” of four electric cars follows Brigitte’s French Cabriolet, an unusual-looking vehicle. Her lead car is noisy as the Cabriolet is a gas-burner with a minimal muffler. Together, we draw lots of attention from pedestrians. We pass many people who smile or give a friendly wave. We’re quite a sight. This is fun.

Church of the Holy Cross of Bordeaux.

We gather by our electric vehicles. It’s another impromptu group shot.

Heading down a narrow city street. Lucky we’re in small cars.

Spires of the flamboyant, Gothic style, Basilica of Saint Michael reach to the sky.

The main part of the Basilica was built between the 14th and 16th centuries.

The bell tower dates from the 15th century. It stands 114 m (375 ft) tall.

St. Michael slaying the dragon is depicted on the pulpit.

The Memosine vehicles have poor suspension. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noticed on the old cobblestone streets.

The Gate of Burgundy was built in the 1750s as the gateway to the city.

The Grosse Cloche (Big Bell) of Bordeaux dates from the 18th century.

Pey Berland Tower was built between 1440 and 1500. Towers like this were built next to cathedrals to protect them from bell vibrations. Bells werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t installed here until 1851.

Bordeaux Law Courts building was finished in 1998. The goal is to provide a feeling of transparency and openness of the French judicial system.

We’ve stretched out our two-and-a-half hour event. Three hours pass before we get back to the tour office. Everyone thanks Brigitte. She is a great tour leader. We did this event, not knowing what to expect. This was an uplifting activity. It gave each of us a big charge. We’re filled with energy. It’s lunchtime. We’ve got a choice: either a short walk to our next destination or head the other way to a local bistro. We opt for the bistro. La Brasserie des Chartrons is our lunch stop. (Chartrons is a district on the Garonne’s left bank.) This Brasserie is a good choice. They can easily handle our group of nine. What should we drink? Some choose beer. Others have a glass of rosé to start the meal. The entrees vary from salads to big steaks. Most of our orders are conventional. Richard is daring; he has a duck hamburger.

Myra and Neal consider the menu at Brasserie des Chartrons.

A seriously large steak, some salad and pomme frites. Gotta have French fries in France.

A big salad, a cheese dish and bread. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of cheese.

Richardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s duck burger. Really?

Now we must move on. It’s a short walk on the riverside quay to La Cité du Vin. This museum is the next stop on our schedule. The stroll along the Garonne River impresses us with the size of this waterway. Equally interesting is the silt load; the river water is chocolate-colored. Our destination is a building with a most unusual shape. It stands out. Teresa got everyone tickets. In we go. The stated mission of La Cité du Vin is to protect, celebrate and transmit the heritage of wine. We’re eager to learn how the institution interprets this theme. The museum is three years old. It is a modern addition to the region’s ancient culture. Up to this point, everyone has been hanging together. Here, it’s better to break up into smaller groups. We agree to reassemble in two hours, at 4:15 PM. We’ll meet on the 8th floor where there is a good view of the city. That’s also where they offer a wine tasting. La Cité du Vin is a work of art. We’ve seen that on the outside. Now, here on the inside, the dramatic architecture continues. Curves define the spaces. The walls have different textures. Informative displays use the latest technology. You hear stories, and there are many, by using a headset and small (cell-phone size) control. Point the unit at a target and the story begins.

The Jacques Chaban Delmas bridge is a modern span across the Garonne.

The CitĂŠ du Vin opened in 2016. This unusual building sits on the banks of the Garonne.

There is a lot of interactive technology to help you explore every aspect of wine. The interior spaces are dramatic.

The displays cover all aspects of wine. Here are a few examples. There is an exhibit showing the range of colors. Another display has the “smells” as its theme. Several exhibits highlight the role of specific people in the industry’s development. Interactivity is key in almost everything here. We’re saturated with information. And it’s time to meet upstairs. This promises to be different. We take the elevator to the 8th floor. It’s a visually interesting place. The ceiling is full of upside down wine glasses. You get a fine city view. Woops. The bar is very crowded. Wine tasting isn’t practical. There are way too many people here. Let’s change our plans. We can head back to the hotel. There is one last stop to make on La Cité du Vin’s ground floor. We enter a circular room with wines from all over the region. This is a beautiful display. There isn’t time to absorb details. Focus on bottles from a few notable estates. In particular, a 2006 Petrus. Just two bottles away on the same shelf is a 2006 Château Mouton Rothschild with its artwork label. In a few days, we’ll better understand why these two are significant. How do we return to the hotel? Let’s take the tram. We feel good about using local transport.

Visual translations of concepts is a theme. A lot of imagination has gone into the exhibits.

Active interaction is a key to enjoying the informative displays.

Big screens with video presentations provide light-hearted depictions of wine history.

Large, open spaces let you see the architecture of the interior of the building.

Many display push the edge of effective design.

The windows on the top floor provide a different view of the city. This area is a stark contrast to the old city.

Walk between the hanging strands and you are in an enclosure with a ceiling projection. Lie back on the couch and enjoy the overhead story.

Bottles hang from the ceiling of the top-floor wine-tasting bar. It is an unusual illusion.

Neal watches as the women consider what to do next. Do we stay here or go back to the hotel?

Nancy ponders the selection in this room. You can buy the wines produced in the region.

A few special wines are on display. None are made obvious. You just need to know where to look. Here are top wines from the three areas weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re visiting: MĂŠdoc, Graves and Pomerol.

Tonight’s dinner is at La Tupiña. Locals tell us that this is a wise choice. How to get there? It’s too far to walk, so we need to use Uber or public transport. A short debate ensues. There is a consensus. Go to the restaurant with Uber. Come back on the tram. The Uber trip requires three cars. We order them in separate groups. The Uber drivers are slow to arrive. One goes off duty without the request being transferred to another driver; we wait a long time for the eventual replacement. The result is a split. Some people arrive promptly. Others take a half an hour longer. This is stressful. But we’re easy going. This is only a minor inconvenience. The restaurant’s entrance display — you walk through one side of the kitchen as you enter — gives us a hint of what we’ll be getting for dinner. Hunks of meat stand on the counter. There is also a pit fire. This will be a carnivore’s meal. La Tupiña is a proponent of traditional foods from south-west France.

It is a bit too chilly for outdoor dining at La Tupiña. It looks cozy inside.

You see the raw meat awaiting cooking in the rustic kitchen as you enter La Tupiña.

We’re seated at a big round table. Almost everyone orders mushrooms and ribs. So much food arrives! We should have ordered less. Tonight’s wine is three bottles of 2012 Château Turon La Croix. The eating lasts the usual “French” duration for an evening meal. There is something special about restaurants that strive to promote local farmers and culinary traditions. Here, they’ve even brought the historical kitchen into the mix. Our walk to the tram station is at 11:30 PM. We go one stop on this line and transfer to the other line for the rest of the trip. This is another late night. Today’s activities are a wonderful start for our Bordeaux visit. Everyone is on board for a mid-morning departure tomorrow. It’s good to begin later so we can catch up on sleep.

Jana and Teresa consult La Tupiña’s menu while Richard begins on the food.

Kim stares at the camera while Debbie remains engaged in the conversation at the table.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all been looking forward to eating bread in France. Combine that with a glass of wine and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a perfect start for the meal.

The mushrooms were a favorite with everyone. This is a generous portion, even when split with another person.

This is a restaurant for carnivores. The meat was very tasty. So much to eat!

A refreshing, palate cleansing desert was most welcome.

