Words: Violet
The Summer of 2013 turned out to be a glorious array of fine weather and a very idiotic Met Office. Festivals gleaming with trendsetters and espadrilles, not the usual sign of designer wellies. Like most sensible Brits, I planned a trip abroad to escape what I had expected to be a very miserable few months.
Cliché as it seems, a trip to France drifting from vineyards to Chateaux sounded ideal. The car of choice, the Gran Tourer from Jaguar, the XKR combining sporting luxury with breathtaking performance. Next we teamed up with Private Cellar, a young business of five partners who each have nearly 30 years of experience working with great winemakers. Amanda Skinner devised the perfect week for us…
Leaving at the crack of dawn with a V8 is enough to quickly awake anyone’s senses. I think we can all agree, Jaguar as a brand has come a long way in recent years, especially in design. The particular model I drove came to £78,930, which taking into account the competition, I believe is pretty reasonable. But what about the performance and reliability of their newly developed image? Well, you won’t be disappointed. The XKR isn’t an ostentatious head turner like some of the more ‘stand out’ sports cars, but instead has a sense of understatement, which I liked. It will project you to sixty in 4.5secs with a really unique growling sound which, if you short shift in second, will really put a smile on your face. The perfect vehicle for the job.
One of the highlights of my journey was arriving at Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron (commonly referred to as Pichon Baron), a winery in the heart of Pauillac of the Bordeaux region covering 73 hectares of gravely soil. Here the wine was first brought into production in the 17th Century and quickly gained an excellent reputation. In 1987, the estate was purchased by French insurance company AXA.
Soon after AXA had bought the property, they had a new, circular winery built, using a design by architects Patrick Dillon and Jean de Gastines. The cellars themselves extend beneath the pool in front of the château, where the cool waters above help to moderate the temperature below producing outstanding results. (I highly recommend the ’05 and ’09).
Driving over the river I came across something a little different. Situated high up on a commanding limestone plateau just to the south-west of Libourne and Pomerol, facing St.Emilion, Chateau de Sours has been producing extraordinarily good wine for over 200 years. I would have to recommend the La Source Rosé as their top wine. Despite the Jaguar’s remarkable boot space, there was only so much I could stock up with. Unfortunately, this particular Rosé is not available in the UK, but a quick phone call to Amanda Skinner at Private Cellar resolved this issue.
Heading as far down south at Pau and back up to Calais, I made my final stop at La Grenouillère, part of the Relais & Châteaux group situated by Montreuil Sur Mer. The town is filled with history, originally inhabited by monks, which then followed a number of historical figures including Napoleon and his troops becoming the northern home of aristocracy and more recently the headquarters of General Haig during WW1.
Chef Aléxandre Gauthier with his team prepared a unique dining experience offering a range of multiple small dishes. The Tasting Menu of eight courses comes in at €85 per head and €115 for the eleven course both excluding wine. Describing the food isn’t the easiest of tasks I must admit. Pudding for example was explained as white chocolate, mashed potato and ketchup, whether this was a language barrier issue or not, the whole experience was most interesting. La Grenouillère is just over the Channel and provides a number of rooms for a perfect night or weekend break. If you’re feeling adventurous and have the urge for spontaneity, it’s definitely worth a visit.
There can be no finer way to experience the greatest bounty Europe has to offer – British design, French wine – than gliding down the plane tree-lined avenues of France’s finest territories in a sports car that stays below the radar, welcome to the XKR. For belle époque glamour, nothing beats it.
By George Askew
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