We slept in this morning. We had been told that breakfast would be at 9 am with a nice couple from Brittany along with Violaine and Patrick. Unfortunately, we were late for breakfast and they were all waiting for us. Whoops! But I got birthday greetings when I arrived and it was a good breakfast. The couple from Brittany - she is teacher of Kindergarten children and he is a sailing instructor. They had a conversation in French with Patrick that Americans can't say the ooo - or aahhh - or guttering sounds in French - I could understand!!! And they are sort of right! Many words are hard - like Reims!
Violaine announced at breakfast that "the bread is dead"! Apparently the yeast she had wasn't good and died so today they will start anew with some sort of instant yeast. I thought we might need to "dress in black" and head to the cemetiere!
After breakfast, Tim and Violaine went to the kitchen and made a new batch and let it rise for an hour. Then they mixed it with flour and let it sit for a while to rise. We'll revisit it later today when we are ready to cook the bread. There seem to be MANY steps in the bread making! (Glad Tim is doing it and not me!).
Today we explored Pauillac and some of the little villages in Medoc. We road along Chateau Road and went by Chateau LaFite-Rothchild and others that were so beautiful . . . We drove from St Seurin-de-Cadourne through Corbian, Pez, St Estephe, Leyssac, LaFon-Rochet and Cos to Pauillac. I took pictures of chateaus along the way (LaFon-Rochet, Cos d'Estaurnnel and Lafite Rothchild) – we walked all around Pauillac but many things closed and shuttered. Depressed? Actually, no, it was yet another French holiday - Ascension Day!
Chateau LaFon-Rochet from the Chateau Road
Chateau Cos d'Estaurnnel - very elaborate "front"!
Then we headed back to the BB& so Tim do the next step for the bread with Violaine. The bread needs to rest and rise yet again. We'll head out and come back for the next steps.
Folding in the raisins, almonds, and hazelnuts before the bread "rests" again
We drove into Pauillac, parked, and walked all around. Along the waterfront and around the city. Small city. We thought we could find something to eat, but it was a holiday and many stores were closed. I finally found a boulangerie and went in but she was "sold out until tomorrow"! Oh well. We enjoyed the city any way.
The harbor at Pauillac - the tide has a HUGE swing - low tide here!
The church in Pauillac - they were having services for Ascension Day (another French holiday!)
The waterfront street in Pauillac
Then back to the B&B again to do the next step with the bread
Tim with his bread in the basket ready to let it sit for an hour or so until baking.
Violaine is an EXPERT bread maker!
Tim folding the raisins and nuts in the bread
Then back to the bread making for the final step before it is baked. Patrick had built a fire in the bread oven 2 hours before so it was 250 degrees Centigrade and ready to go.
Flour goes in the baskets before the final "rest" and then you turn the floured side up.
Here Tim was "cutting" the top with a razor to make a beautiful pattern in the flour.
Making more cuts in the bread before baking
The "special Tim loaf" - final cutting on the top for the "design"
We walked to Restaurant Seurin just down the street from Chateau Real for lunch and had a good meal again. We ordered a la carte today and enjoyed it with a bottle of wine. We found out that they have Chateau Real wine by the glass at the restaurant - Violaine and Patrick were happy to hear that.
Chateau Real wine (red) made on this chateau since 1709!!!!
Nine generations of Violaine's family have lived at the chateau!
Chateau Real
Chateau Real sign on the road
Then back to the bread to take it out of the oven - hopefully done? And it was MAGNIFICENT!
And into the bread oven it all goes (at last)!
All of the loaves of bread in the oven ready for baking
And the bread is all finished and ready to eat - YUM!
Then we went a short way to Chateau Loudenne for a tour. We had a bottle of their wine 2
nights ago and it was very good. It is now owned by a Chinese spirit and
wine conglomerate from Shanghai. They are getting ready to invest lots of money into the chateau to fix it up - the French couple who had owned it before had neglected it. We had a Chinese guide who was very knowledgeable and very
informative. Our tour was in English which was good.
We tasted the wines and then bought 2 bottles – a 2007 and 2008.
Larry with our Chinese guide at Chateau Loudenne - he's from Shanghai.
Oh my, my shirt matches the wall!
The wine making facility at Chateau Loudenne
Chateau Loudenne
Beautiful vineyards at Chateau Loudenne
The old gate at Chateau Loudenne
The flags of the French, Chinese, Loudenne crest, and Chinese conglomerate
The barrels aging wine at Chateau Loudenne
We rode around upper Medoc – through Saint Yzans de Medoc and
Saint Christoly de Medoc. So many
of the buildings were shuttered and dilapidated buildings! We don't understand. We guess it's true that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large fortune!
We went back to our B&B for nap since we have a big evening planned and then dressed for dinner.
For dinner we drove into Pauillac to Chateau Cordeillan Bages – a 2 star
Michelin restaurant. Emilie had made reservations for us at 8 pm. We were surprised at how casually many people dressed for this experience. But, oh my,
what an experience we had – and pricy too.
Thrifty McTavish would have needed oxygen, CPR and defibrillation with that
bill! But it was a fabulous birthday celebration. We ordered the Chef's Special Menu and it was special indeed . . .
The Menu:
The Chateau Cordeillan Bages
Beautiful vineyards at Chateau Cordeillan Bages
The special dessert - it was incredible!
The Menu:
1.
Drink appetizers
with Kir Royale made with Veuve Cliquot:
beef curry ball, carrot jelly, and avocado in shell
2. Bread and butters – choice of breads with
various butters: pimento, seaweed,
salted, whipped with pepper
3.
Pre-Appetizer – quail egg with toasted bread
foam
4.
Crab Salad with King and Dungeonness crab
5.
Oyster
6.
Fois gras – the real thing
7.
Cuttlefish – didn’t like it at first but when
you ate it all together it was really good
8.
Lobster
9.
Lamb – tiny lamb chop and round pieces of
lamb
10.
Cheese – we actually skipped this course as we
were so full but the cheese tray was beautiful
11.
Pre-dessert – strawberry jelly - strawberries - and a sorbet - so refreshing!
12.
Raspberry fondant – beautiful – 10 components
including chocolate, raspberry sauce and jelly, chocolate “sticks” and green
tea wafer
13.
Chocolate trolley
14.
Coffee
I had requested that the wines be selected as pairings for each course by the sommelier – oh my – 2
whites, 1 red, and a 1989 sauterne with dessert. None of the wines were newer than the mid 1990’s and 2 vintage wines from the
Chateau Cordeillan Bages vineyard.
Special. Something we would never
had done on our own – glad we did that.
Good.
We were stuffed but paid the bill and headed back home for a good night's sleep. A memorable birthday for sure. A good day - a REALLY good day.
We were stuffed but paid the bill and headed back home for a good night's sleep. A memorable birthday for sure. A good day - a REALLY good day.
