Richardson Rambles

Sunday, June 4 – Carcassonne

Dominique’s chardonnay recommendation was… interesting.  Unfiltered, so loaded with terroir (literally), it had a bit of effervescence and tartness.  Not one to remember.  On the other hand, the Domaine des Quatre Pierres Les Mômes red, whose winemaker’s approach she described as “intellectual”, was a winner.  A little rough around the edges, it nonetheless finished on a smooth note and lived up to its intellectual billing: super interesting but requiring a willingness to be carried away.  Reminds me of someone I know…

Today we headed up to the medieval city to enjoy the château, the ramparts, and the basilica.  Now, I have to say that I read a rather derogatory review of Carcassonne by a well-known travel blogger.  I couldn’t disagree more!  If you love history, architecture, siege-proof castles, stone and stained glass, all nestled in a glorious landscape of green-tinged mountains, you’ll love Carcassonne Cité Haute.  My pictures can’t do justice to the site so please check out Dave’s videos.  But here’s a hint:

and another…

Lunch was amazing!  I had discovered Le Cachotier (the secretive one), a restaurant offering vegetarian and vegan options alongside traditional fare.  I requested a reservation through their website, but no response.  Nonetheless, at lunch we stopped by and requested a table.  Asked whether we had a reservation, we said “non” but I mentioned that I had reached out.  Explaining that their website inquiries don’t work (!), they found us a table in an otherwise packed terrace.  We ordered a viogner (excellent), a chèvre salad of frisée, sliced beets, red and yellow drop tomatoes, camembert croquetas, and pumpkin seeds, and wait for it…a vegan cassoulet!  No kidding!  All awesome.  Now some of you will remember that I had a negative interchange with one hotelier who insisted that vegetarian cassoulet was an oxymoron.  Well, she was just wrong!  Pics below of the salad and vegetarian cassoulet.

So tasty!  And no ducks or chickens died to make it!

After our now mandatory nap, we headed back up to the medieval city to enjoy a cocktail at the Hôtel de la Cité’s Bar Bibliothèque et Terrasse.  I had a truly excellent chardonnay: a Gerard Bertrand from Limoux, lightly oaked, and Dave had a Ciutat blonde à pression.

While we did not choose to be indoors, you can see that the interior is equally compelling. 

Tonight, we’re enjoying a 2020 Languedoc wine from Chateau de Gaure, a blend of grenache, syrah, and carignane varietals.  Needless to say, we’re eating lightly.  And now, for those of you who didn’t want to ask, an image of “hiker’s bane”: the dreaded sock tan!  Which, btw, is considered a badge of honor among camino hikers.