Chateau La Gontrie

,What a week we are having. We have been driving all over the Bordeaux region and relishing being able to relax in our own space.

We are staying at Chateau La Gontrie, a winery in the Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux area. The property is beautiful from the villas to the hectares of vines, from the refreshing pool to sitting under the magnolia tree, and of course our lovely hosts Jean Louis and Nola. Not to forget Safi, the dog who greets us in the mornings when we open the shutters and sits with us hoping for forbidden treats.

http://www.chateaulagontrie.net/

Le Magnolia is our spacious, old, comfortable home this week. 

It has everything we need and we are loving the tranquility. 

We arrived on Saturday evening, and we were met by our hosts who welcomed us, showed us the cottage, then Jean Louis gave a run down of the area, some history and what we should aim to see during our stay. He has a great knowledge of the area and we enjoyed the stories.

Sunday we spent in Bordeaux, wandering the streets. It is a beautiful city on the Garonne River. We had a picnic lunch in one of the squares, where we could find a little shade, the weather has been very warm. We found another bell tower to climb, those stairs are good for us, and the view was worth every step up.

We picked up Clare's brother David at the train station in the evening. He has joined us for a few days, tearing himself away from his beautiful granddaughter, and of course her parents. He is spending a few weeks in Surrey visiting them.

Since then we have visited villages and towns, driving skinny windy streets, looking at castles, churches, hectares of vines and of course, the local food. Boulangeries are our favourite, followed closely by fromageries. The local breads and cheeses are really really good. 

A highlight was the wine tasting here at Chateau La Gontrie. Jean Louis again showed good story telling skills and also wine knowledge. He talked about the local region, the vines, the grapes, when to pick, and making the wine. He taught us how to swirl and taste and spit. He makes a dry white, a rose, a red and a sweet white. All very enjoyable. We are all amazed by the amount of work he would have during the year with his one employee.

Another highlight was the market at Creon on Wednesday morning. Clare, Broph, Steph and David wandered around checking all the fresh fruit and veg, cheese, fresh pasta, home made sausages, fish, bread, cakes, as well as wonderful kitchen gadgets (Clare was stuck there for a while), clothes, bags and shoes. We bought plenty to stock the fridge for our meals. We are really enjoying having picnic lunches and cooking our evening meals.