Noyers-sur-Serein

This week we discovered the beautiful old medieval village of Noyer. We visited it with some friends, who had organised a tasting of some local Chablis wines at Bardet & fils on the outskirts of the village. This would be a good start to our day.

Philipe, the proprietor, met us at our car and led us to his cellar. It was a pretty little domaine, which had originally been purchased by Philipe’s father, as just a plot of land. He planted some vines, and began the work of making Chablis. It is now run by Philipe, his brother and his two sons. The cellar, which they had created from scratch, was an excellent place for the tasting, which followed the order of a Bourgogne, petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis premier cru, Irancy (red) and ended on a Cremant. We were all keen to buy a few bottles, which I know we will enjoy in the months and years ahead.

We then drove into the village for lunch at ‘La Grange’, which was in a really delightful setting. The restaurant is set just off the main route through the town, and situated in a quiet private garden. It was a simple lunch for me of a chilled cucumber and feta soup, then a vegetable risotto, followed by a chocolate brownie for dessert. All rather delicious.

After lunch we had a little wander through the village. It’s full of many interesting little shops, all very creative and arty. Beautiful old buildings line the streets of the village, and on the return there’s a very tranquil walk along the side of the old town wall, along the Serein river.

It made for a beautiful day out, just over an hours drive from us. We will definitely be returning.