​Saint Emilion is a small town in the heart of the “right” bank of Bordeaux, the region where Merlot grapes dominate the wines.  The picture below best describes the town:

​You see, the town is dominated by wine shops selling some of the best wines produced in the Bordeaux region, many at rather exorbitant prices.  Petrus is a right bank winery located in the nearby Pomerol region, whereas Chateau Margaux is one of the "Premier Cru" of first growth wineries per the 1855 classification.  Note that Pretrus wines are significantly more expensive.
The town is named for its patron saint, Saint Emilion.  His story is rather long, but is celebrated in the local church (see pictures below).  The town is built on a hill, and most of the surrounding region lies on sandstone.  Quarrying in the area has left a large network of caves beneath the vineyards.  Interesting.  Some pictures follow, starting with the outer wall, the church, and a view from the upper level of the town:

​The Saint Emilion wine growing region has its own set of wine classifications, including a “Grand Cru”, or great growth.  Unlike the classification of 1855, they reevaluate the wines and wineries every ten years.  That might be an interesting system for American winery regions to consider, assuming it is legal under our anti-trust laws.

​Our ship sailed north up the estuary then southwest up the second river feeding Bordeaux, the Dordogne.  This is the right bank region with such areas as Pomerol and St. Emilion, and includes Chateau Petrus, producing the most expensive wines in Bordeaux.  But we did not visit there.  Instead, we took a wine-tasting and lunch visit to Chateau d’Abzac, located just north of the Pomerol district.
The Chateau dates back to the early 17th century and is now an historic site.  It was trashed in 1789 during the French Revolution, then confiscated by the state and sold to the d’Anglade family in 1796.  They have owned and operated it ever since.  There was a point in time when the French government made amends for the confiscation and sale, either money or returning the estate to the original owners.  The d’Abzac family did escape France but had no interest in restoring their property, so they went for the money.  The d'Anglade family worked with them on this, and relations between the two families have been very strong ever since.
All of this we learned while standing in the rain on the Chateau grounds.  Our tour was led by Madam d’Anglade, translated by our guide as she did not trust her English.  More on this later.
Bordeaux wineries are not particularly scenic places.  In fact, with one exception I would not visit any of them other than to taste their wine.  That exception:  Chateau d’Abzac.  Proof is in the pictures below:

The tour continued into the family living room for wine tasting – see pictures below – then to their dining room for lunch.  Thus began our near faux pas.  You see, both my wife and I are a bit squeamish about eating pate, so we did not eat the goose liver pate served as part of the first course of our lunch.  Not a problem unless Madam d’Anglade sits down next to you and begins talking about the pate in pretty-good English.  So we ate the pate – and found it utterly fantastic….  The rest of the lunch was also great.  I’m not one for posting pictures of food, but I really have to show you the dessert we were served, along with the luncheon menu.

​I won’t try to relate details of our luncheon discussions with our hostess, first because she was talking mostly to my wife, and second because she kept filling our glasses with wine – very good wine.  So good that we bought a case. 
The wine in question is her Bordeaux Superieur Reserve 2018.  This gold-award winning wine is 100% Merlot.  I am not a particular fan of Merlot, but, well, I did by a case of it….  The most amazing thing about this wine is its price – 8.9 euros, or about $9.  The cost to ship the case home was greater than the cost of the wine.  I am guessing that the wine is inexpensive because Chateau d’Abzac is not in the Pomerol wine region but just north of it.  Were it in Pomerol I suspect it would have a much higher price.  Not Chateau Petrus price, of course.  Did I mention that Chateau Petrus has the most expensive wines in Bordeaux, selling for thousands of euros?