Monday, October 14: The First Wine Tour Day Today, we’re scheduled to go to the Graves part of the Bordeaux region. We’re looking forward to two wine tastings and lunch in the area. We’ve agreed to meet at 10 AM, but we must begin with breakfast. Randy is first to the breakfast area. He’s joined by Nancy and Kim. After a while, other people come by. They’re heading to Starbucks; the store is just across the street. That’s a good idea. It’s important that people are being alert to alternatives. The dress code for today is “slightly formal” as the lunch restaurant is kinda fancy. A few in the group are overdressed. Some are too casual. Gotta do some clothes shuffling. With that done, we’re ready to go. The first château is a half hour drive away. Traffic isn’t too bad, but each of the car drivers needs to pay close attention to the road. There are unfamiliar traffic procedures here. Combine this with road congestion in a few areas, mostly because of construction. We survive these challenges. As we get to the countryside, which isn’t far outside the city core, the streets become narrow as they pass through farmlands. The driver must concentrate. The navigator provides an additional set of eyes. We’re seeing a landscape that has a gentle undulation. It’s an attractive setting. The topography is important for the vineyards as it improves the drainage. Our destination is the Pessac-Léognan area. These lands lie in the northern part of the Graves region of Bordeaux. People associate Graves with its white wines, but in this district, red and white varieties enjoy a similar emphasis. Château Haut Bailly is easy to find. We park and go onto the property. They are waiting for us. We’re lucky to get a tour and tasting today. Our host explains that the harvest finished on Friday. Today, the estate is having a big lunch for the grape pickers. That’s sixty people. We also hear that they have a lot of grapes (high yield). This year’s quality pleases the growers, too. We head to the nearby fields with our host. These are old vines, she explains. We’re standing in a good place to overview the château’s operations. They intermix several varieties in this plot. That’s a surprise. Maybe this planting pattern is a relict because these are ancient vineyards.

A large, abstract sculpture sits on the lawn.

The Haut Bailly château is alongside the tasting room. This is a good visual welcome to the Bordeaux wine estates.

Our group gathers near the Château Haut Bailly production area as we wait for our host.

Kim looks out at the grape vines. It’s a rare treat to be standing in a Bordeaux vineyard.

We see the differences in several grape varieties as a few bunches are still on the vines. We bite into a few, too. They are not the same as table grapes. These fruits have a tough skin; lots of seeds. Grape sampling is not something a visitor usually gets to do. Since we’re here after the harvest, there’s no problem if we eat a few grapes. Those left hanging will go to the birds. Look at the ground. Examine it up close. The soils are coarse and there are many large (1 to 1.5 inch diameter) rocks. Our host says that the stones are a benefit. Our next stop is the production facility. They use a mix of cement and stainless-steel fermentation tanks. Some of us have never seen cement tanks. Our host describes the Château Haut Bailly wine-making process. A particular treat comes when we’re in the barrel room. Seven cooperage companies produce the estate’s wooden containers. The products from each company vary from one another. The treatment qualities transfer to the wine stored inside. Our host removes stoppers from seven empty barrels. We take turns at the opening. We get to sniff the differences. What a new experience! This is something that we’ll remember as we visit other châteaux.

We get an opportunity to touch and taste some grapes. This is a rare treat.

We are getting our first look at Bordeaux soils. There are a lot of rocks. That’s a characteristic feature.

ChĂ˘teau Haut Bailly has some concrete fermentation tanks. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit of a surprise.

Stainless-steel fermentation tanks have just been filled with juice from this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harvest.

Oak barrels store wine undergoing maturation.

We are invited to sniff a series of empty barrels. You can smell the differences. These characteristics will be passed on to the wine each barrel holds.

Next up: the tasting room. This is a comfortable, somewhat rustic place. They pour two of their wines. The first, La Parde Haut-Bailly 2016, is a “Second Growth.” It’s good. We chat as we drink/taste. They bring a plate of cheese, nuts, chocolate and dried fruit. This helps clear the palette. Then we go for their more premium blend: Château Haut-Bailly 2016. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Merlot (40%) and Cabernet Franc (7%). This bottle gets a lot of discussion. We agree that we like this second wine better. This is an informative stop. This château produces good wines. They also tell interesting stories. We’re learning a lot about this estate and the region’s development. It’s an excellent way to begin our Bordeaux winery tours.

Château Haut Bailly’s tasting room is a warm, welcoming place. They have set out our glasses.

Eating goes with wine tasting. This spread of cheese, nuts, chocolate and fruit is a great complement to the wine.

Randy, Jana, Teresa and Richard show they are enjoying this first chĂ˘teau experience.

Now we are off to Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Our destination is not far away. We find a place to park. A hotel serves as an anchor for this estate. Our lunch is in the restaurant next to the hotel. There’s time to admire the grounds. They are very nice. This château gives a lot of attention to details. There are many indications of good design, perhaps better described as “art.” We find interesting touches everywhere. The sculpture at Château Smith Haut Lafitte is interesting. Most of the artworks are large; sometimes huge. It isn’t obvious how the objects fit together. It’s a strange amalgam. Are we seeing a trend? Must each château prominently display a sculptural signature on its property? Will this theme continue?

The main buildings of Château Smith Haut Lafitte are surrounded by the vineyard. The gray sky gives hints of the changing weather.

Each large statue has a wine-related theme.

Kim gets a shot of this statue that is alongside a beautiful pond. These are very attractive grounds.

Imagine sitting out by this pond on a warm summer afternoon with a glass of wine. Ideal.

They’ve set a big table in the restaurant’s corner to accommodate our group. We’re ready to eat! The most popular choice is the daily special: veal stew. A few of us select alternatives, but it’s interesting that — once again — most people want the same menu item. The food is great. Bottles of 2014 Château Olivier from Pessac-Leognan add to the meal.

We make our way across the restaurant. Our table is in the corner.

Nancy and Myra consider the menu.

Neal chooses the wine.

Kim and Debbie join the discussion about the food.

Hearty, rustic food. This is a substantial lunch.

Risotto with mushrooms. Another filling choice.

Veal chop with a beautiful presentation.

The choice of fish did not disappoint.

Dessert. A most important part of the meal.

The château’s tasting area is separate from the restaurant. We need to stroll through a vineyard. Then pass through a courtyard. It’s here we find the Boutique. They give us the key to the gate. What this means is that we can take the 1.9 mile (3 km) walk in the forest next to the vineyard. It seems a strange opportunity. Then we understand. This isn’t just a stroll beneath the trees. Works of art and other things of interest are scattered along the route. Well, off we go.

A formal landscape design guides you to the key places at the château.

It is time to explore the forest beyond. The doors exit to the vineyard.

Different grape varieties are planted side by side. This is a convenient way to do comparisons.

This is our first chance to see vineyard machinery up close.

The Forest of the Senses is a feature of this chateau. This rock stands near the entrance gate. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten a key so we have access to the trail through the forest.

The theme for this nature hike is the “forest of the senses.” We have a detailed brochure describing the 27 specific installations. We use the key to get through the entry gate. The walk begins. Art items range from simple to complex. You find them, one at a time, as you traverse the trail. The works provide spots where you can pause, read the posted description and then ponder the artist’s creation. Well, they’ve created a unique experience.

The Forest of the Senses is an extensive art installation. We walk the trail and see sculptures spread out along the path.

It’s good to be outside, getting exercise and enjoying the companionship of our friends.

These are the beautiful horses. They are large and very muscular. Their hair is also quite different. They are an unexpected treat.

You reach one of the sculptures by walking on this bridge. The footpath wobbles as you cross. Only one person dared to do it.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds and then the layers of leaves in the tree canopy. This is a very relaxing walk.

One of the goals of the chĂ˘teau is to link art and nature. Here, a tree has been given an eye.

The weather changes. A strong wind shakes the trees. Leaves fall, as do a few acorns. Clouds thicken. The forest grows dark. It’s obvious evidence of a weather front. Rain should start soon. We pick up our pace. Can we get back to the Boutique before it rains? We press on. There’s no shortcut on this path. We encounter interesting things. Don’t stop. Keep walking. Here are the château’s fermentation tanks, recently filled with grapes. This is a primary attraction. Don’t even pause. Glance inside. Move on. The rain catches us near the end of the trail. A light shower at first, but it’s enough to require rain gear. Our worry is lightning. We hear crashes of distant thunder. The concern: the last stretch of our walk goes through the vineyard. It’s a dangerous place when lightning is nearby.

The Forest of the Senses covers almost 20 acres (8 ha). It is a long walk. Nancy and Teresa seem to be enjoying the stroll.

Imbedded deep in the forest you find the fermentation tanks. You can look down through tall windows as you pass by on an exterior walkway.

The building with the fermentation tanks.

The weather is deteriorating fast. We cross the walkway and head toward the safety of the chĂ˘teau. The buildings look far away.

