I mentioned yesterday that we stopped in at the Château de Monbazillac on our way to Bergerac. We were the only visitors at the winery (it was early November). An older woman greeted us and presided over our tasting. I knew nothing about the wine beforehand. We noticed that it tasted very sweet and either Ken or I mentioned this to the woman. Non monsieur, she said with authority, il est liquoreux ! That means it has more than 45 grams of residual sugar per liter. Just don't call it sweet. So we learned something new. I'm sure we bought at least one bottle before heading out.
Monbazillac is a white wine and, while it's less famous than the high end Sauternes from farther south, it can stand in for them admirably. We've enjoyed Monbazillac with foie gras during the holiday season many a time.
Since we visited the château in 1989, the place has gone upscale. The building was renovated (and is undergoing another renovation now) and began to offer rooms (bed and breakfast, I think) to tourists and meeting rooms to organizations. The grounds were also upgraded to serve as a venue for parties and other events. I saw all this on a television show some years ago.
Standing on the forecourt top left one could probably see our old house - on a clear day!
ReplyDelete45 grams of residual sugar, but don’t call it sweet. Looking back on that, how old do you suppose that “older woman” actually was? The chateau is wonderful. Would love to see inside.
ReplyDeleteHa, Mitchell's question about the "older" woman is a funny one :)
ReplyDeleteSo, Walt, what word had you two used for sweet.... vin doux?
Judy
Sounds like a great place to visit.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
Even though I’m not usually fond of white wines. I make an exception for Arbois vin de paille, Frontignan, Sauternes and, of course, Montbazillac. I don’t see much difference between sweet (doux) and liquoreux. There is probably more sugar in the so called liquoreux. On a different note, have you ever tasted vin gris, a dry white wine from the Lorraine region? And on another note, I have a fond memory of that dry rosé, akin to vin gris, as an apéro!
ReplyDeletepotty, cool! I didn't know (or remember) that you lived in that area.
ReplyDeletemitch, she was probably in her 50s. LOL!
judy, if it was me, I probably said "sucré." Probably not a complement.
bettyann, it's a pretty area and the château looks cool.
chm, I think I have tasted vin gris from Lorraine, but it's been a while. I should look for it again.
LOL. That’s what I thought!
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