2. The town is picture-perfect and quaint as can be, with cobbled streets and beautiful stone buildings.
3. The stone itself is quite specific to Saint-Emilion: dug from the Saint-Emilion limestone plateau to build both this town and the nearby city of Bordeaux, it is particularly rich in fossil matter.
4. Once outside the town, it’s another view entirely: vines crawl over the hills, pruned back neatly and waiting for new spring growth.
5. Sunset gives the vines an eerie quality (but of course that expanse of sky is just breathtaking).
6. I love the way the light hits little corners, illuminating them even in the impending darkness.
7. Of course, I didn’t just wander fields in Saint-Emilion. I also took the time to taste some wine. Here, five glasses of 2008 Saint-Emilion from five different vineyards, ready to be blind-tasted.
8. And when work is done, we celebrate: with more wine.