We left La Rochelle and headed towards St. Emilion, our destination for the night, however it was only 10 a.m. and there were a lot of really cool things to see along the way.
For instance, we stopped in this amazing little town called Saintes. I thought it was amazing because it still had remains of roman architecture including a really beautiful arch that was an entrance to a bridge that spanned the river. While roaming around the town we found the Abbaye aux Dames, an 11th century convent which is now some kind of music school. Inside the cathedral there were some absolutely beautiful tapestries. They are modern (less than 100 years old) but I think were made by the Benedictine sisters who still live, work and play in the abbaye.
Unfortunately, the gift shop was closed while we were there, so I didn't get to buy the book or get the whole story about these tapestries. I would love to learn more.
It was nearly 1 and Pat and Bryan were getting a little anxious, because our next scheduled stop was Cognac, and they were afraid we would be too late if we dallied on the tapestries anymore. I will say the tour we took in Cognac was incredible and a must do trip for anyone who comes anywhere near the area. But I would have liked to dally long enough for the gift shop to open...So off we headed, to the mecca (not that I knew that ahead of time)-- Martell. I was thrilled to see an Utrillo sketch of his favorite cognac brand, which was proudly displayed on the mantel in the visitor's waiting area. Given his history, I am sure that he drank more than a little cognac in his day.
Bryan and Pat were chomping at the bit, but the english speaking tour didn't start for another 43 minutes, so I went off the post office, and Bryan and Pat sat down to play a few hands of cards at the beautiful tables made from retired barrels. (We just happened to have a deck of DaVinci Code playing cards that we picked up at a yard sale in LaRochelle). The aroma in the visitor center was a fabulous mix of old wood, cognac, and charcoal.
Slowly others trickled in and about 25 of us were ushered into the museum and then into the tasting room. The number of possible flavors is amazing. Pat paid closer attention than I did, but I couldn't get over the smells. The creator carefully chooses from anywhere from 50 to 150 possible flavors to add to the first and second distillation of this very special grape juice.
The highlight for Pat and Bryan was the final tasting. For me, it was the Utrillo and the ginger ale, but, I was happy with that. With your tour ticket you are granted a glass of VSOP, but you are also offered an opportunity to try Creation a hundred-year-old cognac that sells for €1800 per bottle. The sample was only €20, and as Bryan said gleefully, "in for a penny, in for a pound." They savored it. The hostess said to "hold it in your mouth for 100 seconds," but I don't think they did. They said it was fantastic. They also bought sampler bottles for a later tasting of some of €500 euro per bottle cognac. They later decided they couldn't tell the difference between the Cahibe (which they both really loved) and Creation but they will never be able to drink VO anymore...that's for certain.
Of course, I had to drive us to St. Emilion.
