We got on board the AmaDolce to tour the shores of Bordeaux!
At the exact moment of landing I see that my partner's watch shows nine o'clock in the morning and by the time we've collected our luggage and headed for the exit, the minute hand has barely moved twenty-eight times. I pick up the pace to beat my international airport escape record.
We still haven't reached the parking lot when we find a charming vineyard . We stop to look at it thinking that it must be the only one in the world with such a peculiar location. Minutes later, the driver of our transport proudly comments that Olivier Bernard, head of the prestigious Domaine de Chevalier estate He is the one who takes care of him. There is no doubt: we are in Bordeaux.
We got out of the taxi at the Quai des Chartrons, one of the quays of the renovated promenade . After what the historic heart of Bordeaux was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017 , the old port warehouses have been converted into cultural or commercial places. The people of Bordeaux have rediscovered their river and today it is a pleasure to walk among the quays.
All aboard: start a wine route through the villages and nature of the Garonne and the Dordogne
From the Quai Richelieu to the Quai de Bacalan there are almost four kilometers that you can travel on rental bikes that are located at different anchor points of the ride. It is also very fun to go to splash in the Miroir d'eau , the largest water mirror in the world. But the first thing will be to arrive at 33300 Quai des Chartrons to embark on the AmaDolce, owned by the shipping company AmaWaterways , specializing in river cruises around the world.
These types of boats are smaller than cruise ships and yet we are surprised that in a more manageable space we have spacious staterooms with en-suite bathrooms very practical, it even has a desk. It includes a large main restaurant, a lounge, piano bar and a huge deck area for sunbathing.
The night before the start of the crossing, a welcome cocktail that the cruise director, Abel Ramos, takes the opportunity to present to the entire crew . His slow and serious voice will be the one that guides us on board for the next seven days , in perfect French, English and Spanish. Abel has been leading this journey for years and thanks to him we discovered that traveling along the river is the best way to understand the region and its wines.
The AmaDolce leaves Bordeaux by way of the Garonne river.
**FROM THE GARONNE TO THE DORDOGNE **
the Gironde estuary divides the vast wine-producing area of Bordeaux into two large areas: the right bank and the left bank, to which is added a third region called Entre-deux-Mers (between two seas) located between the Garonne and the Dordogne , the two rivers that converge forming the great estuary.
the area of the right bank encompasses the regions to the east of the Dordogne and includes historic appellations of origin such as Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. On the other hand, the area of the left bank encompasses the regions west of the Garonne , including appellations of such prestige as Médoc or Graves.
At six in the morning the AmaDolce sets course for Libourne and for this it has to leave the Garonne River and enter the Dordogne . From the comfort of the bed, a changing landscape can be sensed, a mysterious shore blurred by mist . Still half asleep I grab my camera and go up on deck. As we move forward the fog dissipates and the landscape seems to me the most exotic.
The river is clay-colored and the lush green of the shore it is only interrupted by rudimentary wooden structures used for fishing. For a moment I feel like Martin Sheen going up the Mekong River in Apocalypse Now. . From the cockpit, an officer in pure white beckons me over and invites me inside. I don't see a rudder or anything like that, I guess they are gadgets from the past. Laurent, the first captain, is sitting at a table with hundreds of buttons and a panoramic view of the river.
In the morning, the banks of fog on the banks of the Garonne river create a mysterious atmosphere...
As if trying to read my mind, without taking his eyes off the bow, Laurent tells me that the river is not brown but café au lait and that this is because the mixture of the currents of the sea with those of the two rivers means that the sand at the bottom is always in motion. . Navigation here is different from that of other rivers, such as the Danube or the Duero, which work with locks. Being an estuary, the water from the sea and the river mixes a lot, forcing reduce the use of the engine and navigate following the logic of the tides . In addition to being more ecological , result very comfortable for passengers that we move without noise, in favor of the current.
Once in Libourne, preparations begin to discover the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol appellations of origin. In France, and in general in Europe, wine is classified by terroir (type of soil and climate) instead of by the type of grape, as is done in America.
The entire Bordeaux region is divided into different denominations that will mark our itinerary. At the reception on board bicycles can be ordered to go from the dock to the little town of Saint-Émilion and around the vineyards . The entire area is a World Heritage Site for the age of its vineyards, whose origin dates back almost 2,000 years . The town is located in the center, on the highest part of a limestone hill. This stone is known as Saint-Émilion gold for the unique properties it brings to wine.
The town of Saint-Émilion is located on the highest part of a limestone hill and many of its typical houses are made of this material.
One of the passengers is a well-known Chilean sommelier, Giovanni Bisso Cottle , “Gio for friends on board”. He tells us that in this region mainly Merlot is used and that this grape loves the touch of moisture provided by the limestone; just the opposite of the Cabernet Sauvignon that we will find on the left bank (Medoc) , which needs dry soil.
