Monbazillac

The village of Monbazillac was festooned in yellow crepe.   It looked cute but I did wonder how long the decorations would last and how often they were replaced.  Monbazillac  is on the left bank of the Dordogne River just across from the town of Bergerac in South West France

The chateau was just on the outskirts of the village.  There were lots of people there.  The grounds were also festooned mostly in yellow – the bikes wrapped in crepe paper rosettes should have given me a clue about the Tour de France but I didn't make the mental connection.  When I checked it out later I found that the Tour de France had come through town a day or two earlier.  So that explained the decorations.

The chateau was in a very nice setting but we skipped touring inside it - it was already 4.30 and turning quite cold. We did look at the view from the terrace over the Bergerac valley.   

The Chateau is now owned by the wine Co-operative of Monbazillac.  It is from the 16^th Century and combines the defensive style of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.

I tasted 2 whites in the winery tasting room – my better half missed out since he was the designated driver (and always is in France since my driving on the right abilities are dodgy to say the least). It wasn't clear whether you had to pay for the tasting but in fact it was free. The whites from this winery are apparently famous but they were way too sweet for me.