All language subtitles for Eva.Longoria.Searching.For.France.S01E04.Bordeaux.WEB-DL.HMAX.en-US[sdh]

♪♪

-Here in Bordeaux, so much has
been inspired by one thing --

you guessed it --
wine.

It has shaped this region's
history, food,

even its architecture.

This magnificent building is
the city's wine museum,

and its curves are designed
to evoke the swirl of wine

in a glass
and the shape of the river

that has for centuries carried
it from the city to the port,

bringing with it
wealth and prosperity.

I mean, where else but Bordeaux
would they build such a glorious

and extraordinary
homage to wine?

I think I'm going to feel
quite at home here.

I'm Eva Longoria,
and I'm a serious Francophile.
Santé.

Over the past 20 years,
my career as an actor

has brought me to France
time and again.

It's my home away from home.

But those trips were more
about work than joie de vivre.

Now I want something deeper.

This is going to be
an adventure!

So I'm setting out
to really experience France...

-This is Cabernet Sauvignon.
-[gasps] That's my favorite.

...To savor its
world celebrated cuisine

and explore the country's
rich history.

Vive la France! [laughs]

Bordeaux, a single word

that conjures up some of the
finest wines in the world.

Around these parts,

Wine is more than a passion...

This is so nice.

...It's poetry for the soul.

-It's a piece of silk,
you know.

It's just super delicate
in your palate.

-The locals,
known as the Bordelais,

have mastered the art
of the good life.

-And while wine is
the star of the show...

Ah!
-Ah!

-...the food is catching up
fast.

Traditional Bordelais cuisine is
all about rich sauces.

Oh my gosh.
That looks like chocolate.

But now adventurous chefs
are rewriting the rules.

Wait, what are we making?

-The whitefish grilled.
-With red wine?

-Yes, exactly.
-You guys really do
things backwards here.

...and too much of
a good thing...

Et voilà.
No, no way! More?!

...is an even better thing.

-This is probably
the most expensive sandwich

I'm ever gonna eat in my life.
-[ Chef laughs ]

♪♪

♪♪

Bordeaux's
prestige wines are renowned

for their quality
and their price.

A single bottle from an iconic
vineyard can start at $3,000,

while a rare vintage
can go for ten times that.

But that's only part
of the story.

Today, I'm making a pilgrimage

to the most celebrated
wine village in Bordeaux,

Saint-Émilion, where
wine is more than a business.

It's a religion.

♪♪

On the western seaboard
of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region

lies the Bordeaux wine country,

shaped by a gentle climate
and fertile soils.

And one of the jewels
in its crown is Saint-Émilion.

♪♪

I'm visiting one of the
biggest dates in the calendar,

when the whole village gathers
for a mysterious festival

straight out of the Middle Ages.

♪♪

Hi.
-Hello, Eva.

-How are you?

-I'm very good, and yourself?

-My guide is Stéphanie
de Boüard-Rivoal,

an eighth generation
Saint-Émilion winemaker.

And so, what's happening today?
There's a lot of people.

-So, the Jurade of Saint-Émilion

is the oldest wine brotherhood
in the world.

And it celebrates its
more than 800 years of history.

-Founded in 1199,

the Brotherhood's job was
to oversee the wine making

and run the town.

♪♪

Oh my God! [laughing]

♪♪

Today, its role is
largely ceremonial,

but members still gather
for the annual church blessing

of the new wines.

Are you a member?
-I am, indeed.

-You are!
You should be in the parade.

-Well, you know I'm with you
today.

That's wonderful. Um...

I'm the third generation in
my family to be a Jurade member.

And now there are women
in the Jurade,

which is fairly recent.
-Oh, is it?

-Yeah.
-Women weren't allowed before?

-No, so my father changed that.

-Your father?
Good for your dad.

♪♪

-You know, it's a true honor
to be a member of the Jurade.

Because, of course, I'm
so much attached to our roots.

Roots in the vineyard.
Roots of Saint-Émilion.

[ Bell tolls ]

-Saint-Émilion takes
its name from a monk

who settled here
in the eighth century.

[ Bell tolls ]

It was the monks
of his monastery

who started
the commercial wine production.

[ Bell tolls ]

At Stéphanie's family's
vineyard,

echoes of that religious
tradition live on.

Château Angelus is named
after the bells

that summoned
its Catholic workers to prayer.

This is beautiful.

This is your view every morning.

