The magic gardens of Villandry. Chinon Market and the Wines of Bourgueil

Day 13

The magic gardens of Villandry. 

Chinon Market and the Wines of Bourgueil

Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman were the couple that, in the early 20^th century, bought Chateau Villandry and created the 16^th century style gardens that you can enjoy today. The chateau was built in 1536. We were there today and, with the aid of two very good booklets, enjoyed both the house and the gardens.

While the gardens are undoubtedly the star of the place there are many treasures inside the building. The one that really stood out was the Mudejar ceiling, which combines elements of both Christian and Moorish art and was brought by Carvallo from a 15^th century palace in Toledo.

From the chateau you step out on to high terraces overlooking the gardens and can walk all around, going down to different levels as you wish. The Ornamental Garden, also known as the Love Garden, is best seen from above but you do get closer to the Water Garden (most of the water is recycled) and there is also a Sun Garden and a Maze.

Perhaps the real star is the ornamental kitchen garden where flowers and vegetables mix, well over 115,000 of them! There is a standard rose bush in each plot. The work is ongoing. It takes four gardeners three months each year to prune the 1,015 lime trees! Also needing pruning are the box trees which, if placed end to end, would measure a distance of 52km. All in all, quite a spectacle

The Christian/Arab ceiling

Hot at the chateau today!

After that, it was time for a drink and we headed to the Maison Jean Carmet des Vins de Bourgueil.  Bourgueil wasn’t really damaged by the hailstones earlier in the year so they are looking forward to a good harvest. After a rapid fire tasting, I decided to concentrate on the good years there of 2005, 2009 and 2010. That filled a carton and off we went, intent on dinner.

House of wines!

My man at the market for wine, beer and juice.

It was already in the fridge. First job of the day had been a visit to the local market. Among other stalls, we called to the Asian specialist we met last week and bought those fantastic spring rolls again. Main course though is beef “with three delicacies”. Sipping a local craft beer now in anticipation!

By the way, the crowd at the market was well down on last week.  Looks as if most of the holiday makers have headed home.

St Joan of Arc rides in to the market

Amuse Bouche

At the same time, the humble parsnip, or panais in French, has become an exotic vegetable prized by Parisian food bores. Parsnips were long regarded in France as fit to be eaten only by horses and the English. They have now become, according to Le Figaro, “top of the hit parade of forgotten vegetables, with a very subtle taste reminiscent of the artichoke”.

From Our Man in Paris by John Lichfield

Lovely meal at Au Chapeau Rouge. Also Vouvray and Vendome

Day 12

Lovely meal at Au Chapeau Rouge. Also Vouvray and Vendome

Au Chapeau Rouge (The Red Hat), in the heart of Chinon and one of the best restaurants in the town, was the venue for this evening’s excellent four course dinner (€29.00).  You can see the picture of the menu above but briefly, after an Amuse Bouche, our starters were Marinated Mullet and Fondant of Rabbit with Foie Gras. 

Marinade de Mulet, almost a carpaccio.

Main courses were outstanding. CL enjoyed her Roasted fillet of young duck while my Mousseline of local fish with a saffron sauce was delightful. The local cheese, St Maure, was served with pear and was gorgeous. The desserts were perhaps the weakest course but were still good. And the wine. A 2008 Chinon by Philipe Brocourt, was light, bright and excellent.

 Mousseline of local fish with a saffron sauce

Chocolate and cherries. Great combo!

First call of the day was to Vendome, about one hour forty minutes from us but about half that for Parisians who have made it a popular weekend retreat. Sometimes called “Little Venice”, the pretty town (Pop. about 18,000), stands on a group of islands on the River Loir (yes, that spelling is correct, it is a different river!).

A beautiful children's garden at rear of abbey in Vendome

First call of the day was to Vendome, about one hour forty minutes from us but about half that for Parisians who have made it a popular weekend retreat. Sometimes called “Little Venice”, the pretty town (Pop. about 18,000), stands on a group of islands on the River Loir (yes, that spelling is correct, it is a different river!).

