his beautiful building is a new bed and breakfast opened by Château Troplong Mondot and the daughters of proprietress Christine Valette. We had the “menu of the day” which was superbly prepared with wonderfully fresh prawns from Ireland, sensationally light, non-greasy pan-fried calamari, and a terrific, intensely flavored pan-fried beef sirloin. With that, the Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne was as good as most readers know it to be. The most shocking wine for me was the 2004 Leroy Auxey Duresses Les Clous. This under-the-radar village turned out a beautiful, complex, full-bodied white Burgundy that was a pleasure to drink. Thankfully, at age eight, there was no oxidation! We followed that with two brilliant offerings from Troplong Mondot. The 2003 is maturing quickly, but it is a very successful wine, and better than I remember it being when I first tasted it. The 2005 Troplong Mondot ranks alongside the 1990 as the two greatest wines Christine Valette has ever made. While young, we had it decanted and it showed magnificently well even though it has not yet reached adolescence. A glass of the 2002 Yquem was pure nectar. Although not the greatest vintage for Yquem, it is a strong effort from this hallowed château.

I highly recommend this bed and breakfast / restaurant for those staying in St.-Emilion as it is only about a 5-7 minute drive from the village.