-Yes. An ocean of vines.

♪♪

-What variety is this
that we're looking at?

-This is Merlot?

-Cabernet franc.

In Saint-Émilion, Merlot is the
most common grape,

known for its rich plum and
cherry notes,

while Cabernet Franc brings
acidity and a hint of spice.

-Thibaut Gamba is the chateau's
very own Michelin starred chef.

[gasps] What are you doing?

-Finishing
some tiny appetizer.

-What is --
is this a grape leaf?

-Exactly. We've filled it
with some fresh goat cheese.

-So we're doing,
like, a wine pairing.

[gasps] Is this white?
-This is white.

-Wait, I've never had a white
wine from this region.

-Well, this is very unique.
It's not commercialized.

You cannot get it.
You can have it only here.

-Oh, I can't buy it!
[gasps] I can smell it already.

-Yeah.
-It's like...

It's like a fruit
and grapefruit.

-Grapefruit, citrus.
-Citrus for sure.

-And the grapes are Sémillon,
Sauvignon blanc, Chenin, and
Chardonnay.

So it's a unique blend
for Bordeaux white.

-Santé.
-Santé.

[ Glasses clink ]
-Santé.

-I'm so excited.

♪♪

-Oh, wow.
For being citrus and grapefruit.

It still has a buttery finish.
-Absolutely.

The Chardonnay brings
this buttery finish, yes.

-Oh, this is wonderful.

-Thibaut, is this --
you would recommend
this wine with this appetizer?

-Yeah.

The white wine gonna match
perfectly

with the fattiness
of the cheese.

-So wait, wait -- So we're gonna
have white wine with cheese,

not red. Is that breaking
some of the rules?

-No, it's not about rules.
It's not about color.

It's about the perfect match.

-Okay, I just grab it with --
-Sure.

They say that cheese
helps soften

the sharp tannins in red wine.

So white wine with cheese
is a bit of a curve ball.

Mmm. Oh, yeah.

This -- actually white wine
brings out the flavor of
the cheese.

-Mm.
-It like magnifies the
creaminess with the freshness.

-Mm-hm.
-It's a perfect combination.

Now, this is what I recognize as
a wine from the Bordeaux region.

Look at how dark that is.

This is a 2011 blend
of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Oh, wow. That is wonderful.
Full bodied big.

-Yeah, but at the same time,
very refined tannins.

Very --
-Yeah. It's not.

-Very soft.
-Velvety tannins.

-And I'm pretty sure
it's going to match perfectly

with the whitefish
we're going to cook now.

-Wait, what are we making?

-Whitefish -- grilled --
-With red wine?!

-Yes, exactly.
-You guys really do
things backwards here.

You have white wine with cheese
and you have red wine with fish.

In Bordeaux, the maritime
climate isn't just perfect for
grapes.

The nearby Atlantic means
there's also an abundance

of seafood,
including prized turbot.

♪♪

-So we have now
some beautiful filet

we can start to plate
if you want to.
-Okay.

-Everything is
to bring texture to the dish.

-It's like a little garden
on top of my fish.

♪♪

Oh, that's...

...so beautiful.

-Yeah.
-Bon appétit.

-Merci, Thibaut.

I always thought it was
sacrilege to pair red wine
with fish.

So this is a first for me.

Mmm!

This dark red duck broth

against this delicate fish,
it's just perfect.

And then the wine
just kind of marries the two.
-Mm-hm.

-You have created such a legacy.

Do you feel pressure to continue
this tradition and culture?

-You know, I consider myself
as a link of a chain

with a duty of transmission
to the next generation.

-You want to carry the torch.
-Yes, absolutely.

-I was a bit skeptical about
these unconventional pairings,

but these dazzling wines matched
with these extraordinary dishes

have opened my mind
and my taste buds.

After a day in Saint-Émilion,
I'm a believer.

p

♪♪

Wow, this is beautiful.

-I know. [laughs]
-You know what?

I've never been
in the city of Bordeaux.

Every time I come to Bordeaux,

I go to vineyards
and then I leave.

And so I've never
really experienced the city.

Food writer Camille Dufour
has promised to show me

how wine helped build
the Bordeaux we see today.

This looks like
the Seine to Paris.

What's the name of this river?

-And what role did
this river have?

-From all over the world?
-From all over the world.

♪♪

-Situated where the
Garonne and Dordogne rivers
meet the Atlantic Ocean,

Bordeaux's location made
it a hub for the wine trade...

