4th - 10th October
Oh, what a wonderful Wine Cruise! Oh, what a wonderful week! Thank you, Tom, for crossing the ocean to bring your loved ones and friends from your very own winery, Crossing Vineyards, in Pennsylvania.
We sipped and savoured our way through Chablis, Bailly, Meursault, Saint-Bris, Sancerre and Tracy-sur-Loire. It sounds a lot, and indeed it was! We saw so much, we learnt a great deal – and we laughed. Lots!
On Monday, the weather was perfect as we made our way to the Grand Cru Hill in Chablis, overlooking the town and the vineyards that sweep up the hillsides and down into the valleys. Domaine Long-Depaquit was our destination for a dégustation – a wine tasting. Among the five wines we tasted was the 2022 Moutonne, from a very special parcel on the Grand Cru Hill, exclusively owned by Domaine Long-Depaquit.
The Cave de Bailly was our surprise final tasting of the day, tucked away in a vast limestone quarry in the hillside, once also home to mushroom cultivation. As surprising as ever – the bubbles certainly hit the spot!
Tuesday saw us driving to the Côte de Beaune and the Château de Meursault. The small town of Meursault nestles into the hillside of this famous wine-producing region. We took the smaller roads to enjoy the patchwork of vineyards around Monthélie before descending for a homely lunch at Le Bouchon (the cork), where we were warmly welcomed by the hospitable owner, Mireille.
From there, we made our way to the château for our wine tasting. Its newly renovated cellars are magnificent, completed just in time for the 2026 vintage to christen the impressive rows of French oak barrels.
We were interested to learn that the red wines were offered for tasting before the whites. It was explained that the flavours of white wine linger longer on the palate – hence the Pinot Noir being poured first.
The tasting concluded with a delicious 15-year-old Marc de Bourgogne. Strong, we all concluded. Mighty strong!
Leaving Meursault we wove through these famous vineyards, pausing to pick a bunch of Pinot Noir grapes, abandoned and lonely on the vine after the harvest. We then passed a pair of horses and a trap, waiting patiently in Pommard's main square for passengers. Had we had the time and enough space in the trap, it would have made a delightful ride.
We arrived in Beaune to visit the Hospices de Beaune. The historic hospital is truly magnificent, founded in 1443 and renowned for its extraordinary Burgundian glazed-tile rooves, with their colourful geometric patterns.
It was a whistle-stop tour – as was the little train ride with Valérie that delivered us to the Hospices' door. Unlike the horse and trap, there was plenty of space for everyone! All very memorable, for lots of different reasons!
Back on home territory in the Yonne Valley on Wednesday, we visited Domaine Bersan in Saint-Bris. A truly unique and marvellous experience with the kindly winemakers Jean-Louis and his son Jean-Christophe, who now oversees the Domaine’s wine production.
It was a captivating visit, filled with emotion, shared family history (their wines were enormously appreciated at the Liley family wedding in May) and, of course, a wonderful selection of their local wines. Toasting Tom's birthday with a fellow winemaker made the occasion all the more special, in the medieval 13th-century cellars that lace beneath the village of Saint-Bris.
An autumnal afternoon cruise in the sunshine took us to Mailly-le-Château, followed later in the evening by dinner in Avallon at Restaurant Angeline. A day of celebration for Tom’s birthday, and one for us all to treasure.
Sancerre was our destination on Thursday, with a visit to Domaine Hubert Brochard in the quaint village of Chavignol, famed for its round goat's cheese, Crottin de Chavignol.
Before our tasting, we took a little safari ride along the ridge of the Belvédère sur Sancerre to enjoy a closer look at the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards below. Thankfully, Tom had a firm hold on Peggy to save her from being blown away down into the vineyards in the blustery weather!
The high-tech cellar housed an impressive array of vessels in which grape juice is transformed into wine, including oak barrels, square concrete vats, rounded terracotta urns and gleaming stainless-steel tanks.
From the wine production area, we moved to the old chapel for our wine tasting. We enjoyed an absorbing and interactive session that challenged us to taste and smell the different wines, compare aromas from a selection of oils and explore the characteristics of each wine with the aid of colourful charts and flow diagrams.
The various vintages were perfectly paired with young, medium-mature and mature Chavignol goat’s cheeses, adding a whole new dimension to the experience. It was particularly interesting to discover how the flavours of the cheeses complemented those of the wines, challenging the traditional notion that red wine is always the natural choice to accompany cheese.
Lunch was in the heart of the town of Sancerre, where the Japanese-influenced French cuisine, featuring the region’s celebrated goat’s cheese, was simply divine. Tako and Mayuka have created something truly special at Les Fleurs de Vignes.
For our final tasting, we visited the Château de Tracy on the eastern bank of the River Loire, a positively baronial experience, sitting in the old stable block. The Sauvignon Blanc wines we tasted here, from the Pouilly-Fumé appellation, were so different from those of Sancerre and Burgundy.
The wines were introduced by winemaker Margot, and we were greatly impressed by her natural authority, knowledge and pride in her craft. Here was a winemaker in her working clothes, speaking modestly yet passionately about her wines – a perfect finale to our wine tour.
Friday was our last full day, with a lovely, leisurely cruise to Lucy-sur-Yonne offering opportunities to bike and stroll along the canal. As we left Les Saussois, the light was truly magical. Mist rose in clouds from the River Yonne, catching the sunlight as it drifted above the water. Simply beautiful.
In the afternoon, we visited Vézelay to see Christopher at La Maison du Visiteur. Vinny proved to be the perfect specimen for a well-sized suit (rather than a coffin, of course!) – just one of the many laughs of the week.
We arrived back aboard the Luciole in time for a late-afternoon cruise before mooring opposite the Château de Faulin.
The evening was filled with jollity and good humour, just as the whole week had been. The memories of all the laughter will stay with us for a very long time.
Tom, thank you so much once again for bringing your wealth of wine making experience and your lovely fellow cruisers to join us aboard the Luciole.
What a week – and what a wonderful wine-filled cruise it was!
Hotel barge Luciole
Cruising since 1976
Phone: 00 44 1625 576880
From USA: 011 44 1625 576880
WhatsApp: 00 33 6 09 92 20 76
Email: info@bargeluciole.com
23 Adlington Road, Bollington
SK10 5JT England
1-2 Quai de la Republique, Auxerre
89000 France
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