After seeing Jars and Le Noyer, we drove the last few miles south to the area called Le Sancerrois, centered on the hilltop wine town of Sancerre. CHM and I specifically planned to go to the village called Chavignol, because I'd never been there before and he hadn't returned to see the place in more than 70 years.
Coming in from the north, we went up over a high ridge. Chavignol is on the other side of the ridge, nestled and sort of strung out in a deep valley (more photos tomorrow). The village is famous for its white wines and also for the little goat cheeses that are called crottins de Chavignol.
At the top of the ridge, there was a gravel road running along the crest, with great views of both Chavignol and Sancerre. After I drove some distance out along the gravel road and took a lot of pictures, we backtracked and happened upon a viewpoint on the paved road that ran down into the village. There was a map naming the major points you could see from up there. Those are my first two photos above.
The Sancerre hillsides are steep, and the vineyards are extensive. The Micheline guide refers to Le Sancerrois as une mer de vigne — "a sea of vines." The area's Sauvignon Blanc wines are "flinty" and dry. The goat cheeses come in a range of styles, from soft and fresh to hard, dry, and crumbly. CHM and I wanted especially to get some crottins to bring back to Saint-Aignan.
Will I jump the gun this time if I say that Chavignol is at the bottom right?
ReplyDeleteYes, you will. What will you say when I finally post an actual photo of Chavignol?
DeleteWhen that day comes, I'll probably say, here it is, at last! LOL!,
ReplyDeleteBonjour Cousin
DeleteIl faut être patient - it is like enjoying a good wine.
Great photos of a region that I never had the pleasure of visiting. I do love the 'crottins' though. In the past they were hard to find here, but since the brand 'Reflèts de France' has added them to their product range, they are available in our local Carrefour supermarket. I serve them as a starter, cut in two, with the inside turned up, on which I put a generous spoonful of honey, some dried thyme ... and then grilled on a round slice of rye bread. On the side: a green salad, some tomatoes and a spicey vinaigrette. Yummy! This will be our Saturday lunch because it's too hot (35°C today and maybe 38*C tomorrow and Saturday) to eat anything else ... Like the rest of Europe, sharing your heat wave. Martine :)
ReplyDeleteYour salad sounds wonderful, Martine!
DeleteEnjoying you rmini tour de France, Ken!
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful area. I've been to Sancerre and Chavignol a few times, the first one being about 30 years ago. The one thing I remember is stopping at a wine producer just down the street from the big crottin producer. My wife and I each had a glass of their Sancerre, a crottin with bread and some chopped shallots. We liked the Sancerre so much we bought a bottle to go. And from what I remember, the total cost for all that in Francs (the olden days) was the equivalent of about $6.
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful landscapes you're sharing with us!
ReplyDelete