♪♪

...while shaping it into one of
France's most beautiful cities.

Wow!
What is this?

-When was this built?

-Was it always this beautiful?

-Oh?

-Oh!
-In anywhere else in France.

-So there's so many
restaurants here.
-Yeah.

-Which means there are
so many chefs.
-Yes.

-Well, now I want to check out
all these restaurants.

-Okay. Let's go.

This is so mellow.
It's so beautiful.

-Yeah, I know.

-Yeah.

-Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-[gasps] What is this?

[ Speaking French ]

-Canelé.
-Canelé.

-This caramelized egg
pastry is a Bordeaux icon,

but I've never tasted one.

Oh! It's crispy
on the outside,

really soft on the inside.
-Yeah, I know.

-Is that alcohol?
Is that rum?

-Oh, yeah. I taste the vanilla.
-Yeah, yeah.

-So who invented this?

-Yeah, it's very eggy.
-Yeah.

-In a good way.
-Yeah.
[ Both laugh ]

-Rum, the Caribbean.
Vanilla, Mexico.
-Yeah.

-So even this little pastry owes
its existence

to wine production.
-Yeah.

-So we should say santé
when we eat this.

-Santé. Yeah.
[ Laughter ]

♪♪

-Camille's hot tip for lunch
is a restaurant

that's leading Bordeaux's
culinary revival,

with a mission to create
distinctively local dishes

that match the legendary wines.

[ Doorbell chimes ]

I've never rung a bell
to get into a restaurant.

Maison Nouvelle has
two Michelin stars

and is the brainchild of
Chef Philippe Etchebest.

-Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-Merci.

Philippe is one of France's
most famous TV chefs.

Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-But he grew up
over his dad's restaurant

right here in Bordeaux.

It feels like a home.

[Speaking French]

-So you think that
the gastronomy had to catch up?
It had to level up.

[ Speaking French ]

-Traditionally,
duck was a humble peasant fare,

slow cooked
and preserved in its own fat.

But Philippe has a technique
to refine it

and enhance its flavors.

[ Speaking French ]

-It's always about the sauce.
[laughs]

Wine based sauces are one of the
cornerstones of Bordeaux's
cuisine.

This one starts with sauteed
duck bones, then a local brandy.

[ Speaking French ]

-He's lit the dish on fire.
Literally.

[ Speaking French ]

-Of course, red wine.

Then the seared duck
breast is topped with

a rich mushroom stuffing
wrapped in a cabbage leaf

and encased in buttery pastry.

[ Speaking French ]

-Okay.

For every dazzling dish
on the menu,

there's an
equally fabulous wine.

And Philippe has promised me
something uniquely Bordeaux.

[gasps] Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

I would say the master
of making a great mellow

with long aging.
-Okay.

This is a 2020 vintage aged
in old barrels.

-So you can smell
a lot of, uh --
-Wood.

-The aging is very soft.

-It smells spicy,
but it isn't spicy.

-No. Exactly.
-Tchin!
-Santé!

Tchin-tchin! [laughs]

-Mmm.
-That is lovely.

-Ah!

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh, my gosh,
that looks like chocolate.

So beautiful.

-So you take a few sauce.

-Oh, wow.
The sauce and the wine.

So good.

And just when you think
you've tasted it all,

Philippe's grand finale
is a playful homage

to Bordeaux's wine legacy.

Oh, my goodness!
That is so cute.

Delicate pears,
gently poached in wine

and shaped like grapes on a vine
made of luscious vanilla cream.

That's the most creative dessert
I have ever seen.

Even the chocolate sauce
is served in a wine bottle.

Oh my God.

This is why you're the chef
that you are.

[ Indistinct ]

♪♪

-Mmm.

[ Speaking French ]

-This is so great.
I feel like your restaurant

and your cuisine

celebrates both equally
and beautifully.

[ Speaks French ]

-I try.
-Santé.

-I try to do my best.

♪♪

-Now,
if you've watched the show,

you know this Texican
loves a good steak.

So when I found out
that the best beef in France

comes from an area called Bazas,

it's just a short drive
from Bordeaux,

I was like, say no more and
I put the pedal to the metal.

♪♪

The source
of this great reputation

is an ancient breed
of free range cattle

that takes its name
from the town of Bazas.

♪♪

Bonjour.
-Bonjour. Bienvenue.

