Our last evening on our trip to the Dordogne Valley in France was spent in a beautiful chateau with its adjoining vineyard – Chateau de Panisseau.
We’d arrived shortly after leaving the charming village of Issigeac and wasted no time in checking out the new digs.
This place is sheer French perfection – right down to the vineyards being worked on by the farmers.
The clouds were threatening in the distance (which was a change, to be honest, as it didn’t rain the entire time we were there).
So, after a long stroll through the countryside, we gathered the troops to try the wine at the Chateau before heading off for dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Tour des Vents in Monbazillac.
As had been typical with our trip to the Dordogne Valley, we started with foie gras, duck and asparagus topped with salmon and caviar.
…not forgetting the ‘mandatory’ champagne too! 😉
The rest of the meal that evening was a cornucopia of the chef’s finest dishes, and boy, was it good!
The meal very quickly descended to everyone ordering different things and using that as an excuse to try each other’s meals.
Of course, my favourite part of the meal was dessert—Lloyd went for a melting chocolate ball (*not the actual French name, of course… hehe!).
Mine was a mix of strawberry, cream and chocolate-laced pudding topped with crunchy caramelized nuts and ice cream. It was AMAZING!
It kind of reminded me of something I used to do as a child—whenever I had ice cream, I’d throw some peanuts in, and although it’s not the most obvious thing you’d think to do with ice cream, it’s so good.
If you haven’t tried this at home, give it a shot. It works best with vanilla ice cream, though chocolate ice cream could also prove to be a winner.
This was also the trip that started my obsession with Canelés, an obsession I haven’t looked back on since.
The next morning, the rain came out in full force, leaving us with the perfect excuse to stay nice and cosy indoors while we enjoyed a late breakfast of croissants, pain au chocolat, and fresh fruits, along with freshly brewed teas and coffees.
We took the rain as an excuse to also check out parts of the grand chateau next door, which was currently being renovated.
It was kind of a cool way to see how people lived back in the day. (It’s going to be so good when it’s all done, though.)
Looking through the chateau left us a little ‘thirsty’, and seeing as we were in a vineyard – there was nothing for it but to try out ALL the wines…
…okay fine; not all, just some!
Soon enough, it was time to make our back home… but not before stopping off at Monbazillac for, you guessed it, even more wine and some charcuterie (*I just love that word).
Dordogne Valley is easily one of the best surprise destinations we visited all year.
I had no clue how amazing all the little villages and towns would be here, it’s the real-life embodiment of that ‘romanticised idea’ of what life in rural France is and one that I plan on visiting again, friends in tow.
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