When we reach the vineyard, we determine that the main storm activity isn’t too close. We hurry to the safety of the Boutique. The rain gathers strength but the gang’s together indoors. Everyone is safe. What a relief. We spend time drying out. An estate staff member sets up a tasting. One each: white and red. We get a short description — does anyone understand this? — and then the group is on its own to sample the two wines they offer. That’s unexpected. Ordinarily, we receive more attention during a tasting. We like these wines. The character differs from what we’ve experienced. That’s OK. One of our goals is to experience new tastes. Chit-chat fills the time. The intense rain showers abate. We bring the cars to the Boutique and everyone piles in. Let’s drive back to our hotel. The trip starts on narrow country roads and then transitions to the congestion of the city. The rain is intermittent. Most of the streets are wet. We’ve heard comments regarding the weather. These drippy conditions are common in this region. The vineyards handle the water well. The drivers? They’re OK with the wet conditions, too. Everyone gathers at the hotel. What should we do about dinner? It’s agreed that those wanting to do a group meal should gather at 8:30 PM. A few individuals decline. It has been a busy day. Sleep, for some, is the highest priority. The dinner: pizza.

Tuesday, October 15: Oysters at the Seaside Our schedule takes us to the ocean today. It’s a change of pace. Arcachon is an hour’s drive from Bordeaux. Yesterday’s rain has lingered into today. The two cars splash their way across the city as we leave. We’re getting used to the small streets and the construction zones. A good navigator using Google Maps is still essential. It’s not long before we move off local roads and get on a freeway. The traffic is light going in our direction. Not so for vehicles heading to town. For them, one lane is packed, bumper to bumper, with trucks. Cars fill the other lane. All those vehicles are crawling. This is a real slowdown. We speed along at near the posted maximum limit. Lucky we’re traveling out of town. The route takes us through agricultural lands and forested areas. We aren’t seeing vineyards. We thought we would. It’s interesting that the vineyards are in a few small areas around Bordeaux. We cross the outskirts of Arcachon and head to Maison de l’Huitre. This is the “Oyster Museum.” Parking is a problem but we persist and locate a place to leave the cars.

Arcachon proudly proclaims itself the center of French oyster culture.

A host in The Oyster Museum explains the history of oyster culture.

The museum is informative. A host gives us a detailed explanation (in English) and then shows a movie. This port town has long been the major center of oyster research and production. After seeing the displays and examining the statistics, we’re prepared for what we encounter outside. This is the heart of “oysters country.“ We draw an obvious conclusion. This is where we must eat oysters. Good timing. Lunchtime approaches. Let’s wander and find out what’s available. There are several restaurants scattered along the waterfront. Few people are here at this hour. The restaurants are just opening. We know this is a popular tourist site. But today we have rainy weather, and it is a weekday. It’s not surprising that our group is nearly alone. We walk along the street. Look at the apparatus and products of oyster production. They’ve stacked piles of shell-encrusted cages on the docks. Here are mounds of shells. Are these the leftovers? Do any of these molluscs have a living resident? Maybe. Hmmm. Should these be left dry? Don’t live oysters need water? There’s more sensory stimulation. We inhale the environment, too. Whew!

Rearing oysters involves using some unusual materials and techniques.

Oysters in a dockside container. Are these all empty shells or are some still alive?

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look for a place to eat oysters.

An oyster boat floats alongside a pier.

A rainbow over the bay tells us that rain is nearby.

Settling in for lunch at Le Routioutiou, a restaurant that specializes in oysters.

We find a candidate restaurant, Le Routioutiou. It can accommodate us. We get a back-room table. There’s a view of the water. Lunch centers on oysters. There are large prawns for the few non-oyster people. We have bread and a few bottles of Domaine Tariquet Marselan Rosé to round out the meal. Everything is excellent. It’s a nice change of pace. We all know more about the oyster industry. Today’s meal sets standards for our appreciation of this delicacy. We ponder the anchorage as we leave. The tide has gone out and the boats sit on the harbor’s muddy bottom. This phenomenon is unusual, and it tells us boat hull design requires special considerations. It reminds us how tidal rhythms must be important to the local peoples’ schedules.

A full plate of fresh oysters, served chilled on ice.

Prawns are an outstanding complement to the oysters.

We’ve seen a small part of this large coastal city. Let’s move to Arcachon’s downtown. There’s a train station at our destination and we’re thinking it’s a likely place to get parking. It works. The underground garage has plenty of spaces. We’ve found a convenient location. The waterfront is nearby. It’s cloudy but not raining in Arcachon. Look. There are patches of blue sky. Now look toward the horizon. That’s not so good. A weather front is approaching. We better move indoors. Most of the group heads to the city’s Musée Aquarium. The others retreat to the corner-side Cafe de la Plagé. The Musée is the oldest aquarium in France. It began in 1867. There are a few tanks of tropical fish near the entrance. Most of the aquatic animals are downstairs. There, aquarium tanks line the sides of a single room. It’s a dark and dreary place. Signs provide little information. The living displays are ordinary. The most noteworthy are a medium-size octopus, a tank with active crabs and a few seahorses. Overall, we find it uninspiring. Look at the staircase walls. They hint at the quality of what is upstairs. We see faded maps, each with no obvious importance. Here’s the museum. The main rooms have two kinds of items: stuffed birds sit in peripheral cabinets and seashells fill shelves in the center. This is someone’s collections from long ago. Everything on display has a name but there’s little added information. A small room has a memorial to the researcher who helped develop the oyster industry. There is a display of oyster farming tools. These living specimens and natural history relics deserve better. A visitor in the mid-Nineteenth Century might have found this place a intriguing attraction. Not today. It’s a shame the management neglects its responsibilities. Maybe restoration is just too hard. What’s the proper fate of old institutions?

The tropical fish display is near the aquarium entrance.

Aquarium tanks line a small room. This display area constitutes the majority of the aquarium.

The group meets at Cafe de la Plagé. Time for a break. Maybe a drink, too? Let’s pick up our spirits. The rain showers pass. We can now take a walk on the broad promenade. The beach is exceptionally wide. This is nice sand. Something is most curious; nobody is on the seashore. The weather is the likely culprit. Pause and imagine this place on a warm summer day. Then, people must crowd this popular ocean destination. Enjoy the scene. A small pier extends into the bay. A few boats cut across the water. Our schedule lists us taking a boat tour. With the poor weather, it’s good to skip this event. Watching from the shore is adequate. We continue our stroll and turn away from the ocean. This is a main street, Avenue Gambetta. There are fascinating stores here. The shops offering food snag our attention. The clothing displays are interesting, too. This walk is three blocks long. What we see provides a positive view of this resort town and how it handles tourism. We’re impressed.

Richard and Neal wait in a beachside cafe for a rain shower to pass

Creative refreshment makes the wait more interesting.

Macaroons, arranged by color, grab our attention as we window shop along Avenue Gambetta.

Bottles of wine fill bins at the streetside stores.

Local products, such as tins of fish, are artfully arranged on store shelves.

Many of the window displays feature food treats.

It’s time we head to Dune du Pilat, the famous sand dune. This feature is one of the primary attractions of Arcachon. We drive 5 miles to the south. We’re near where the bay opens to the ocean. It takes a few minutes to find where to stop. Once parked, we go on a long trail toward the base of the huge dune. The pathway takes us through a tall forest. Now, as we approach the dune, we’re walking on sand. We leave the edge of the forest. The immense size of the dunes gives everyone pause. How can this pile of pure sand be so big? Press your foot into the sand and feel the texture. It’s unusual. Is it sticky? Kinda. Maybe it’s because the sand is damp. Note the consequence. Each step leaves a persistent cavity. A white staircase runs up this mountain of sand. There are a lot of people heading to the top. These steps help protect the dunes. We see evidence of climbers. Their footprints form lines across the dune. These are paths where the adventurous have taken an alternative route. The sand faces are steep. The stairs are the best alternative for ascending. Up we go. Once you leave the staircase, your feet sink into the sand with each step. Walking turns into a foot-grabbing struggle. Now, a bunch of us are at the top. The view is great. The Atlantic Ocean is on one side with a sand-spit island in the foreground. Look the other way. There’s a dense forest stretching to the horizon. The dunes are a transition line between the sea and forest. This fragile barrier stands high, about 300 ft (90 m). It’s windy up here. Two gulls take advantage of the airstream. The birds hang in place without flapping a wing. We stand for a while. Relax. Enjoy the view. This place requires some physical exercise. That’s good. We’ve been sitting too much. Look over there. Do you see the storm front? Yup. Another weather event. Rain is coming our way. Fast. We need to head down. Ferocious rain and wind catches us before we reach the cars. No worry. We’ve planned for this. We’re carrying appropriate rain gear. Nonetheless, it’s a relief to be inside the vehicles. It’s time to drive back to Bordeaux. Rain sloshes the cars in episodic events. More troubling are the slow-downs on the roadways. Traffic periodically comes to a stop. Highway construction causes these delays. We reach the freeway. This gives us a chance to go fast. But there’s water on the road. Trucks kick up a spray of water that hampers visibility. Driving requires focus. It’s good that traffic isn’t too heavy. We arrive at our hotel. We are tired, but OK. 56

The sand pathway covers the bases of the trees. This is the route to the sand dune.

