The Marquis de Vauban castle, in Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, welcomes many visitors for tasting tours, winegrower lunches and also discovery days.
Mr. and Mrs. Macé, the château's owners, welcome you to a large, lavishly decorated room at 10:30 a.m. It's easy to park in the château's parking lot or walk there from the town center (less than a 20-minute walk from the tourist office). While you sip your coffee, tea, and taste the cookies, your hosts will explain the day's schedule.
From vine to glass
Now that everyone has met and chosen their lunch dish, we head to the vineyard and the winery.
Nestled near a rosebush, the vine's protector, we explain everything about the production methods of Château Marquis de Vauban's three wines: Château de Cône, Marquis de Vauban, and Voile d'Or. The vineyard uses sustainable agriculture and reduces pesticide use to a minimum.
Next, head to the ultramodern winery built in 2007. Three watchwords for grape vinification: quality, hygiene, and traceability. This is why this part of the tour will be done wearing blue overshoes. In the room with brand-new, thermo-regulated, truncated cone-shaped vats, you'll learn how grapes are transformed into wine.
Behind a large door, barrels line up by the hundreds. Your guide explains that they are replaced every three years, when they no longer have anything to add to the wine. The old ones are resold, notably to whisky makers. Château Marquis de Vauban prioritizes the quality of its wines over the quantity produced. The royal cuvée is harvested entirely by hand, and lOenologist Andreas Larsson, voted Best Sommelier in the World in 2007, sponsored two of the estate's wines.
A glimpse into History
Already 11:45, it's time to board the tourist train which takes you on an audio-commented tour in the citadel of Blaye listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and within the city. Soon, the road and signs give way to cobbled streets and the fortress walls: we have passed through the Royal Gate.
The train runs along the Gironde Estuary from the ramparts overlooking the river. The view is incredible! Once on the parade ground, you can see Fort Medoc on the opposite bank and we can easily imagine Fort Pâté on the island in the middle of the water.
The train then reaches the Royal Gate via the soldiers' and then the officers' quarters. The barracks have now been converted into shops, restaurants, and residential homes.
He continues his walk on the Vauban glacis along the ramparts and ditches and joins the city center for a short walk in the new town passing through the port and along Rue Saint-Romain, two places linked to Blaye's long history. The train takes you back to the castle for lunch.
Let's eat
Mr. Macé will seat you for a Clairet tasting under a huge magnolia tree, one of the first seven planted in Aquitaine 300 years ago. You will then join the old cellar, transformed into a shop and restaurant, for the winemaker's meal and the rest of the tasting.
The authentic decor perfectly accommodates the large tables covered with eggs, homemade Bordeaux Grattons, crudités, and pearls from the estuary. The owner will have lunch with you, and the tasting of the three vintages during the meal transforms the somewhat timid atmosphere at the beginning of the day into a moment of pleasure, sharing, and conviviality.
Lunch is good, plentiful and everyone will find something to their liking between the duo of Royal Favorites of the estuary: sturgeon with Bordeaux sauce and lean white butter sauce, the Gigolette of duck with its old-fashioned sauce and foie gras or the lamb shank with grapes. For desserts, depending on the season and the market, we offer Aquitaine cheese (sheep or goat), pear in the château wine, Marquis sorbet (wine sorbet) in summer, baked apple with blackcurrant on a bed of pistachio cream or pastry.
To end this day filled with encounters, exchanges, and gourmet delights, you can follow the estuary from the Marquis de Vauban castle by taking the waterfront path located at the foot of the cliff and the ramparts of the citadel. A short moment of nature and calm before returning to your vehicle or your accommodation.
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