A 15th century wash house in Vendome

Flowers and water are well used by the council and there are some ancient buildings in the town that changed hands many times during the Hundred Years War. The best known is the Abbaye de la Trinite with its striking ornate facade. It dates back to 1034.

With the visit to Au Chapeau Rouge, we had to go easy at lunch time and found just the solution in the middle of Vendome, a €3.90 deal. It included a sandwich (mine a 12” baguette) with two fillings of your choice, a drink (eg Coke or organgina) and a cookie (from a choice of three). Good stuff and very good value.

At Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay in Vouvray with David (right)

Vouvray, where they put the white grape Chenin Blanc through its paces like nowhere else was an obvious call on the way back. We drove around the little town and then into the heart of the vineyards. Thought that the Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay looked inviting and we called in there.

Got a very warm welcome indeed from David who told us it is a small operation, just two of the family and two employees involved. They were badly hit by the hail earlier in the summer and may salvage just ten per cent of the crop. “That’s nature,” he shrugged.

We had a very good tasting here in a small and homely room. Started with the sparkling and here our purchase choice was the Tete de Cuvee Brut. The demi-sec Cuvee Marcus is a house speciality (named after one of the children) and is a gorgeous drink and the 2009 too formed part of the purchase as did their dry Vouvray 2010.

Joan of Arc and the Fortress of Chinon. Bourgueil Market.

Day 11

Joan of Arc and the Fortress of Chinon. 

Bourgueil Market.

Here in Chinon, where I am based, there is a remarkable fortress with a remarkable history. It includes the Plantagenets. Eleanor of Aquitaine was imprisoned here by her husband Henry II but the woman that dominates the story of the fortress even though she spent just a few days here is Joan of Arc, the teenager who put an end to the awful 100 Years War.

The town of Chinon (and the River Vienne) as seen from the fortress

In February 1429, in this very fortress in Chinon (began in the 10^th century),  she persuaded the disinherited French king Charles VII to stand up for himself or at least to let her stand up for him and for France. He agreed and it made a king of him and a martyr of Joan who was captured by the Burgundians and handed over to the English who engineered, with church cooperation, her burning at the stake for heresy.  

Here be dragons! A summer exhibition in the fortress. Even Nessie is here.

Twenty five years later, the verdict was overturned by an inquisitorial court and the rehabilitation has been going on ever since. The Maid of Orleans, who lived to be just 19, is the French patriot and has been used worldwide as an example of patriotism. 

No shortage of cabbage plants at the market

The morning was much more peaceful. Then, we headed up the road to nearby Bourgueil (about 13 km) for the weekly market there. It was packed. It is spread over the main street, some adjoining ones and also takes in a smallish hall.  All over the place and hard (not impossible!)  to get a handle on it as food stalls are mixed in with those selling clothes, shoes, knives, and so on.

A local goat cheese.
"Drink with dry wine!"

We had no bother filling bags. Got lots of local fruit including delicious melons. Also a local goat cheese, after a taste and with some friendly advice to eat it with a dry wine. Lunch too was covered, mine a crispy tasty mille feuille with ham and cheese. Met the man with the beer and wine that we’d seen last week in Chinon and went off with some beer and a large bottle of gorgeous apple juice.

The boys at the bar, a very popular market stall.

Had been hoping to pick up a good ready-made meal at the market but they seemed in short supply so we fell back on our local traiteur in Chinon and now have a Pork Curry in the fridge for dinner, along with some other bits and pieces that will cover starter and dessert  from Bourgueil. A bottle of local beer is nearing its end and a bottle of local wine is about to be opened.

The sun too has made an appearance this afternoon after a hazy morning that promised mist but delivered zilch. Looks like dining al fresco this evening.