Stairs help us climb to the top of the dune.

Myra protects herself from the wind as she snaps a photo.

Neal, Debbie and Kim pose atop the sand dune.

The weather adds to the drama of this unusual place.

The Landes pine forest, the largest man-made woodland in Western Europe, was planted in the 18th and 19

9th centuries to reduce erosion. The dunes â&#x20AC;&#x153;consumeâ&#x20AC;? some of this forest every year.

Dinner reservations are a concern. We’re a group of nine and that’s a big number of people for a small establishment to handle. Another constraint: we’d prefer to walk to the restaurant. Cuisine? Let’s try for Japanese food tonight. Yes! We get a reservation for 8 PM. Wow. The time has gotten away from us. We have to go fast to arrive there on schedule. Un Soir à Shibuya is on a Bordeaux pedestrian street, Rue Saint-Rémi. The place is a little hard to locate. Look over there! We find it. We’re not late. This Japanese establishment has a simple menu. Most of the group chooses to have a bento. The owner is loquacious. His fluent English assists us with the details of our choices. Everyone feels comfortable with this restaurant. We’re having fun. Richard bought a cake in Arcachon. He brings it out at the end of our meal as a surprise for Jana and Randy. Today is their 43nd wedding anniversary. It’s a special touch that adds to this great day. Overall, the restaurant provided satisfactory Japanese food in a good environment. That is just what we needed. We walk back to the hotel. Sigh. Another long day. The hour is 11 PM when we arrive in our rooms.

A cake from Arcachon is a surprise for Jana and Randy. The entire group helps them celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Wednesday, October 16: Golf and Shopping The schedule says we split the group. Some go to the country, others stay in the city. Randy, Richard and Neal go out early to play golf. Jana, Debbie, Teresa and Myra get a later start. Shopping is their focus for the morning. Nancy and Kim do their chores. They’ll join the shoppers for lunch. We’ve been in Bordeaux for a few days and we’re getting acquainted with the city. Our hotel’s location is ideal. This is another of Teresa’s planning successes. Lunchtime. Nancy and Kim meet the shoppers on a side street in the old part of Bordeaux. We’re eating at Le Bouchon Bordelais. It’s a small place. We feel cozy here. Our lunchtime comments are positive. This is an outstanding venue. We’re having one of our best meals so far. Unfortunately, this restaurant isn’t big enough to accommodate everyone.

The lunch destination. A restaurant down a side street. We’re in the old part of Bordeaux.

Of course we have a nice wine to start the lunch. A rose today.

Good, hearty food.

Meat that’s cooked perfectly.

An artful plate of scallops.

Dessert is the best crème brûlée ever!

The golfers have a good time, too. The golf course, Grand Saint-Émilionnais Golf Club, is (as its name implies) in the Saint-Émilion area. Navigation to the club is challenging as Google Maps wants them to turn onto a “road” that doesn’t exist. It’s not a serious difficulty. We feared a wet day. There aren’t any problems with rain, although the course is wet. Golf is just what these guys need. After lunch, the shoppers go to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design de Bordeaux (Museum of Decorative Arts and Design). They find it poorly curated and don’t think this museum is as interesting as they expected. Everyone is back at the hotel by late afternoon. There is an opportunity for rest and recovery.

Organizing after lunch and before setting off on the afternoon activities.

A rainy afternoon in Bordeaux.

We’ve been having long, often complex, dinners. Tonight, we’re aiming to make this a simple event. We gather at 8:30 PM and head out onto Place Gambetta, another part of the pedestrian street we’ve often visited. We find a restaurant that’s casual. It’s Bistro de la Porte. We sit inside. Menu choices center on hamburgers and steaks. These come with pomme frites. And a salad. Just the right simplicity. We have wine. Tonight we’re drinking a 2016 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion. We finish dinner early. Everyone is back at the hotel by 9:30 PM. We get a little extra sleep tonight. Today we had a slower pace. It has been a relaxing day. Well planned, Teresa.

Fresh produce for sale. These are high-quality items.

We gather near the Porte Dijeaux, an 18th century arch not far from our hotel. Does Bistro de la Porte have room for our group?

Tonight’s wine is from Château Larrivet HautBrion. This winery is next to Château Haut Bailly, the first winery we visited.

Steak and fries with a bit of salad.

A hamburger is often a “safe” choice. It comes with fries and a salad. This is a good hamburger.

Thursday, October 17: Wines in Médoc Today’s meeting time is 8:30 AM. As usual, the group is punctual. Everyone’s ready to go. This promises to be an interesting day as we’re back in the wine-tasting mode. Our general goal is to tour Médoc, the famous region with many top châteaux. The plan: we’ll do two estate visits and have a nice lunch. We begin the day with gloomy weather. That’s not a problem; we come prepared for rain. Will the weather add to the drama of the drive? Let’s see. The trip to Médoc presents the usual challenge of traversing the town during morning traffic. The navigator finds the right roads. Again, we travel through narrow city streets, some scarcely wide enough to accommodate the car. There are plenty of turns as the Android voice directs us toward our destination. Is this the best route? We don’t know. You’ve got to trust Google Maps. It’s frustrating that urban Bordeaux lacks major roadways to connect with highways to outlying destinations. But Bordeaux is an old city. We respect the accommodations they make to blend ancient architecture with new traffic demands. After a while there is less traffic. The route straightens out. Our pace quickens. Urbanization gives way to nondescript farmlands. We’re at the end of the growing season so most fields are clear of crops. Finally, we see some vineyards. This happens much later than we expected. Médoc must be a fairly small area or it doesn’t extend very far towards Bordeaux. Perhaps we’ll learn more about the geography during today’s châteaux visits. Classic-looking châteaux appear. There are many of these interesting buildings. Some are near the highway. We look at them as we whiz by. The visual imagery lives up to our expectations. What an interesting place. The road wanders. We pass through tiny villages. The names of these tiny towns are often familiar; these are brands of famous wines. There is a palpable pleasure as we realize that we’ve gotten to the heart of this key wine region of Bordeaux. Our two vehicles make it to Château Chasse Spleen at about the same time. Our host meets us outside. She’s keen to get the tour started. We’re standing next to a vineyard and in front of the estate buildings.

Château Chasse Spleen has two large rubber boots on the lawn. That’s interesting.

The Médoc region is quite flat. Trees are found on the edges of the roads.

Our host provides a historical review first. When the château started. What the name means (“chase the blues away”). Who ownes the château. Then the talk turns to the field aspects of the vineyard. We hear a general discussion similar to those at other châteaux. Then we learn some new things. We’re shown a small plastic bottle hanging on a trellis wire that supports the vines. This container has pheromones that attract butterflies. It’s the way they keep the insects from laying eggs on the vine leaves. Otherwise, caterpillars will eat the leaves. Next our host tells us about the roses found at the end of each row of vines. The growers examine the rose leaves for signs of mildew. They do this often. If mildew occurs, they find it first on the roses. This is a 48-hour warning before the mildew spreads to the vines. That’s enough time to start preventative measures. The soil is full of small rocks. We saw a similar situation in Graves. Here, we’re told, sunshine heats the stones and this carries warmth below ground. We hear more details regarding the sizes of plants and the mix of grape varieties. Our host provides information with clear enunciation of each word. She has a good command of English and her attention to precise speaking helps everyone understand her stories. We’re all impressed.

