Today we did our own thing finding vineyards and wineries to explore. We did a bee line to Chateau Neuf de Pape region! We had some appointments but not a lot.
Our first stop was Domaine De Beaurenard. The tasting place was right next to a Musée Du Vin!!! Really a great tasting but the whole thing was in French. Nick had to translate.
We walked around the downtown area and found out it’s a very historic town! The soldiers of the 3D infantry division of the US Army liberated this region (Chateauneuf du Pape) on August 26, 1944.
Château Fortia is the vineyard of the gentleman that started the AOC !!! In 1890 Hippolyte Bernard Le Saint bought this particular vineyard, he build the building and expanded the vineyards. Upon his death his wife decided to put her daughter Edmée and her son in law Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié (an aviator during WWI) in charge of the vineyard. Baron Le Roy was the brain behind the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). In 1936 Châteauneuf du Pape became the first AOC in France. The origins of AOC date back to 1411 when the production of CHEESE was regulated by parliamentary decree.
The third vineyard was Comte De Lauze. It turned out we saved the best tasting wine for last! This was my favorite!
Next stop Avignon!
Avignon Papacy was from 1309-1376. Seven Catholic Popes resided in this castle. Avignon was part of the Holy Roman Empire at that time. the conflict between the papacy and the French Crown, culminating in the death of Pope Boniface VIII – after his arrest and maltreatment by Phillip IV of France. After Boniface – Pope Benedict XI died Phillip IV forced a deadlocked conclave to elect the Pope Clement V who was French. Clement refused to move to Rome, and in 1309 he move his court to the papal enclave at Avignon, where it remained for the next 67 years. This absence from Rome is sometimes referred to as the “Babylonian of the Papacy”.
It was said to have been the most fortified castle in the world. The palace of the popes – all of them French!
Saint-Bénézet Bridge attracts more than 300,000 visitors per year. It was built in 1177 (started) and finished in 1185 – took 8 years. The Gothic architecture of the bridge resides over the Rhône river. There were 22 arches but only 4 remain. The original bridge spanned 900 meters. It was the only bridge from Lyon to the Mediterranean Sea. It was dismantled and rebuilt in 1226. The bridge is famous the world over due to the lovely children’s song “Sur le pont d’Avignon”. Broken several times, it was abandoned in 1680. People did dance there, as in the song—not on it but underneath it. The Pont d’Avignon was a true feat of engineering, and was continually being worked on and repaired. A source of legends, an emblematic monument of the area, the bridge has been the subject of unprecedented interdisciplinary research since 2010.
Once we got back in Aix we found a great cocktail spot that had cicadas on the walls – it was art!
Probably one of our best meals yet! But our last night with Paul & Larissa.
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