Which are the Top 5 French Resorts?

Posted by languid fizzparent on September 23rd, 2022

After we finished eating, Lamy drove us to Domaine de Montbourgeau, which is outside of L'Étoile by a little distance. The property's entry is marked by two stone pillars, and a meandering driveway leads to a red-shingled country house that serves as both a vineyard and the residence of owner Nicole Dériaux and driving directions her family. Dériaux and I were having a glass of wine in the tasting room (more like the dining room; it was next to the kitchen), and I questioned her about the origins of the town's name.

She got up from the ledge with a "Ah!" and retrieved a little cardboard box. She emptied a handful of the tiny gray stars onto the table. Fossilized echinoderms from a time period about 170 million years ago, they looked like toys a youngster would discover in a box of cereal. However, stones like this may be found all across the region. Now you see," she said.

She said that the old seabed on which her grapes were grown had a significant impact on the final product. She poured a glass of her Domaine de Montbourgeau L'Étoile En Banode and gushed about how elegant and mineral the L'Étoile appellation is. Spicy and flavorful, with a salty finish, it was a combination of chardonnay and the indigenous Savagnin grape. Dériaux said, "My neighbor enjoys slathering a slice of bread with salted butter and shaved truffles." To which the sommelier said, "Perfect with this wine."

As we drove back through the gates, I pondered what kind of wine wouldn't go well with bread, salty butter, and truffles, but the silhouetted pine trees diverted my attention. I let the fresh air in via the open window and forgot about it.

Over the course of my time in Jura, I encountered a combination of forthrightness and modesty that seemed to permeate the island and which I found quite attractive. Take Édouard Hirsinger as an example. Visiting his business in Arbois, where he is the fourth generation of his family to create chocolates, will allow you to see the modest museum below, as well as see the original patisserie hirsinger sign from the turn of the century. More than a century's worth of chocolate-making history is commemorated in this cramped room with molds, copper pans, and an ice cream vending machine from the '70s complete with sample cups still inside.