We get the story of Château Chasse Spleen.

Our host gets us organized.

The soils here have rocks. This adds to the character of the vineyard. The grapes have just been harvested.

The next stop is alongside the processing facility. They completed the harvest just a few days ago. The grapes are fermenting. This building is a busy place. We need not go in there. We get a story about putting wine into bottles. This estate doesn’t have space to build a bottling facility. Instead, a company brings a truck with the needed equipment and supplies. They bottle with this temporary arrangement. In this way, the château says it bottles the wine at the estate. That’s clever outsourcing. Our group moves inside to the barrel room. The ageing uses barrels from seven coopers. This adds variety (complexity) to the wine components. The challenge is to blend fermented juice from a spectrum of sources. They use several grape varieties, with plots of each variety grown under different conditions. Ageing takes place in different containers. This produces considerable variability. It takes a skilled staff to mix these sources to create the right blend. Bi-colored casks fill the barrel room. They’re beautiful. The walls and ceiling are white except for areas painted bright red. This pattern appears to be random. Stand in the corner. Now we see nine big triangles. That’s clever. The estate’s owners are into art. This is an obvious example.

When you stand in the corner of the barrel room, you see the pattern painted on the ceiling, walls and columns. It’s a masterful illusion. This is an iconic image for this château.

We sample three wines: 2014 L’Oratoire de Chasse-Spleen, 2015 Château Gressier Grand Poujeaux and 2014 Château Chasse-Spleen. This latter wine is a blend of Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Petit Verdot (5%). These are reasonably priced wines. We enjoy them all and purchase a few bottles to drink later in the trip. This has been a good chateau tour. The talk was informative. The tasting met our high expectations. Our host cuts us loose. We can walk around the estate on our own. Let’s check out the artwork. There is a large sculpture of a pair of rubber boots (notice: both are right feet). A long reflecting pond is in front of an estate building. Inside, the gallery rooms have abstract art hanging on the walls. The chateau’s website calls the show “Etrange!” It is, true to its name, strange. We’re not sure if this unusual art show complements the other outstanding attributes of the estate. The art is a bit edgy for our taste. The sky was overcast. Now there are big patches of blue. The weather is improving.

We’re ready to taste our first wines from Médoc.

Neal, Randy and Richard look out across the ChĂ˘teau Chasse-Spleen surroundings.

ChĂ˘teau Chasse-Spleen has an indoor art gallery. The collection is unusual.

Some of the art is a bit startling.

The ChĂ˘teau Chasse-Spleen grounds are very attractive. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to take time and walk around the property.

Lunch is our next scheduled activity. We head toward a nearby town, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. Along the way we pause to take a photo at Château Pichon Baron. It’s a beautiful mansion. Across the street is another stunner: Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Right next door is Château Latour. Unfortunately, the historic Latour vineyard is a bit out of sight. We’re driving through the heart of the Médoc; the river, La Gironde, is little more than a half-mile (1 km) away. These are the lands that Dutch engineers drained about 400 years ago.

This is a vineyard in the heart of the Médoc wine region. When you think of the classic Premier Cru wineries, this is the sort of vineyard in which they grow their grapes.

We stopped to photograph a beautiful chateau. This is ChĂ˘teau Pichon Baron.

ChĂ˘teau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is an interesting building. There is a very modern wine cellar nearby. This would make an interesting visit.

The restaurant, Le Saint Julien, is ready for us. They put our group in a separate room with a huge table. It is just the right size. The setting is elegant. This is a classy place. Each person has a choice of entrée (which is an appetizer), a main course, and dessert. We order a variety of dishes. This time we’re not all choosing the same thing. The first service is a soup, served in a small container with a short straw sticking straight up. You suck up the soup with the straw! What a unique presentation of an excellent soup. The remaining servings are equally good. It is a fine meal. The wine for lunch is a local Saint Julien 2010 Château les Ormes. This vintage has a high rating; it’s perhaps the best we’ve had in a restaurant so far.

The entrance to our lunch restaurant, Le Saint Julien, takes us down a path and by a kitchen garden.

The rustic exterior of the restaurant didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prepare us for the beauty and formality of our private dining room.

The soup with a straw. A very unique presentation.

Ravioli scampi bisque is elegant in taste and color.

Scottish salmon marinated in garden herbs with a bit of horseradish cream.

Our waitress cuts the roast lamb.

Salmon sits above potatoes and a lovely green sauce.

Roast lamb with sweet garlic and potatoes gratin.

Strawberries, ice cream and a touch of mint.

Vanilla ice cream and a chocolate flag top a baked cake.

A classic crème brûlée.

We pause and take a look at the restaurant’s sign. This is a place we’ll remember for its outstanding food and elegant ambience.

There is one more tasting today. We drive across Médoc, again passing by beautiful châteaux. A few are crumbling old mansions. They’ve renovated most of them. This is prime real estate. Swaths of vines cover the rolling landscape. Trees interrupt the pattern. You don’t see Château Mouton Rothschild from the highway like so many of the châteaux. This estate is in a tiny town. Go down a small street. Is this where you enter the property? We pause. Are we at the right place? There’s a sign. Yes! The marker confirms our location. A big building with an imposing wooden front stands at one side. Nearby, through a patch of vines, is a low building. We look around. There is a sign. It indicates where to go for a tour. It’s the smaller structure. We gather inside. Quite a friendly environment. Maybe not what we expected. Aren’t classic châteaux supposed to be old? This is a new building. Our host joins us. Out we go. We stop alongside the vines. Here we learn how this chȃteau developed. Off to one side, not visible from where we stand, is where the current owners live. They spend considerable time in Médoc.

This is our first glimpse of Château Mouton Rothschild. What’s inside this modern version of a barn?

We started and ended our tour of ChĂ˘teau Mouton Rothschild in this building.

Our host stands by some vines and tells the history of the chĂ˘teau.

The “Mouton” part of the name, we’re told, means “Mountain” in some old versions of French. Interesting. This word in modern French means “sheep.” It’s important to have the proper (intended) translation. The château owners intertwine the business of wine with the arts. This makes an interesting, and somewhat unusual, story. The Baroness Rothschild was an actress who gave up her stage career to take care of the winery. Her three children now run the estate. We walk the short distance to the building we saw when we entered. It’s a large stone structure with a wooden front. Look. The wood pattern obscures the doors until they are open. The illusion is part of the design, much like a theater conceals what’s inside. This is a new processing facility. The estate designed it to have many special features. We enter through a small door. Then take the elevator upstairs. This is a working floor where they process the grapes. A few employees are doing cleanup tasks as we’ve come just at the end of this year’s harvest. We stroll by the equipment. Our host says the workers will soon hide these machines behind screens. The intent is to have this area appear uncluttered after the short processing period. That’s a unique detail in our experience. Appearance is important here.

Barrels are being prepared here.

The French word “mouton” has several translations into English. One is “sheep.” This theme is found throughout the château.

Myra’s ready to see the production facility while Kim thinks about the next photo subject.

Processing the harvest is now finished. The equipment will be stored out of sight.

The winery uses high tech equipment, like optical sorters that remove inferior grapes.

As we go through the building, we look down on fermentation tanks lined up on the lower floor. This is the Vat Room and it has 64 large oak vessels. This is an artful arrangement and one that’s functional. It’s fascinating how each winery approaches the same tasks in such different ways.

Our host listens to Debbie’s question. It is very convenient to view the working-floor activities from ab ove.

Covers close the tops of the large fermentation vessels that stand on the floor below. All of the workspaces are functional and aesthetic.

Visitors can look at the production equipment and activities without disturbing the workers. It is a clever application of traffic flow.

It is unusual to see large wooden fermentation tanks.

A worker moves a processing container.

The next stop is a gallery where they keep the original label artwork. Put the camera away. We’re not allowed to take pictures here. Château Mouton Rothschild is famous for the bottle labels. Each year, an internationally recognized artist creates a small painting. They reproduce this artwork at the top of the label. The bottles are collectable because of the fame of the artists. Consider that the list of artists includes Miró, Chagall, Picasso, Dali, and Jeff Koons. You understand that it’s a rare invitation to have one’s work used in this context. The chȃteau’s display combines the artwork with the labelled bottles. We’re hearing interesting stories about the history of this artist and chȃteau owner relationships.