[ Speaking French ]

♪♪

[ Cattle lowing ]

-Élian's family are
among the leading breeders

of Bazadaise cattle, with a herd
that's over 40 strong.

Bonjour.
-Bonjour.

-Oh, wait. Oh, wait.

You're more important.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

You are way more important.

Élian's dad, Gérard, and
brother Olivier

have a unique approach
to cattle rearing.

[ Speaking French ]

-I see you. I know.

[ Speaking French ]

-This is why --
this is why she's coming to me.

'cause she wants
a massage right now.

She's used to massaging.
Okay, okay.

We'll give you a massage.

So you want them nice
and calm and no stress.

I know, no stress.
Oh my gosh, you're so strong.

All this tender loving care
produces meat that's rich,

succulent, and flavorful.

For the Carraz family, farm
to table aren't just buzzwords.

They cook for their guests
right here on their land.

Oh, wow!

[ Speaking French ]

-Élian's mom, Myriam,
runs the restaurant,

helped by his brother Julien.

But it's Élian
who's doing the cooking today.

Oh!

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh, wow, you put on the beret.
That's so cute.

We're cooking Entrecôte steak.

But first, the traditional
bordelaise sauce.

[ Speaking French ]

Okay.
Bordelaise sauce has been
enjoyed for over a century,

and it stars one of my
favorite local ingredients.

It has to be a Bordeaux wine
for the Bordelaise sauce.
-Yes.

-Next, a key element
to thicken the sauce.

[ Speaking French ]

-Okay, this may not
look very pretty...

Oh my God.

...but it's gonna add
a rich umami flavor.
Oh, wow.

That is so much bone marrow.

This is what makes it
the bordelaise sauce.

If it doesn't have this,
it's just a normal sauce.

-Yes.
-Okay.

My family loves barbecue,

so I like to think
I know my way around a grill.

Oh. You're gonna --
Oh, my God, did you see this?

But this is a whole other way
of smoking meat.

[ Speaking French ]

-Okay.
Oh, okay, maybe not.

[ Speaking French ]

Oh, look at me,
I'm smoking the meat, guys.
-[ Élian laughs ]

♪♪

Oh, my God.

[Speaks French]

-Okay, good.
That was a workout.

♪♪

[ Speaking French ]

-Mother is here!

[ Speaking French ]

♪♪

-Ah! Mmm!

Wow! Oh my God!

[ Speaking French ]

-It looks amazing.

[ Speaking French ]

-The star of the show.

We need the bordelaise sauce.

Oh, wow.

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh my God, this is
so tender it cuts like butter.

Mmm.
I love the sauce
with this meat.

The sauce is silky and
these shallots make it sweet.

It's like the perfect
combination.

And the bone marrow!

[ Speaking French ]

-For me, this is
the first time in Bordeaux

that I've actually tasted
the land in the food.

And the fact that this is
centuries years old,

you know, raising beef.

This is really a beautiful plate

that tells the story
of Bordeaux.

Bravo!
-Merci.

-Santé.

-I'm on my way to meet one of
Bordeaux's most exciting chefs.

And he's promised
to introduce me to

a surprising local delicacy
that's over 200 million
years old.

♪♪

Hello!
-Hello.

-Nice to meet you. Enchanté.
-Nice to meet you.

-Vivien Durand delights
in breaking the rules.

A culinary iconoclast

who's won a Michelin star
for his unconventional take

on Bordeaux's cuisine.

So where are we?

-Sturgeon. Sturgeon.
So we're having caviar?

-Yes, exactly.

-It's one of my
favorite things to eat.
[ Both laugh ]

When you think of Bordeaux,

you might think red meat,
rich sauces,

but caviar has been a local
specialty for over a century.

The Gironde estuary
north of Bordeaux

is the last remaining breeding
ground of the European sturgeon,

and its fish farms are the heart
of France's caviar industry.

-They're the dinosaurs of fish.

♪♪

Aah! [gasps] There it is!

Oh my God,
it looked like a shark.

-[ Julien laughs]
-It looked like a shark.

It was like...
[ Hums Jaws theme ]

Oh...
Wow, they're big.

Wait, so how did sturgeon
end up here in the Aquitaine?

-So were they fished
for caviar?

-Just for the meat?
-Yeah.

-Wow.
-[ Julien laughs ]

-They're throwing away
the best part.

-[ Julien laughs ]
-Oh my gosh.

