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Dordogne Region: Saint-Émilion

September 5, 2024
KK

The tiny town of Beynac began to wear on both of us, so we decided to take a few days and head to the wine country— Saint-Émilion. Again, all I can say is WOW! Medieval France truly is beautiful. I found the cutest little B&B on the edge of the town, Les Chambres d’Ovaline. It was another cozy medieval stone building a short walk from the center of town. After being in France for two weeks with extreme heat, the AC was heaven. (It also had a bathtub!) Our room was huge, especially by French standards. The breakfast was typical European—meat, cheese, and plain yogurt- but served in a cute little garden. Best of all, it was very affordable compared to the other hotels in the area. The first thing that struck me was the silence—cars are not allowed; it is a pedestrian town that gave me the feel of medieval life with nothing but the shuffle of footsteps on the cobblestone streets and the low murmur of chatter. It is a working medieval village and has managed to survive and grow because it has made little adjustments to daily life and has adapted to being a living, breathing medieval tourist destination that just so happens to be smack-dab in the middle of some of the best vineyards in the world.

Welcome to Saint-Émilion

Vineyards of Saint-Émilion

Taking care of grapes

Les Chambres d'Ovaline

WINE

Saint-Émilion is best known for its bold, rich red wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot grapes. If you are an Oenophile (wine snob) like me, you don’t need an introduction to Saint-Émilion, a small wine appellation only covering about 6% of the vineyards in Bordeaux. I didn’t know that the Romans were the first to plant vines here. Thank you, Romans! Unfortunately, an American insect, the phylloxera vastatrix (aphids), killed all French and European vines. Long story short, a wine merchant planted a few American vines in his small plot of land in 1862. Then, all the vine rootstocks in the region began to die mysteriously. Someone finally found those nasty American aphids were at the “root” cause (pun intended), and the French government offered a huge reward to anyone who could solve the problem. You could imagine the crazy and crackpot remedies tried, which all failed. The Europeans tried everything, including bringing classes of schoolboys out to urinate on the vines since urine was thought to be a cure. Ironically, salvation also came from America.

There is very little to do in Saint-Émilion. Still, between this beautiful medieval town with its steep and winding cobblestone streets, the Monolithic Church, and the picturesque, rolling vineyards, it is a jewel in Bordeaux’s crown. In this town of merely 2,000 inhabitants, there are over 130 wine producers. Any visitor will find it hard to choose which one to tour. Since we had already done wine tours in Italy, we decided not to do the full wine tours offered by the various Chateaus. Instead, we found a few local wine shops with extremely knowledgeable sales personnel and free wine tastings. The first one we visited was The Wine Buff, where we spoke to Paddy O’Flynn, a very talkative Irishman, and his wife, who own the shop and know almost every wine in the region. Together, they shared stories and interesting facts about the wine we tasted. They even have their own organic vineyards.

The second shop we stopped at was our favourite—Vignobles & Châteaux. This is a great place to taste wines and have them shipped back to America. Unbeknownst to us, our wine expert, Bruno, was the owner who had years of experience as a cellar master in many wine regions. He opened his shop and the wine bar across the street (which has a wine list with 1800 different wines). He asked us about our likes and dislikes, desires, and budget, then chose four Saint-Émilion wines for us to taste. He was spot on, and we bought all four wines and will be shipping more to our flat in London. He can now be my “personal wine shopper”.

Heaven in Saint-Émilion

At the Wine Buff

Favorite for Wine Tasting

THE MONOLITHIC CHURCH AND THE SAINT

So, how did this little town become a big tourist draw for wine and medieval ambiance? In the 8^th century, a monk from Brittany, Emilion, once smuggled bread to the poor. One day, the Lord of the land became suspicious and confronted him. When Emilion opened his coat, the bread miraculously turned to wood, thus sparing the monk his wrath. Unfortunately, miracles attracted attention in the medieval period, and after his reputation grew, so did his following. All he wanted was to be alone with God, so he headed to the South to hide away. He chose a large limestone cave as his hermitage and began carving a small church for himself. Monks and pilgrims from all over came to rest and stay in the area now known as Saint-Émilion. Eventually, a cathedral was built in his honour in his little grotto, and by the end of the 11^th century, about 25,000 tons of limestone was dug out to make the church. It is enormous and the largest monolithic church in Europe. (BTW, monolithic means one stone.) After the church canonized Emilion, the entire area took his name. Fun fact: most of the decorations of the church were destroyed during the French Revolution; they beheaded all the Saints on the lintel above the main door! After the discovery of St. James’ burial site in Spain, the village became an important stop for many pilgrims following the Camino de Santiago (The Way). The only way to see the church is by the daily 4:00 English guided tour offered by the tourist office.

Monolithic Church

Monolithic Church

Post Church Refreshment

BELL TOWER

Another amazing medieval architectural achievement is the 175-foot-high bell tower, completed during the 12th century. It sits atop the monolithic church framed by a lovely square with restaurants. We had to get a key from the tourist office across the square to climb the tower. Yup, we handed them our ID and €2, and they gave us an antique key to an old wooden door at the base of the entrance (there are only four keys total). We climbed the 196 spiral steps to the top and were rewarded with stunning views of the town and surrounding vineyards. Walking a little further, we found the Cloître des Cordeliers, established in the 14th century by the Franciscan brothers (known as the Cordeliers in France because of the belt they wore around their robes). Their new monastery consisted of a church, a cloister, a winery, and a cellar dug 55ft down into the limestone. Like many churches, this beautiful cloister fell victim to the French Revolution and its widespread destruction. But in the 19^th century, a winemaker decided the 2-mile labyrinth of tunnels would be perfect for fermenting and aging his Saint-Émilion wines in the Champagne method. Thus, Cremant de Bordeaux was created. The cloisters are free to enter and a great place to sit and relax. There are also lovely shops inside to purchase picnic supplies and wine. We decided to take the English-guided tour of the cellars (5:30) and learn a little more about the cellars and the bubbly stored beneath this medieval abbey. At the end of the tour, we were given a taste of all three Cremants—not my favourite!

Saint-Émilion from Bell Tower

Cloître des Cordeliers

Old Cremant Making Equipment

When visiting the Dordogne, Saint-Émilion is a must. However, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t stay in the little village of Beynac for more than a few days. I’d jump around to a few other areas of the Dordogne. Traveling on the edge isn’t just about seeing all the “tourist attractions”; our slow travel journey is understanding the rich histories and cultures of all the places we visit.

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2 Responses

Patti Riggs says:

September 5, 2024 at 9:12 pm

Love following along with you as you travel.

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Nat Love says:

September 5, 2024 at 8:17 pm

These are wonderful. I have read everyone and loved living this experience through you guys. Enjoy and tell Jack Go Blue!

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