Château Mouton Rothschild wines are known, in part, for their labels. This display shows eleven vintages, each with a label by a famous artist.

The next gallery is The Museum of Wine in Art. This is the family’s art collection. We didn’t expect this gallery to be so close to the wine production facility. We understand the building is very long, ending with the living facilities for the family. The owners like being near the action. The theme of the Wine in Art collection is, without doubt, wine. Each piece relates to wine. A huge tapestry is at the entrance. Small statues, decorative bowls, ornate jewelry and other objects fill the display cases. There is great diversity here. We take our time working through the exhibit. They curate this collection as well as you’ll find in any major museum. We knew it was a good collection. We didn’t expect this.

Another artwork on display at Château Mouton Rothschild with the theme of “mouton.”

We get to take one last photo, in this case a wall ornament, before entering the ChĂ˘teau Mouton Rothschild Museum of Wine in Art. No photos are permitted inside the museum.

We see the different sizes of bottles. You can imagine the cost of the larger containers when they are filled with a vintage ChĂ˘teau Mouton Rothschild wine.

We’re at the last stop on the tour. This is where we see the barrels. The room, called the Grand Chai (Great Barrel Hall), is 300 feet (100 m) long. The room has only a few casks. That’s understandable. We’re at the start of the production season. It will be awhile before barrels fill the racks with this year’s production. Our last activity is to sample their wine. We return to the building where we meet our host. There’s a tasting room here, and it’s set up for our group.

The Great Barrel Hall is adjacent to the museum. We see a few barrels stored here. The room is 100 m (328 ft) long and holds 1,000 barrels of wine.

Our host offers us three wines. Each is from a different property owned by the Rothschild family. Our first wine is from Chȃteau d’Armailhac, a 5th Classified Growth in Pauillac. Next is a 2012 vintage composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (29%), Cabernet Franc (14%) and Petit Verdot (3%). Third is a wine from Chȃteau Clerc Milon, a Grand Cru Classe, also in Pauillac. The vintage is 2014; it’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (29%), Cabernet Franc (11%), Petit Verdot (1%) and Carmenere (1%). Finally, we taste a wine from Chȃteau Mouton Rothschild. This is a very fine 2011 vintage. There are fewer grape varieties in this blend. The composition leans heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon (90%), with small contributions from Merlot (7%) and Cabernet Franc (3%). (NB: this bottle costs more than US$600 in the current US market.) We’re having a fine experience. It is an unhurried affair that gives everyone a chance to enjoy the wine. We’re soaking in the ambiance of the setting. The estate states an “ambition of making Mouton a place of art and beauty.” It appears to have achieved this. We’ll long remember this visit.

The tasting room at Château Mouton Rothschild has three bottles of wine ready for us. We approach with great anticipation.

Each wine is described by our host. We listen attentively.

Here we are at one of the special wineries in Bordeaux, hearing about some great wines. The setting is elegant.

Kim canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop taking photos.

Teresa and Nancy pause for a photo.

Jana is reflecting on the wine while Neal watches. Note the bottle in the foreground. This is a rare tasting event.

Smiles tell the story. This is a special event.

Each of us looks, sips, tastes and thinks about the three wines. We take our time.

A group photo in the ChĂ˘teau Mouton Rothschild tasting room.

It’s time to return to Bordeaux. The drive from Médoc takes an hour. This has been a big day. We’ve seen many wonderful places and heard great stories. Lunch was outstanding. Now, we’re eager to simplify our dinner. Let’s go back to Bistro de la Porte. It is just a short walk from our hotel. This is a familiar restaurant. It’s where we get hamburgers, fries and simple things like that.

Bistro de la Porte is convenient to our hotel and the menu matches our needs. Teresa and Neal work on dinner as we end an exciting day.

A thick hamburger with salad greens.

A sandwich for dinner at the Bistro de la Porte. A simple meal after a complex day.

A dinner omelet with greens. Another simple meal.

Friday, October 18: Into the Right Bank Most of us have adopted a morning coffee routine of visiting Starbucks across the street. This starts our day better than having breakfast at the hotel. It’s not that we don’t enjoy European-style coffee. It is just that we’re used to the American-style. A big cup of “proper” coffee is an essential way to begin the day. We gather at 8:00 AM. This seems early, but we’ve got a drive ahead of us. Today, we’re doing the last of our wine tours in the Bordeaux region. It will be a busy day. The schedule calls for more than winery tours. This is our chance to visit an old (read: ancient) French town and explore some of its historical sites. We travel through Bordeaux’s city streets. It’s similar to other days. Perhaps easier today as we’re leaving at an earlier hour. It’s a relief to get into the countryside where the highways are wider and there’s less traffic. It’s a 45 minute trip to St. Émilion. On arrival, we park near a church. There aren’t many cars here at this hour so we’ve got two prime parking spots near our destination. Next task: fiddle with the machine that covers the parking charges. It takes a while to conquer this truculent device. Our first activity is a tour of the town’s oldest structures. Our guide is in the nearby Tourist Office. We’re soon off, walking nearby to an overlook that shows us the key features and topography of this old city. This viewpoint is well above a small plaza below. Off to the side is the tall Bell Tower, standing about 15 stories (53 m) high. This tower dominates the skyline. Buildings, two or three stories high, line the streets. The countryside is mostly flat, but here, the city clings to the slopes of a hill. The cobble-stone streets are steep. Our guide, Sophie, explains that the town doesn’t have many permanent residents. Fewer than 2,000 now. Many residences are empty. Owners of the old buildings don’t want to sell. They’re also unwilling to modernize the interior spaces. That’s unfortunate. This is a charming place to live. A larger population will better support the town’s infrastructure. Look beyond the buildings. Green fields stretch off into the distance. Remember: we’re in wine country. We’re surrounded by very fine vineyards. This gathering is at a high point in the town. Our next stop is in a lower level. Remember that plaza down below. That’s our objective. Let’s get moving.

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Our guide, Sophie, tells the history of St. Émilion. This is an important historical city.

This is the Bell Tower. It’s a very prominent landmark in St. Émilion.

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There is a viewing area adjacent to the Bell Tower. We can see how St. Ă&#x2030;milion sits on a hill above the sur

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rrounding countryside. Down there are some of Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest vineyards.

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It’s a challenge to descend on the cobbled street. The route is steep. The stones are wet; that’s evidence it’s been raining. Watch your step! We pass a macaron shop on the way down. Macarons are a signature treat of St. Émilion. No time to stop. Sophie keeps us going. Our group gathers in front of a tall stone wall. We’re standing on the plaza below the overlook we just left. Notice the hill’s limestone face. Long ago, people hollowed out the rock. The result is an unusual place of worship. The steeple stands above. It’s the tall tower we were next to earlier. This plaza is the Place de l’Eglise Monolithe. Pause for the group photo. This is an historic location. Examine the cobblestones in the courtyard. A few are not limestone, the local construction material. Researchers think these “outliers” are rocks carried as ballast on ships coming from northern Europe. Those ships were here for the wine. They left road materials behind.

Stores and restaurants line the narrow street. St. Émilion is built on a hill. Expect ups and downs.

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Walking down the steep cobbled streets requires care and attention. It is easy to slip and fall. Go slowly.

Windows of the old church. This is beneath the Bell Tower.

Looking up from the square, you see the viewing area and the Bell Tower.

We take a group photo in front of the Holy Trinity Chapel.

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Centuries of construction leave distinctive evidence of the techniques and materials.

