Trip to Loire Valley and Champagne - Day 5

Checked out from our hotel, we went to the medieval village of Sancerre for a morning walk. It is located on a hill having a good panorama view of the Loire Valley, with the nearby villages and vineyards surrounding. We found a Grand Marnier shop which got some nice bottles on window display, but unfortunately it was too early and not yet open. 

Interestingly many of the buildings in the village centre were displaying a robot sculpture outside, which we don’t know why. Round one corner we found a shop selling pork pie which looked delicious, so we ended buying one to share, even though we all had a good breakfast already. The Maison des Sancerre was also not yet open so we could not visit this mansion which was built by the winemakers of the region.

The reason why we had to hurry and did not have time in Sancerre was because of a special appointment, with the famous Domaine Didier Dagueneau. Located in St. Andelain, a very small village in Pouilly-Fume, the estate was now taken over by Didier’s son Louis-Benjamin. Upon arrival we met up with Charlotte, Didier’s daughter, who showed us into the chai where the gorgeous Sauvignon Blanc were made.

We had tasted a total of five wines, from the more basic Blanc Fume de Pouilly, to Buisson-Renara, Le Mont Damne, Pur Sang and Silex, as well as two wines coming from their winery in Juracon. The wines were all very nice and complex, very unlike the typical varietal coming from New Zealand. I enjoyed the session very much with Charlotte, as she was very friendly and nothing like what we heard about the arrogance of his brother.

Finishing the tasting we went around the winery to look at different equipment, and I was surprised to find the same ‘egg-shaped’ fermentation vessel that I first saw in Chablis, although made from oak instead of cement. On the way back I asked Charlotte about the Asteroide. This wine is made from ungrafted vines and with very limited production, and are not made each vintage, making it the most exclusive Sauvignon Blanc in the world.

Because they did not keep any bottle for sales it was not officially available, but because of my sincerity (and charm!) finally she decided to bring me a bottle from her own collection, of vintage 2006, and I was able to buy at a bargain price as well! I was such a happy man!! Charlotte also gave me a book and a wine opener as a souvenir, and told me she would send me an email when they opened the Asteroide after this year’s harvest.

Before leaving we took turns taking a photo with Charlotte and Louis-Benjamin, and getting to experience the arrogance of LB, who virtually did not look at the camera and keep talking to another person during the photo-taking. Despite this I still valued this visit especially for bringing home the trophy.

We then went back to the village of Sancerre for lunch, at the La Tour Restaurant from the famous chef Baptiste Fournier. The meals were once again phenomenal and we all enjoyed the food so much. This restaurant is really grand and elegant, with nice décor and a professional sommelier to recommend wines for us. With a full stomach we took on the road, this time driving for more than three and a half hours to go to another wine region – Champagne.

Checking in our hotel in Champagne, Golden Turnip located near the ‘Champs-Elysees’ of Reims and opposite to the nice Colbert Garden. We met our local tour guide Christine, a really nice and friendly lady, to walk to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, where the French kings were crowned during the 15th centuries and one of Europe's most important Gothic structures.

This World Heritage site was built in the 13th century, adorned with more than 2000 statues and having a high rooftop in exceed of 81m. The stained glass windows, and all the decors were so amazing that we simply could not tear our eyes from them. Also, this is where Clovis was baptised, around 498AD, giving birth to the Kingdom of the Franks, or the nowadays France.

Touring the cathedral until it closed for the day, Christine also took us for a walk around the nearby area, looking at the different buildings and how the city was rebuilt after the war. Again, I am really glad to have a local guide along to give us all the history and interesting things to see, as otherwise we would surely miss out a lot of the great spots and could not appreciate the historical significance for many of those.

Returning to the hotel we were all starving, but we already got our booking at Spark, the restaurant in the hotel. Ordering a nice champagne to accompany our good meal, we were all preparing for our coming champagne tastings and more fun ahead.