56 - A Different Approach - Sauternes & Soustons

April 13/14, 2024

Here we go again; another stint in SW France starting with an overnight flight to France, you'd think I'd be getting better at sleeping on the plane but while clouds might look wooly, counting them isn’t as effective as sheep. I managed a solid 2 hours of sleep before the meal came but afterwards I just couldn't get comfortable enough to drift off to dreamland. I recall there was a brief stint of turbulence and the woman seated next to me put down her bible and started to pray; I suppose it was a valid concern to have given recent reportings but I was confident that we'd stay afloat just fine given that we were on an Airbus and not a Boeing Max ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Once landed in Paris, I made my way to the 2F terminal instead of the 2E terminal like my previous visits. When I went to book this trip, I discovered that the flights from CDG to BIQ were either non-existent or sold-out so I booked the flight from CDG to BOD (Bordeaux) and that must’ve been the difference in gate/terminal. I took a 1.5h nap on a bench in the 2F terminal and woke up very discombobulated; it’s a good thing I had set an alarm. I had enough time to grab a coffee and rouse myself enough to board the plane.

I had my eyes closed for most of the flight to Bordeaux, but would open them occasionally for the stewards and the young child whose mother had all but given up hope about him wearing the seatbelt. She seemed to be trying to sleep too but the young boy was practically bouncing off the walls with energy. There were also a decent number of Americans onboard as they were headed to Bordeaux for a river boat cruise.

On the ground in Bordeaux, I quickly claimed my luggage and obtained my rental vehicle; I’m not sure if I got upsold or not but while I’d booked a manual vehicle the clerk said the travel booking had left the insurance options blank and gave me an automatic transmission. It took me a few minutes to finagle the trunk but I managed to fit all my luggage in such that the cover obscured the suitcases! I had my car ready to go by noon but I wouldn’t be able to check in to my lodgings until after 3PM, which left me with an afternoon to amuse myself.

While planning the travel arrangements earlier in the week, I’d debated between passing those hours in Arcachon (a beach town) or a vineyard: when I came out of the plane to discover the temperature was 25C (near 80F) I figured it was perfect weather for visiting a vineyard. I hadn’t thought ahead enough to have pre-selected a Bordelaise vineyard to visit but suddenly an idea popped into my head: I'd just shared a bottle of Petit Guiraud (a Sauternes appellation) with some friends on Friday, why not go to the source?! The GPS showed the drive as only 45 minutes from the airport to Chateau Guiraud, and when I pulled into the driveway to dine and taste, I knew I'd made the right decision.

A warm, sunshiny day to visit a vineyard

During the drive, I was surprised by how much foliage pushed up compared to a week ago in Bordeaux. I guess lots of rain and warm temps help encourage growth. Despite being relatively newly planted/grafted, many of the vineyards are showing plenty of leaves and vine growth. After briefly admiring the fields, I made my way to the restaurant at Chateau Guiraud (sounds closer to ghee-row instead of Gerard) to enjoy some lunch in the shade.

The restaurant was very charming and I bet it's quite popular

Right off the bat, they gave me an asparagus amuse-bouche

Might as well keep the asparagus train going since it's the season for the stuff (and asparagus is a regional specialty). This dish featured white asparagus cooked to various textures.

Finishing up with a baba soaked in syrup made from Sauternes wine

While at the restaurant, I was just finishing my café when I saw a large bus of people show up and make for the winery office. By the time I payed the check and reached the reception, no one was left at the reception desk; instead, the only woman working was preoccupied with giving the group its tour. C'est dommage but I packed into the car and pressed further into the town of Sauternes.

Maybe the tour spoke a bit more about this building, my guess is it's a cellar for storing barrels.

Snapping a pic outside the réception building, I missed a possible tour by 5 minutes 😆

Au revoir, Château Guiraud. Your little garden here was buzzing with pollinators!

I eventually had my tasting and more info about the region in a cave (a wine vendor not a neanderthal nest). This particular cave had their own blend of Sauternes wine, obtained by blending the 0.5% volume received from each of their 60 vintages as a membership fee. She also explained more about the “noble rot” that gives Sauternes wines their distinctive taste. The five towns comprising the region often experience a fog in September due to warm and cold rivers meeting, this fog allows a local fungus (botrytis cinerea) to grow on the grape skin and dehydrate the grape. This in turn concentrates the sugars inside and drastically adjusts the flavor but leaves very little juice inside to be fermented. Thus wines from the Sauterne appellation have a unique flavor but lower yields.

Each of the 5 cities of the Sauternes region had a window!

Spotted this derelict castle on the way out of town. If you look at it from further down the road, it looks more like two separate ruins than the single structure this angle implies.

After my tasting and lesson, I made towards the small town of Soustons. Like my previous arrival days, the afternoon drive was a struggle but this time I found a quiet stretch of road to pull off and take a quick 5-minute power nap. I think it worked because I was alert for the rest of the drive. Soustons is where I'd booked an AirBnB in a condo just next to a lake. I wanted to mix things up a bit and use this opportunity to try a few other towns rather than simply return to St. Paul les Dax; I’d only booked the condo in Soustons for 8 days, so if it turns out to be unbearable then I need only wait a few days before moving on.

There's a sophomoric humor joke in here somewhere...

Of course, there's plenty of wood to be found just next to the Balizac. 😅

In Soustons, I received the key from my AirBnB host. The place isn't right on the lake but is pretty dang close to it. The apartment is modest but has basically all the fixings I need; the only missing one was wifi. This caught me off-guard, I guess I’ve become such a city-slicker that the idea of a house not having internet didn’t occur to me. Still, I can always use my phone for a hotspot if needed but this could be a great opportunity to disconnect once I’m away from the office (though I’ll still need the internet to research restaurants & weekend adventures and updating this blog…)

It almost looks inviting enough to swim. My hostess said the lake doesn't have a beach so more people do rowing and craft/board sport than simple swimming here.

The area has a blend of Landed and Basque architecture, or at least façades.

Once moved in and partially unpacked, I fought the urge for a super-early bedtime by wandering around town and ate dinner at one of the 5 pizza places in the Centreville. I’m not sure why there’s so many pizza places within a 2 minute walk of each other (I don’t think we even have that kind of dough density in Jersey City) but maybe it’s related to the tourism industry?

Per a sign just to the right of this fence, someone recently abducted 4 chickens from this yard... The sign implies a person did it but I saw quite a few cats wandering around.