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Sophie unlocks a nearby gate. We enter a courtyard. She explains that we’re now on private property and can’t take photos. We step inside a small chapel. This is the 13th century Holy Trinity Chapel. It’s a beautiful space. Sophie tells the story of its preservation. They used this space for making barrels. The process involves smoking the inside. The polluted air adds coat after coat of soot to the walls and ceiling. The current owner removed this black layer and found paintings. The smoke residue preserved the old artwork. The group moves on to the home of the town’s famous hermit, Émilion. This is a space beneath the chapel. The entrance is nearby. We walk down below street level and enter Émilion’s chamber. It’s a small cave; an austere place of seclusion. Very primitive. He slept on a bed carved from stone. There is a rock chair, too. We’re getting a rare glimpse into a strange lifestyle of long ago. Our next stop is in an adjacent underground cavern. A locked door limits access. This is another privately owned space. It’s only viewed on a guided tour. We enter the first cavern. This is part of the limestone hill; it’s adjacent to the l’Eglise Monolithe. This hollowed-out chamber is a necropolis. Rocks have been carved into casket-like shapes. There are niches, too, that once held human remains. This place is spooky. Not everyone is comfortable being in such close contact with burial artifacts. We walk through these hand-carved galleries. Early St. Émilion inhabitants cut the limestone to make these hallways. They extracted the stone blocks as a construction material for other buildings. Sophie shows us how the excavation worked. It must have been a terrible job those many centuries ago. Think: hard labor in dark, dusty conditions. We retrace our steps through the catacombs. Then take a turn. The group steps into a huge open space. This is the underground chapel. We’ve entered the l’Église Monolithe. The name, Monolithe, means that it’s carved from a single rock. The stone, in this case, is the limestone mountain. Sophie points out that this room is below the Bell Tower. We remember this tall structure that stands next to the courtyard where we began our tour. The weight of that tower, and water seepage through the rock, causes concern. Metal structures, added over the past several decades, strengthen the pillars in the Monolithe. It seems to work. Collapse would be a catastrophe. The hollowed-out Monolithe is impressive. It is 125 ft (38 m) long and nearly 40 ft (12 m) tall. It’s a solemn space. We examine the remnants of an old altar. It’s on the chapel’s mountain side. They hold an occasional modern service at the other end. The acoustics are stunning. We got a flavor of the sound quality when another group’s guide sang. 107

The unique church is lucky to have survived. This historical oddity developed over time. It reached its peak after its 12th century excavation and 14th century decoration. Then, people weren’t kind in the 16th and 18th centuries. Wars and neglect caused much damage. For example, vapors from saltpeter stored inside the church destroyed the artwork. Restorations starting in the 20th century attempt to save what remains of this important historical site. This work continues. This city overview was an especially informative tour. Sophie leaves everyone near the Cordeliers Cloister, the place we’ll begin our next tour. There is a fine town overlook here. We pause and gaze again at the old town. Other people are taking selfies. Us? We’ll ask someone to take our photo. Wow, that’s two group pictures in a day.

An entrance, carved centuries ago, opens into the underground spaces.

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A peek down a St. Émilion’s cobblestone street.

Wine shops dot the city. Too bad it is so difficult (read: expensive) to ship wine home.

Jana and Randy are enjoying this tour of ancient St. Ă&#x2030;milion.

A different perspective of St. Ă&#x2030;milion. The Bell Tower is seen across the rooftops.

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Yet another group photo. This time, St. Ă&#x2030;milionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bell Tower is in the picture.

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In 1338, Franciscan friars constructed a chapel and monastery inside the walls of St. Ă&#x2030;milion. This religious organization, known as the Cordeliers order, built other structures, including a winery, vat room and dormitory. The French Revolution of 1789 closed this religious complex. It remained abandoned until the late 19th Century. The new owners began using the underground caverns for sparkling wine production and storage. More recently, the owners are renovating and modernizing the above-ground remnants of the old buildings. Some progress is obvious. The chapel is now a modern gift shop. A comfortable outdoor restaurant is next door. There are plans to extend this renovation to other parts of the other historic site. This is the Les Cordeliers Cloister. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready to explore this historic site. Charlotte is our new guide. She takes everyone through the Cloister, describing the use of the old buildings.

This is the chapel at Cordeliers Cloister. It is a modern gift shop now. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re impressed with the design.

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Nancy finds some fine wines for sale in the chapel gift shop.

The arrangement of wines in the Cordeliers Cloister gift shop is very attractive. Why isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t this done in other places?

Our guide describes the function of each area as we walk through the old walls of the monastery.

Intersecting arches are an amazing feature of the ancient monastery.

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We’re now in the garden. See that structure? It has an opening. It resembles a well. Remember this as we’ll see it later from a different perspective. Charlotte returns us to the Cloister’s chapel and walks the group down a steep ramp. This is the easy part. After going through a door, the modern walkway changes to an ancient pathway carved into the limestone.We descend as we go through this passageway. Periodic lights illuminate the route. The walkway levels off in a large open area. We view the remains of the old winery equipment, along with the storage of wine bottles. This isn’t an ordinary way to store wine; here, the bottles are upside down. This is sparkling wine.

We’re outside in what was once the garden area for the monastery. Our guide, Charlotte, points out some interesting features.

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Back in the Cordeliers Cloister chapel, we head down a ramp toward the underground caverns.

The path goes down and down. This was all carved by hand, hundreds of years ago.

We pause at the bottom to get some orientation.

The current function of these caverns is wine processing and storage. Here we see some sparkling wine fermenting in the bottle.

The bottles, placed upside down, still have a temporary cap. Corking comes later.

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The caverns beneath St. Émilion stretch for nearly 2 miles (3 km). We walk through tunnels that twist and turn. Branches lead to passageways that stretch out of sight. We pass containers holding lots and lots of bottles. Some hold the current production. Other pallets have stored wine. One location has a display of the equipment once used for bottling. Now, they bottle the wine in a modern facility that’s off site. It’s here we find the bottom of the hole we saw in the Cloister garden. This is where the monks hauled their wines to the surface. This is a fascinating tour. It’s hard to conceive of the labor that went into the hollowing of this network of passages. We’re deeply impressed. They devoted so much hand labor to underground work. We leave the underground network and go upstairs in the chapel. It’s time to indulge in sparkling wine.

We stand and imagine how these machines must have appeared when they were bottling the wine.

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Here is the hole that connects to the monastery garden. Bottles were once lifted up through this opening. This view gives you an idea of how far below ground weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come.

The tunnels for an extensive underground maze. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re walking through just a small part of the complex. Side tunnels extend far into the distance.

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Charlotte pours us three different wines. All are 2014 Les Cordeliers vintages: Vintage Brut, Grand Vintage Brut, and Vintage Brut Rosé. We’re in strong agreement that we enjoy every one! Charlotte gives us another treat. A macaron. Each cookie is thin and slightly flexible. You peel it off a piece of paper. It’s a single layer and brown, not at all like the brightly colored, multi-layered macarons sold in many French patisseries. This special macaron comes from a recipe created by a religious community of nuns founded in 1620. Charlotte says the recipe was a secret. The government dispersed the nuns following the French Revolution. The recipe? Individuals passed it along. The story tells how the recipe saved a nun’s life when she shared the secret. Now, only one person makes these tasty cookies from the original recipe. They are good macarons. The macaron story, and their unique taste, provides us with a quest. Let’s find the place that sells this tasty treat. We’ll buy some as gifts to take home. The challenge: we know these unusual macarons aren’t sold at the shop we saw early in our visit to the town. Where can we get them?

Three types of sparkling wine await us for our tasting session.

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Myra and Debbie get to sample the first bottle.

Randy, Jana and Teresa join in the sampling.

Our guide tells us the story of a special macaron. Richard gets ready to eat one of these treats as Myra looks on.

Richard gets a photo of the three sparkling wines from our tasting.

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Neal has a few bottles in hand as he heads to the counter. That’s a sign that we really enjoyed these wines.

Our focus returns to the schedule. We’ve got a 1:30 PM reservation for lunch at Ô Trois Fontaines. This restaurant is in St. Émilion. It’s a small town. Our destination must be close. Out comes Google Maps. It’s time to navigate. The problem: rain. We’re getting soaked by a passing shower. Walking close to the buildings provides some shelter. This is uncomfortable. Is the group headed the right way? Let’s ask a local merchant. He confirms our trajectory: keep walking in the same direction. It’s a relief to find our destination. Relax now. We’re at a sheltered location. Everyone is ready for a meal. It’s been a busy day, confounded with rain. Ô Trois Fontaines’ speciality is cooking food on a fire. That means meat. We order our meals; some in the group have beef, others chicken. Each choice comes with a mound of fries. These are filling meals. Wash it down with a 2015 Château Trianon from St. Émilion. Whew! That’s too much for lunch.

