Road-trippppppin through France
Day 1
The trip started with a bang, stacking all the overnight bags into the little Peugot 206 just after six o’clock. It was a tight squeeze and everybody but the driver had to sit with bags under their legs or on there laps. But luckily the first day was not that far to drive. First destination = Cahors, the home of the “black wines” of the south east…
…and what a discovery it proved to be. What should have been a fairly simple en route stop over turned into an enchanting experience and left us all stunned. The Vallee du Lot was simply marvellous. We had some visits lined up. And the first stop was a bad start. Closed. Chateau Lagrazette was mysteriously hidden behind some forests and also behind an even bigger lock. A second hit and miss in the same village stirred some feathers in the flock and the decision was made to consult the Office de Tourism. We strolled into Cahors centre ville like cavaliers ready to take over. We got the necessary info and the plan was put in place…
We woke some old lady from her Saturday afternoon knitting session. It all looked much closed but she popped her head out of the window and greeted us as if we were family. The little daschhund was just as eager to sniff and lick each one of us. The wines were very cold; close to being frozen. So it was hard to taste past the tenacious tannins of the Malbec and Tannat. But her friendliness soon warmed the wine and after she took us for a short glance of the vineyards, the experience transformed into a little family reunion with Nuno laughing and chatting in his best French.
Second stop was one of those “lets just go and see – perhaps they are open”! Our reception was even more jovial than the first. We were taken around the small chateau and we were showed everything. The most spectacular was the old wood oven for the baking of bread. Very cosy it was. From there to the vineyards; the house and finally the cellar and the tasting. Quite different from your normal cellar visit. They receive you as family here. The wines were also a bit too clod on what was an 18degree winters day. And to be honest the wines did not blow my hair back like the hospitality did – unfortunately.
The cruise down the D8 on the south side of the Lot River was probably the highlight of the day. With the afternoon sun long gone and the shadows of the hills cast over the valley the scene was set for our last visit of the day – Chateau de Cedre…
…WOW. Powerful wines. Strong but superbly integrated wood. Velvety, round, chaleur, spicey notes with hints of white chocolate and white pepper. Deep colour and elegantly balanced wines that could last a lifetime with tannins like that. All in all – a must if ever again in the Vallee du Lot.
The trip started with a bang, stacking all the overnight bags into the little Peugot 206 just after six o’clock. It was a tight squeeze and everybody but the driver had to sit with bags under their legs or on there laps. But luckily the first day was not that far to drive. First destination = Cahors, the home of the “black wines” of the south east…
…and what a discovery it proved to be. What should have been a fairly simple en route stop over turned into an enchanting experience and left us all stunned. The Vallee du Lot was simply marvellous. We had some visits lined up. And the first stop was a bad start. Closed. Chateau Lagrazette was mysteriously hidden behind some forests and also behind an even bigger lock. A second hit and miss in the same village stirred some feathers in the flock and the decision was made to consult the Office de Tourism. We strolled into Cahors centre ville like cavaliers ready to take over. We got the necessary info and the plan was put in place…
We woke some old lady from her Saturday afternoon knitting session. It all looked much closed but she popped her head out of the window and greeted us as if we were family. The little daschhund was just as eager to sniff and lick each one of us. The wines were very cold; close to being frozen. So it was hard to taste past the tenacious tannins of the Malbec and Tannat. But her friendliness soon warmed the wine and after she took us for a short glance of the vineyards, the experience transformed into a little family reunion with Nuno laughing and chatting in his best French.
Second stop was one of those “lets just go and see – perhaps they are open”! Our reception was even more jovial than the first. We were taken around the small chateau and we were showed everything. The most spectacular was the old wood oven for the baking of bread. Very cosy it was. From there to the vineyards; the house and finally the cellar and the tasting. Quite different from your normal cellar visit. They receive you as family here. The wines were also a bit too clod on what was an 18degree winters day. And to be honest the wines did not blow my hair back like the hospitality did – unfortunately.
The cruise down the D8 on the south side of the Lot River was probably the highlight of the day. With the afternoon sun long gone and the shadows of the hills cast over the valley the scene was set for our last visit of the day – Chateau de Cedre…
…WOW. Powerful wines. Strong but superbly integrated wood. Velvety, round, chaleur, spicey notes with hints of white chocolate and white pepper. Deep colour and elegantly balanced wines that could last a lifetime with tannins like that. All in all – a must if ever again in the Vallee du Lot.
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