Sweet Wines of Layon, Super Salads in Rose City and the Belt of the Virgin

Day 10

Sweet Wines of Layon, Super Salads in Rose City and the Belt of the Virgin

On the Layon trail

We enjoyed a super tasting at Chateau Soucherie this afternoon, the highlight of which, for me, was the Coteaux du Layon Chaume 2010. Sweet, not sticky, and with excellent acidity, this was unbelievable. 

Looking down on the Layon valley from Soucherie

Think I’ll just give you the notes of Olivier Poussier, who is passionate about the world of wine, from the chateau’s website. After 20 years of work and passion, he became Best Sommelier of the World in October 2000 in Montreal .

“A beautiful golden yellow colour. The nose shows very ripe white fruits with a touch of baked apple, juicy Comice pear. A touch of quince jam highlighted by the spice. Botrytis vector is present with a beautiful nobility. Wine is coated with a noble woody giving it a shade toffee. All concentrated tonic but both with a hint of volatility. mouth is wide and smooth without excess sugar, nice acid tension gives this wine focused a great drinkability. "

Chateau Soucherie

We started with two classy wines, the Anjou Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2009 and the more expensive Savennières Clos des Perrières 2010. Could have spent more time with these two but, on the initial tasting, put my money on the Vielles Vignes and even more of it on the Chaume.

Promise of good things to come at Soucherie

We had arrived at the same time as a small group of French visitors and the receptionist very kindly added us to that group and kept us up to date with a few words of English as we walked around the exterior, overlooking the Layon valley, before entering the much cooler tasting room. They make quite a few wines here, growing many varieties including Gamay and Chardonnay, and we tasted quite a few.

The vineyards, we were told, are 90 per cent organic and all the vineyard work (the stripping, the budding, and tying the harvest) is manual. They still manage to produce somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 bottles per annum.

Salad of fried ham!

 We were dawdling through the Anjou country side this morning and it took us quite a while to get to the vineyard. On of the villages we stopped off in was Le Puy Notre Dame. In the Middle Ages, throngs of pilgrims came to the 13^th century church in the village to venerate the Virgin Mary’s belt, which is seen in a glass case in the old church.

Pork Belly Salad (is that a song title?)

And we made a stop at the Town of the Roses for lunch. Not that we saw too many roses in Doue La Fontaine though there was no shortage of flowers.  We settled on the Brasserie-Saladerie L’Ardoise for lunch and got two lovely salads for less than a tenner each. CL enjoyed her grilled Ham salad (3 huge slices) while I tucked enthusiastically in to my Salad of Rillauds Chauds (hot Pork belly). The coffee machine broke down just as we ordered a couple of cups and we were offered a drink instead but, with the tasting on the horizon, declined. Nice of them, though.

The belt of the Virgin,

From the underground: Death Cap and Sparkling Wines

Day 9
From the underground: Death Cap and Sparkling Wines

A misty morning led to us going underground for this Sunday afternoon. The Death Cap was one of countless mushrooms seen in the underground Musée du Champignons in St Hilaire-St Florent, just outside Saumur, but the first call was to the premises of BouvetLadubay well known around the world for their quality sparkling wines.

Disgorgement machines, the more modern ones!

The visit began with a tour of the underground cellars- it seems virtually every winery hereabouts has conveniently cool cellars adapted from former tuffeau quarries. Temperatures are about 12 degrees, all the time, ideal for wine and mushrooms.

Underground art.

The méthode traditionnelle is used here and we were given examples of the old way of the famous “disgorgement”   and the more modern mechanical time-saving method. 

The tasting line-up

The cellars, in under a local hill, are extensive and impressive and we had glimpses of the lives of the quarry workers and saw how the caverns have been adapted to the wine makers’ use. Bouvet Ladubay, with 460 awards for their wines in the last forty years, is a big name in the world of sparkling wines.

Death Cap (in a glass case!)

We were looking forward to our tasting which was carried out above ground. We had four to taste in all, including an unusual red sparkler, and our favourite was the Decanter bronze medal winner Saphir Brut 2011, fruity and fresh with a nice acidity. A few bottles are on their way back to Ireland, maybe! Might have to return to Saumur for more.