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Teresa, Randy and Richard ponder the lunch menu.

Ă&#x201D; Trois Fontaines is a rustic restaurant. We can look back into the kitchen where they cook the meat over a fire.

Chicken, fries and a salad.

Beef, fries and a salad.

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We’re concerned about logistics. Our restaurant is in a low part of St. Émilion. We parked the cars at the top. We send several people to get the vehicles while everyone else waits. It’s not clear how you drive back to the restaurant. This is an ancient town and the streets are narrow. There are few places where a car can enter the city. Congestion from parked vehicles complicates things. Yike! These are one-way streets. Navigation is difficult. Finally, we discover a route. We get our vehicles close to the restaurant and gather everyone. Whew. That was stressful. We’re off to locate the store with special macarons. We retrace our path as we drive back toward the upper part of town. Let’s park somewhere near the destination; we need not get too close. We find two parking spots. Stopping here is a wise choice as parking spaces are limited and it’s possible to get a car “stuck” in a difficult situation. People head off to make their purchases at Au Parvis des Thés. Before long, we’ve got many boxes of macarons and we’re heading to our next destination: Château La Dominique. Our winery tour is scheduled for 3:00 PM. We arrive on time. Château La Dominique is interesting. It combines a classic, old-style chateau building and a new, ultra-modern expansion. We gather in the chateau’s lobby. Our host plays a video. This gives everyone a general orientation. We leave the older building and walk around a corner. We’re facing a tall wall. The group pauses (abruptly). This is a very shiny red wall. We’ve found the new part of the winery. Our host tells us why the cladding is red; it’s not a uniform red but different shades of this color. It’s a reminder that grapes are not just one color. The wall materials are important, too. This panel provides insulation. What we’re viewing is a combination of a useful technology and aesthetics. This sets the theme for our visit.

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Richard is at the counter in Château La Dominique’s reception area. This is our last tasting in Bordeaux.

Our host for the tasting at Château La Dominique is waiting for us.

We start our tour of Château La Dominique from outside the old part of the chateau. The smiles tell you we’re ready to see this interesting place.

The red is symbolic of the different colors of the grapes. The materials used in the construction are also special. This is a hint of things to come.

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A staircase leads to the roof. Up top, glass “rocks” cover the main outdoor area. These round, marble-like stones, are different colors of red. Their intent, besides providing a roof cover, is to resemble harvested grapes. We’re encouraged to walk on the stones. This emulates the crushing of grapes. It’s a dramatic effect. Stand at the edge of the roof. Look at the plants. Our guide points out the winery’s vines. Château La Dominique recently purchased an adjacent property. That’s off to one side. Directly ahead, there are vines that appear different. These are separate varieties. Merlot thrives in this area, so that variety dominates in these vineyards. We hear about the soils, and particularly the “blue clay” that’s prized for its beneficial properties in making outstanding wines. There’s a nearby road. That’s the line dividing the St. Émilion “district” from its neighbor, Pomerol. We spot other châteaux. They’re close by, in part because estates here are small. In Pomerol, the average vineyard size is about 25 acres (10 ha). There are several low-lying buildings not far away. That’s the Petrus estate.

The glass “stones” range in red color from light to very dark.

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Our host is on the roof of the production facility. Yes, you can walk on this glass surface.

There is a good view of the chateauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vineyards from the top of the production facility. Vineyards are quite small in this area. ChĂ˘teau La Dominique is experimenting with small plantings of non-traditional varieties.

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The group heads downstairs and into a room with wine casks. We get the story of how Château La Dominique creates its wines. Next door is the fermentation area. There are tall, stainless steel vats. But here, there are also some wooden barrels that have plumbing attached to the front. This, we’re told, is for temperature regulation. Different grapes are fermenting in these casks. We’ve not seen that before. The main barrel room is through a nearby door. The wooden casks are piled two high. Special rollers hold the containers in place. Like many other aspects of this winery, these are specially designed cask racks. There are other interesting things, too. Notice the high-tech insect catcher? Another anomaly is a head-high amphora; this is a clay vessel of ancient design. It’s holding wine that’s getting a different treatment. These unique features match the other things we’re seeing. The château’s techniques provide variety in the wines. This diversity is blended into a final product. This tour, as with our other winery visits, shows both similarities and differences in how individual estates create a unique product.

Our host takes us downstairs to the production facility. We enter through a small barrel room.

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Pipes bring water into barrels to control the temperature. We’ve not seen that before.

Huge windows let us look out to the vineyard.

Modern design has been taken to a new level here.

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Barrels are stacked on specially-designed racks.

The large amphora has gotten everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention. It holds wine that has been treated differently. Blending wines which have unique character is part of the winemakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill.

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It’s time to do some tasting. We’re taken downstairs on an elevator. The door opens. We step into a very dark room. There’s a single long table. It’s already set with glasses. We’ll sample four wines. Check out the floor. It’s covered with the same red rocks (i.e., “grapes”) we walked over on the roof. At this estate, details matter. We sit at a white table. The light falls on the table so it doesn’t quite reach the table’s edge. There’s a sharp demarcation beyond where our glasses sit. That’s by design. Wine is the focus. Nothing detracts. We’re dazzled by this amazing environment.

An elevator ride takes us down to the tasting room. It is very dark inside. The floor is covered with the red “stones” we encountered on the roof. This is, indeed, an unusual setting.

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Our host pours the wines.The Fayat family produces all of these in their various vineyards. We taste a 2014 Relais de La Dominique,a Château Clément Pichon from Haut-Médoc, a Château Fayat from Pomerol and finally, a 2013 Château La Dominique. (Sorry, we didn’t note the vintage for two of these.) This is a great capstone experience for our Bordeaux winery visits. The St. Émilion region is where top-flight winemaking originated in this part of France. The wines here, particularly from Pomerol, rank at the top of the quality (and price) scale. We’re glad we visited here.

We are seated and the pouring begins. Our guide tells the story of each wine.

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Nancy is enjoying this process.

The light falls on the table so there is a bright white area behind the glasses. This helps you judge the color of the wine. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clever design.

Neal and Myra watch as our guide pours from a fourth bottle.

Randy sniffs and Richard watches. Our guide pours with both hands.

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We leave Château La Dominique and drive a short distance to the Petrus facility. Just a brief stop here for a photo of the building. Several people in our group connect with someone who worked at Château Petrus. He’s still associated with the Moueix family.

We couldn’t tour Château Petrus. Our alternative: take a picture showing we were here. Jana gets a snap of Myra as Nancy watches. This is a busy highway. Watch out for the traffic!

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The afternoon is over. Let’s drive back to the hotel. Dinner tonight is a repeat of a previous night. We’re returning to Un Soir à Shibuya, the Japanese restaurant. We had such a positive experience there before, and it is nearby. It’s an easy natural choice. As before, we engage in fun banter with the owner. The food is good. The price is reasonable. A highlight of the dinner is sharing a bottle of Les Cordeliers sparkling wine Neal and Debbie bought at the Cloisters.

Richard watches as the Les Cordeliers sparkling wine is opened. This is a nice treat at dinner.

The bento box selections were a group favorite.

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A bowl of cutlet with curry. Very Japanese.

Fried noodles. Another tasty Japanese dish.

This was an excellent day, full of complex activities. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fitting climax to our time in Bordeaux.

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Postscript It was a remarkable week. We visited a wide variety of château and tasted many special wines. Meals were equally spectacular. The group viewed a broad cross-section of the Bordeaux landscape and visited key landmarks. This all fit together seamlessly. This didn’t happen by accident. Teresa planned the trip and made the arrangements. That is an incredible accomplishment. We all owe Teresa a huge “thank you” for such a masterful job. We also want to thank our many hosts and guides. They were engaging in the way they educated us on their château and wines. All of them are true professionals. The hospitality of the French people, too, deserves recognition. Our visit was a very pleasant experience because of the many people who helped us. We all remember the friendly people in our hotel, restaurants and activity centers. Thank you for tolerating, and helping, a rather high-spirited group of Americans. The French people need to be thanked for their preservation of history and tradition. Their centuries-long devotion to maintaining the culture of Bordeaux allowed us to better understand how Bordeaux fits into the humanity’s fabric.

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