TESTIMONIALS

Ron and Jacqui Gilbert ~ Four of us flew into Geneva, picked up a manual Ford Fusion and headed down A-41.  The route cuts through quarried white mountains, postcard villages, open fields, and of course, vineyards.  We were amazed to see how the truckers behave, staying in the right lane and never exceeding 90km/hr.  In all, it took about 4-1/2 pleasant hrs with a couple of stops along the way.

We arrived late afternoon to find Michael finishing some wainscoting in one of the smaller bedrooms.  We cleaned up, washed up and cracked open the first of many bottles of wine.  Our friends, Hank and Maria, settled into the very cool large bedroom.  The walls are stone and stucco. There’s an antique wardrobe on one side, settee on the other and several Oriental area rugs scattered over the 400yr. old tile.  Michael made a great pasta dish.  With Michael’s friend, Deidra, the six of us made short order of the preperation and cleanup.  We ate every meal by candlelight out in the large courtyard while enjoying the perfect climate of Languedoc.  The views of Montaud, the surrounding valley, and rising ridge in the distance are amazing!

Roosters woke us early to announce a beautiful crisp clear morning. Le petit dejeuner consisted of the usual coffee, croissant, bread and cheese.  We programmed the GPS for the town of Sete on the Mediterranean and headed out.  Jackie and I have friends from Nantes who spend their summer vacations in Sete every year, so we wanted to take a look.  We chose the slower local route and caught a glimpse of Montpellier along the way.  We found a very popular restaurant overlooking the boat canal that served platters of assorted shellfish served on the traditional stainless rack.  We washed down the freshest oysters with a crisp bottle of Chateau Peuch-Haut.  There were many nationalities present in this cosmopolitan town.  We found Sete larger and a bit more congested than we had expected but we were delighted to see the absolutely beautiful wide beaches just at the edge of town.

As we understand is soon becoming a tradition, we all grabbed our wine glass, a couple of bottles of champagne, and headed up to the castle at dusk.  It’s a very short walk up the hill along the original stone paved road now heavily overgrown. The view is incredible in all directions and the sunsets spectacular.  You can easily envision this impressive complex in its glory.  The majestic ruins and centuries of history make this special place very inspiring. 

Christian and his friend, Benjamin joined us for dinner that night.  They both speak English very well. Christian owns a gite just down the road and works with Michael providing local knowledge for the farm projects.  Gigot d’agneau aux romarins was the main course.  I’m crazy about cheese, so we had about six delicious varieties on the platter.  Deidra’s birthday cake, from an excellent patisserie nearby, was the icing on the fabulous meal.  We were very excited to taste an experimental “Superdoc” that Michael is working on with the vigneron.

We spent our final day visiting a few Gypsy caravans and lunch at the medieval village of Les Baux.  Earlier, Jackie was promised some local vin mousseux rose, so we squeezed in wine tastings at Château Peuch-Haut, and Domaine Saint Jean – two local vineyards in stark contrast when it comes to marketing and facilities - but both fabulous.

We toured all accessible parts of the 14,000 sq.ft.  farmhouse while envisioning completion of the many renovations.  There’ll be a new demonstration kitchen with seating for at least 30.  The future tasting room has a fabulous vaulted ceiling and 8ft fireplace. There will also be a stone wine cellar and another large bedroom where an old wine vat will serve as the king size bed.

We’re already planning our next visit in May.  We have more friends who want to come along and we’ll be excited to work a few days in the garden or inside the farmhouse this time.  Much yet needs to be done, but the potential is extraordinary.

Come on.  Be part of this incredible adventure!