Bordeaux, Day 6: Behind the Scenes at Château de Lescours, Church Cemetery, Château Franc Mayne, Exploring Saint-Émilion, Drinking Wine with Pierre

June 8, 2026

Started our morning with a tour/tasting of the winery where we’re staying: Château de Lescours.

We ended up having the tasting back at our residence, along with a charcuterie boards and three different wines. Easiest and most relaxing tour by far, and a great start to the day.

We had some down time during the day, with another wine tasting in the late afternoon. I ended up walking with Jackson to the nearby town in search of an ATM, and ended up just exploring a bit.

We spotted a small church nearby, and ended up going in to the cemetery briefly.

Something we noticed right away – many of the sites showed numerous personal items. And referenced multiple members of the same family.

We slowly realized that these were not individual graves, but family ones.

Many of the sites were incredibly old. A very reflective time, walking briefly here.

So – silly me, I made a huge mistake. Yesterday, I booked this tour for us… but I accidentally booked it for next week.

Using their reservation calendar, I grabbed the first day available and thought it was today (and was wrong).

Luckily, our tour guide was able to sort things out – and was able to add our party of 10 to an existing tour. Very lucky for us!

Outside the entrance to the caves at Château Franc Mayne.

Signage inside the cave.

By far one of the more interesting winery tours we’ve done.

I was reminded a lot of the chalk caves at Taittinger.

A great walk through the area, but I honestly wished it went a bit longer. We barely got in to the cave area, before we headed over to the tasting room.

The tasting was great, but I could have easily spent another hour just walking around. I would have loved to have gone further/deeper into the caves here.

Anne and Jackson, outside the caves.

The Ford family, with the icon Franc Mayne tree.

The Holder women: Tricia, Liz, Grace.

A stop over in Saint-Émilion after the tasting, for some impromptu Canelés.

Our group then ended up splitting up a bit, and just wandering around some.

Some of the paths were quite narrow (and the cobblestone was quite slick). Liz ended up finding a small set of concrete steps nearby, and the two of us went exploring.

We eventually were led down to a small street that ran behind a lot of the residences. I can’t imagine trying to drive here, in any size vehicle.

While it felt remote, after a few steps… we started to hear the noise and bustle of the town. A brief aside, before re-entering an area full of restaurants and shops.

Sebastian, hanging out.

Back at the chateau, things escalated a bit. Everyone else was inside, but Kirt was sitting out by the front door drinking some wine.

He was soon joined by Pierre, the patron/manager of the estate… and the two of them were out drinking and talking and laughing.

A bit after this, Anne walked by and Pierre insisted she join them. So another chair came out, and the three of them sat and drank wine together.

I was running out to the car to get something, and en route… was also invited to join the group. So the next thing I know, I’m also sitting and drinking wine with everyone.

Pierre was done with his work for the day, and hung out with us for several glasses (he also snuck away to get a bottle from his private stash to share with us).

It was a lot, boisterous, funny, fantastic conversation. I learned a great deal about Pierre’s life, his medical struggles (the sum of which would fell most men), his view of the world, and his relationship with the vineyard – from both a familial and historical context.

I have to say – every day at the chateau was a magical thing. I’d wake in the morning, and just be in awe at where we were staying. The view of the vineyard, watching the tractors work down each row, the sound of the rooster and peacocks in the distance.

But tonight was one of my favorite moments – this conversation, sharing time with Kirt, Anne, and most of all Pierre.

While we were guests staying on the property, talking and drinking with Pierre made it feel more special, more personal. We were delighted by his company, and over several glasses of wine we felt even more welcomed and even more at home.