After a long day of work, I sometimes look through pictures of some of the mini-breaks C & I have taken (in an attempt to remind myself of some of the benefits of my job). Tonight, I went through our pictures from our trip to St Emilion last week-end. It was such a lovely day, full of sun, champagne and relaxation.
Earlier that day, C had sent an email to his mother to tell her where we were at. We were just heading out of town when his mom replied, saying that his grandfather's brother owned a vineyard not far from St Emilion, and included the address and the phone number.

C tried to call while I looked up the address - they were only a few kilometers away! No answered the phone, but I thought it was still worth a try, and after a few wrong turns, we pulled into the yard:
The people out front looked at us a bit suspiciously at first, but once C explained who we were, they invited us in and gave us a tour of the place. They had an absolutely beautiful home, filled with all kinds of antiques and artifacts that would be right at home in any self-respecting French château. All over-looking rolling fields of vines:There was also this beautiful, old covered patio. Apparently many-a-family member has gotten married here - too bad they're not closer to that side of the family, right?As it happens, they make a limited-quantity of wine per year, available to family and friends only. (They have a HUGE family). They sell at cost-value, making just enough to maintain the buildings and the land. We got this bottle from 2006 St Emilion for 7.50€ - how crazy is that? Plus the bottles have the family name on them, which I think is just so darn cool. I'm hoping we can buy a few more cases for the wedding!