We bought several cases from the Château Côtes de Bonde, run by the Dignac family
The temperature still hovers above the 30c mark. 'La Rentrée' is but a distant memory. The vendange is well underway and the starlings are carrying out their evening ritual of bombing, swirling and swooping outside our front windows, prior to their imminent return south for the winter. This seemed the perfect time to drop down into the Libournais vineyards that surround Saint Emilion and soak up some early autumn atmosphere. Of course any trip such as this means food and wine.
Stephane, serving up some of his finest reds
Before beginning the serious business of Château hopping a substantial lunch is required in order to set oneself up for later tastings and discussions. On more than one occasion Lesley and I have pulled into the unremarkable looking 'L'Auberge du Village' set amongst rolling fields of vines in the village of Saint Christophe des Bardes. The beauty of this place is its position; it's just a two minute drive from the centre of Saint Emilion itself but you won't be charged Saint Emilion prices. L'Auberge du village is a well established stopping place for artisans (almost always a good sign of quality and value), coach parties and one or two well informed Brits.
One of the points of interest in the village of Saint Christophe des Bardes
The food is simple and beautifully cooked and the table wine, which is included, well, your'e in Saint Emilion country, so enough said. We would recommend the steak and chips. Succulent local steak and perfectly fried chips; really what more could you ask for. Try and get a seat on the terrace where you can enjoy your food and conversation whilst enjoying those magnificent vineyard views. Today, again, was very hot so the terrace awning was put to good use.
Le Patron, L'Auberge du Village at Saint Christophe des Bardes
Whilst there can be no denying that Saint Emilion is an excellent appellation, I believe better value is to be found in the surrounding satellite areas of St George, Montagne, Lussac and Puisseguin. Generally these wines can be found at far more competitive prices than Saint Emilion 'proper' Often one is paying for the label rather than the wine itself so leave the Château Ausone, Angelus etc to the wealthy Chinese and Russians, be savvy and head out to the small family concerns that abound in the 'satellite' states. Here you will also discover vineyards that still believe in picking their grapes 'par main' (by hand) and that are more often than not nowadays, organic. Also try and be led by the Independent Vigneron label. This will indicate that the wine has been produced and bottled by the grower and then sold independently of any of the supermarkets.
Despite the vendange being underway, there are many grapes awaiting picking
Having tried all 4 of the satellites it really is very hard to choose one over another, but if forced on the issue I would probably plump for a Montagne followed closely by a Puisseguin, but hey, the Saint George isn't bad either. In fact I tasted a 2003 recently which was an absolute delight. As you can see you are spoilt for choice so if you happen to find yourself in the area of Saint Emilion spend a little time meandering round the lanes of the satellites and enjoy the incredible range of châteaux that pepper the area before heading into Saint Emilion itself. Hopefully you'll have saved enough money from your wine buying to enjoy a coffee and stroll around the medieval streets of this unique place.
These wines are from the Saint Emilion satellite, Montagne, and represent very good value
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