Bordeaux: Lunch At Chateau Prieure Lichine.
It
was a busy week, filled with all kinds of delicious moments, in Bordeaux.
And after our first vineyard stop at Chateau Mouton Rothschild, we moved
on to Chateau Prieure
Lichine for
a lunch and vineyard tour.
This chateau was originally an abbey where monks lived. Walking the
grounds, you can see the essence of the estate has a contemplative structure
and feel.
It was a very peaceful space. One which still holds the feel of
its origins.
We were running a little late at this point, and it was almost
2pm... Well past lunch time. As we were walking up the gravel pathway, we could
see a chimney going with smoke.
It was a very hot day out, and didn't make much sense to us why
there would be a fireplace running. But we would soon learn that smoke was
making our meal.
The inside of the chateau was beautifully styled, given the age of
the buildings. I fell in love with this painting...
I didn't ask about it... But it looks like a French business man
enjoying his wine. Most likely a Bordeaux wine.
The dining area we were seated in was a private and cozy room. A
large wooden mantle and fire place were to the right from where I sat...
But no fire was going. We were invited into the kitchen to see exactly where the smoke we saw outside was coming from inside...
An incredibly beautiful fire, yes? The wood being burned is
actually the vines from the estate.
GENIUS!
I had never seen that before, but what a great way to infuse the
flavor of the wine into your cooking!
We were served one of the few whites we tried throughout the week,
which wasn't a Sauterne or sweet one...
It went nicely with our started of scrambled eggs and
mushrooms...
The second course was a beef dish with vegetables...
Perfectly Medium Rare.
And it was paired with a red wine....
Which was phenomenal.
The peaches had some kind of light anise syrup and mint. Peaches
in France seemed to taste better than they in the States.
After lunch we got a quick tour of the wine vats. This vineyards
tanks were unlike any others we had seen...
A beautiful vase shape.
And, of course, here is the obligatory barrel racking shot...
The smell, again, of French oak and grapes? Amazing. That could
have been my dessert!
And perhaps it was due to the wine we had tasted at the previous
chateau and the wine at lunch... But I found myself deeply amused with a series
of large paintings on the walls of the shop...
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