But that all changed
in the early 20th century

when the First World War halted
the export of Russian caviar.

The fishermen
of the Gironde estuary

spotted a gap in the market.

And soon Aquitaine's
black gold became a sensation

in the restaurants of Paris.

So you think this is
the best caviar in the world?

-Oh, we get to taste it?
-Yeah.

-Laurent Dulau is the CEO
of the Sturia caviar company.

-Bonjour.
-Eva, Laurent.

-Laurent.

I see a lot of activity.
What are they doing?

[ Speaking French ]

-This is a
200 million year old fish.

-Oui, madame. Respect.

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh, my gosh.

[ Speaking French ]

-It's okay.
-It's good. Oh.

Oh my gosh.

[ Speaking French ]

-I know, I know.
-You have not?!

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh. They're firm.
-Yeah.

-So this is caviar?

-Really?
-Yeah, yeah.

So it has to go through
a process.

-You don't like the taste?
That was lovely.

-Mm, uh, it's...
[ Laughter ]

-To make caviar, raw sturgeon
eggs are salted and aged

for at least three months
to allow their flavors
to deepen.

This is beautiful.
-Yeah. It's nice.

-Vivien's restaurant,
Le Prince Noir,

is housed in a 14th century
castle outside Bordeaux.

So what are we making?

-I wish I had a caviar
sandwich when I was young.

And it's heavy on the butter.

This is France, after all.

All right. Like this?

Okay, but how much --

[ Laughing ]

[ Speaking French ]

-Oh my God.

-No way! More?!

Oh my God.

[ Speaking French ]

-Yeah. Okay.
This is probably the
most expensive sandwich

I'm ever gonna eat in my life.

We're talking a hundred dollars
worth of caviar here.

[ Speaks French ]

Mmm.
It's not a crazy, buttery taste.

Together, they really
complement each other.

-Yes, I would love to.
What are we making?

-Okay. Why don't you
get started on that

while I finish my
caviar sandwich? [laughs]

♪♪

Vivien is making beef paleron,

otherwise known
as flat iron steak,

served with his own personal
twist on bordelaise sauce.

-From sturgeon?
-Yeah.

-So are we gonna eat
the sturgeon or...

-No.

-Oh.

So you've taken
a bordelaise sauce,

which normally uses beef marrow
to thicken it, but you use
the --

-Of the fish instead.
Right. That's not common.

-That's not common.
-Yeah.

-It's two different worlds.
-Yeah.

♪♪

-Look at the color!

Oh, gosh. Here goes the caviar.

-Oh, look at that.

-Et voilà?
-Et voilà.

-Le Prince Noir has
a Michelin star,

but forget about tradition
and formality.

The crowd here is young
and curious.

And every dish is
a new discovery.

Et voilà! There's our plate.

I'm so excited
to taste this beef.

Mmm. The sturgeon is
not overpowering at all.

-Mmm. And of course the caviar
is adding that saltiness.

Never had a bordelaise sauce
like this.
-[ Vivien laughs ]

-Bravo.

But we're not done yet.

Vivien has a final surprise,

an indulgent dessert that takes
his obsession to another level.

[gasps] Caviar in our dessert?

-Yeah.
-Wow.

-Yeah. So this is your salt.
-[ Vivien laughs ]

-Your salt on a chocolate
chip cookie is caviar

on chocolate sorbet?
Okay.

[ Laughing ]

This isn't decadent at all.
-[ Viven laughing ]

♪♪

Oh my God.
That works.

It's not to show off,
it's to add a depth of flavor.

-Exactly.
-Oh my God. This is...

This is the best dessert
I've ever had!

It's certainly audacious
to combine flavors like this,

but Vivien pulls it
off beautifully,

and you can taste his
wild imagination in every bite.

♪♪

-I couldn't leave Bordeaux
without visiting

one more château and tasting
another one of its amazing reds.

The Margaux wine region,
north of Bordeaux

is home to some of France's
most prestigious vineyards,

including the visionary
Château Palmer.

♪♪

[gasps] This is beautiful.
When was this built?

-This was built in 1854.

-So what makes
Château Palmer so special?

-Actually, when we describe
Château Palmer,

we prefer to use the idea
of a farm...
-Yeah?

-...where great wines are
produced, of course, than just
a vineyard.

-Thomas Duroux is the director
of the Palmer Estate.