Horse's Mane or Pom Pom growing

A few miles up the road, we came to the fascinating Mushroom Museum. Not just a museum as the underground caves are used to grown many varieties, including some that, thanks to Ballyhoura Mushrooms, we are familiar with. 

Pink Oysters growing. Get them from Ballyhoura Mushrooms at Farmers Markets

Enjoyed strolling through the various mushroom beds and reading the info. There is also a massive museum section there with information and representations, in 3B and photograph, of virtually every mushroom in the world.

More oysters growing, just a different colour

By the way, the sun did come out after lunch and it turned into quite a pleasant afternoon and evening, the only big cloud in the sky on our drive home from Saumur coming from the towers of the local nuclear station.

Amuse Bouche

He (Charlemange) was moderate in his eating and drinking, for he hated to see drunkenness in any man. All the same, he could not go long without food, and he often used complain that fasting made him ill. He rarely gave banquets and these only on high feast days, but then he would invite a great number of guests. His main meal of the day was served in four courses, in addition to the roast meat which his hunters used to bring in on spits and which he enjoyed more than any other food...... He was so sparing in his use of wine that he rarely drank more than 3 times (i.e. three cups) in the course of his dinner.

From The Story of Wine by Hugh Johnson

All the fun of the fair on a sunny Saturday in Chinon

Day 8 (Part 2)
All the fun of the fair on a sunny Saturday in Chinon

The annual vintage market continued in Chinon this sunny afternoon.

Highlight was an old fashioned threshing. Thirsty work and, for a short spell, we withdrew from the streets to visit the Caves Painctes of Chinon, the headquarters of the Confrerie de Bons Entonneurs Rabelaisiens. Didn’t quite make the cut for membership. You have to drink a glass of wine. What’s the problem, you say. The problem is the glass takes a whole bottle and you must finish it without a pause!

It is an interesting visit into the caves under the town, some 100 meters under the fortress above. Got some drops of water on my shirt at one point and the guide told me it had taken two months to get down from the top. After a nice tasting of red, rose and red, we were soon out in the sun and a different kind of fun.

Cross-roads (well, rond-point) dancing

Tractor driver lets off smoke at a "heckler"

Fun time

I have a bigger one!

Some fine horses here today

Lining up for tasting at Caves Painctes of Chinon

Horse have shite of way

No French Fair complete without one.

Sheaf throwers

Rabelais and his work crew

Sheaf style.

Faces of Chinon at today's Marché a l'Ancienne

Day 8 (Part1)
Faces of Chinon
at today's Marché a l'Ancienne
A Vintage Fair.

Very enjoyable morning. Back now to the town centre for more vintage fun!

Spoiled at Le St Nicolas Gourmand

Day 7 (Part 2)
Spoiled at Le St Nicolas Gourmand

The local Caveau des Vignerons run the St Nicolas Gourmand, a beautiful little restaurant alongside the wine-tasting (and buying) shop on the main street of St Nicolas de Bourgueil. We bought some wine there yesterday and got a great welcome when we arrived for dinner this evening. They have three menus and we choose the middle one, four courses for €28.00.

Naturally, we got a little help with the wine and were delighted with the Lorieux 2010, a terrific local Cabernet Franc for €19.50. We were also told we could take the remains away in a bag if need be and, as we had a 25 minute drive back to Chinon, the “remains” did indeed end up in a bag. Along with the bottle, we also got a copy of the menu as a souvenir. 

We were delighted with the meal and the service and here are pictures of most of the dishes.

Starter of smoked salmon.

Grey snails of Anjou "perfumed" in a soft garlic,
a house speciality. Starter.

Slice of leg of lamb au Porto Truffe (a gorgeous sauce)

Medallions of warmed local St Maure goat cheese

Strawberries on shortbread biscuit

Hot  Pave de chocolat moelleux

sauce caramel a la fleur de sel. Translates best as gorgeous!