Saint-Émilion is a town of one thousand eight hundred inhabitants that receives one million visitors a year and, even with this invasion, the shopkeepers do not lose their friendly smile even to pose for a photo, and its cobbled streets maintain their charm. The Pomerol appellation is much smaller, barely 800 hectares, and there is no town, just a church. However, it produces some of the most prestigious wines in the world, such as Pétrus , which is famous –among other things– for being the favorite wine of the Queen of England.
RIDING THE RIVER
We are keeping an eye on the clock because before disembarking they told us that at half past five in the afternoon they have to unmoor from the pier and wait in the center of the river for the mascaret (macareo in Spanish) to pass . This is a phenomenon that occurs in very few rivers in the world that have very wide tides and a funnel-shaped estuary. It happens twice a day when the tide changes from low to high and a wave rises up the river . This wave could damage the pier and the ship if we remained moored.
The surfers arrive at the pier catching the wave of the bore.
The unusual experience of riding a river attracts surfers from far and wide. This time it is not expected to be a big wave, but just in case I have the camera ready. The tapping is not very punctual and I begin to think that nothing is going to happen. But, as if it were a mirage, I see in the distance two silhouettes sliding through the water. A wave that never ends , I imagine that is the fantasy of any surfer. Luckily, I have not been very close to the shore, because it happens as if it were a small tsunami that would have easily swept me away.
The ship remains in Libourne all the following morning. , which gives us the opportunity to visit their morning market of local products. Old but renovated, it has an impeccable appearance. Although we visit almost all of their stalls, we particularly enjoyed the cheeses at La Fromagerie de Pierre and the mussels at Poissonnerie Libournaise . It is difficult to say enough but we try to reserve ourselves for the delicacies with which the team of cooks has been surprising us since the beginning of the cruise.
Returning to the ship we discover that the executive chef, Silviu, and his crew are collecting a shipment of oysters freshly brought from the neighboring Arcachon basin . In the afternoon we resume the crossing and Gio organizes a local wine tasting as we make our way down the Dordogne. We enter the estuary and continue sailing along the right bank until you reach the picturesque town of Blaye, dominated by its imposing citadel.
Cheese tasting at La Fromagerie de Pierre del Marché Couvert. The route along the Garonne and the Dordogne also becomes a gastronomic journey.
A 17th-century fortification built on the ruins of an old Gothic castle and that it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008. To avoid crowds there is a daily quota of visitors who have access to the interior and the shipping company always has its seats reserved. Once inside, there are many nooks and crannies to wander through , have a coffee and even buy a vintage magazine or newspaper (at the Livres Anciens & Modernes store). But the best, without a doubt, are the views of the estuary from the wall . At this point the distance between shores is three kilometers.
THE CAPITAL OF THE MEDOC
Some of the passengers venture to take a bicycle to pedal to the next stop in the historic village of Bourg . The ship sails parallel, but can't stop to pick you up if you change your mind. It is a journey of approximately one hour. We prefer to reserve strength for climb the 500 steps that connect the port area with the upper part of Bourg and wander around a bit.
After photographing some of the most instagrammable facades, we arrived at L'Esprit des Lieux, a tea room with artisan ice cream where we regain strength before returning to the ship. sometime in the night we sailed across the entire estuary and when it dawns we have the feeling that the ship had never moved. simply They have changed the port of Bourg for that of Pauillac without us noticing.
From the citadel of Blaye you can contemplate its vineyards.
Pauillac is the capital of the Médoc region, a legendary area that produces some of the best Cabernets in the world . In the Médoc the vineyards are very large and are guarded by imposing and famous castles, such as the Château Lafite Rothschild or the Château Latour . On the way to one of the tastings we see the castles on both sides of the road. As if it were a tour of the homes of famous people in Beverly Hills, many tourists stop by the access gates to take photos.
The last pushpin on our map of denominations is on over Sauternes, one of the few wine regions where Botrytis Cinerea infection is common . This fungus known as “noble rot” causes grapes to partially turn into raisins , resulting in wines with a more concentrated flavor. there we visit the Château Guiraud, which has a small organic production of white wine . Around the château there are gardens of wild flowers, a small forest and a restaurant (La Chapelle) where we had the first wine of the morning.
Before returning to the ship, we meet Sébastien de Baritault, who agrees to open his castle for us. Sébastien is the heir and guide to the medieval castle in which he lives, Roquetaillade Castle. . During the visit he shows us all the rooms and their history. But Google gives us other curious data, as the list of all the movies that have been filmed in Roquetillade.
For a moment We find it fun to end the day watching one of them, The Pact of Wolves, starring Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci . Although after days of tastings and castles, what seems like a great plan to us is to stay huddled in our cabin hurrying up the last lights of the afternoon and watching the flow of the Garonne River in awe as it meets the Dordogne.
From the cockpit Laurent has arranged everything for us to enter Bordeaux at night , with the city illuminated. So, as planned, this adventure ends the same way it began, at 33300 Quai des Chartrons.
And to finish... the history and the streets of Bourg.