Bailly
30 October 2019
by Terry Spencer
We walked some more in Auxerre before heading further upriver. Coming from an area with such a young history, I am truly awed walking narrow streets among buildings constructed three to six hundred years ago. One building captured Elisa's attention because of the way the front bowed out, as if it were sagging with the weight of the years.
Six locks up the river, we tied to the right bank and walked up the hill to tour Les Caves Bailly Lapierre. This was the site of a large limestone mountain acquired in 1186 by Pontigny Abbey to quarry stones that eventually went into some of the most famous buildings in France including the Pantheon and Notre Dame and Chartres Cathedrals. The quarrying left large caves which in the mid 20th century were used for mushroom cultivation. It was recognized that the caves also afforded the ideal conditions for aging wines: a constant 12 degrees centigrade with 80 percent humidity and low light.
At any given time, five million bottles of wine reside underground at Bailly Lapierre made from the grapes of 430 growers. Their featured wine is a Crémant, a sparkling wine, which we tasted at the end of our tour. To be honest, it did not appeal to me.
We spent the night tied to the bank and made the acquaintance of two British gentlemen, Stephen and Andy, who were cruising their own canal boat..
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