-Basically, we are back
to the way it was in the past,

before the Second World War.

So we grow vegetables.

We have animals
to do our own compost.

We try to rebuild
real ecosystem.

-At Château Palmer,
the farming is slow
and sustainable

and the wines are fully organic.

-The idea is to make
from this place,

from this terroir,
a wine that is very unique,

that has its own personality.

♪♪

-Bordeaux's vineyards
were booming in the 1980s.

The American market exploded
and exports soared,

but some of the subtlety
of the wines was lost.

Château Palmer is rewriting
that history,

using organic methods
to restore the soil

and the natural complexity
of the wine.

Is this Cabernet Sauvignon?
-This is Cabernet Sauvignon.

And so the main grape variety...
-My favorite.
-...are super good, super good.

-In contrast to the clay
and limestone of Saint-Émilion,

here, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
are grown in gravelly soil,

producing delicate
aromatic wines.

-Hey, Arnaud.
Hi, everyone.

-Hello, Eva.
-Hello.

-Welcome to the vineyard.
-Hey, Eva, so this is Arnaud,

our vineyard manager.
-Enchanté.

-He's in charge of, of --
-The grapes.

-You know. The grapes.
-He does all the work.

-That's his responsibility
to make good grapes,

to be able to produce
good wines.

-Exactly.
-All right. See you later.

-See you later.

So, what is everybody doing?

-So just, uh,
managing the canopy length.

-What does canopy length mean?
-So, you want to make sure

the sunlight reaches
the whole vine.

And you have two ways
of doing that.
-Uh-huh.

-You can either trim
the top of it
-Mm-hm.

-Or you can braid the vines
into arches.

You just have to take
two shoots --

-I'm really good at
braiding hair,

so I should
be good at this.
-You take that one.

-Oh, this one.
-No, you take that one.

-Oh, the big one. Okay.
-Yeah, the big one.

And then you braid them.

-Oh, God. I'm not gonna --
I'm not gonna break it?

-No, no, no. No worries.
-Oh, my lord.

This is --
-[ Arnaud laughs ]

-This is harder
than braiding hair.

Wait. I think that's too many,
Arnaud.

-I'm just going to show you.

-No, Arnaud, I'm gonna do it.
-Alright, alright.

I'll leave you to it.
-Can I do these?

-Yeah, yeah.
-Like this? Comme ça?

-Yeah, exactly.
You know, you can just put this
one behind and that's it.

-Oh, my God,
I made the perfect arch!

-Yeah, that's perfect.
Well done.

-So why do you do this?

-So we like to think
the vines talk to each other.

You know?
-They talk to each other?

-No,
that's what we'd like to say.

But they help each other
stay strong like a community.

-Mm-hm.
-I'm serious.

-I'm very serious.
-No, I, I --

Look, I talk to my plants
and they grow.

And they're happy.

And I'm like,
"You're so beautiful.

You're so beautiful."
-That's great.

-And I think that helps.

I'm gonna leave you
to your work.

I think I've done my part.
Merci, Arnaud!

♪♪

I'm curious to see
if I can taste

that hands-on care
in the grapes.

Back at the château,

Thomas has invited me for
a very personal wine tasting.

-I think, you know,
the weather is nice.

It's a proper time to taste
something special, right?
-Yes.

-So we decided to just
prepare a 1975 Château Palmer.

I don't know why.
Is it a special vintage?

-It's a 50 year old bottle.
-It is a 50 year old bottle,
yeah.

-I will tell you that.
-Yeah, yeah.

And it's a wonderful bottle
in very good shape.
-That's my --

-My birth year.
Is it a good year?

-It's a fantastic year.
-Oh, my gosh.

-Look at the color, you know.
-Look at the color.

-It's almost like your dress.

-Oh, okay.
-So...

-Santé.
-Santé.
[ Eva laughs ]

♪♪

-Oh, yeah. This is so nice.
-Yeah.

It's like --
-It's elegant.

-It's a piece of silk,
you know?

-Yeah.
-It's super delicate in
your palate.

-Yes. Oh, I'm so glad this was
a good year.

-Yeah, well...
[ Both laugh ]

-Can you imagine if we
opened it and we were like...

"Nah..."
-"Well, okay,

let's find another one."
-[ Eva laughing ]

-But there's so much history
in a glass.

There's so much history
in a bottle.

-I think in the end,
the most beautiful part of it,

it's really our passion,
our goal in life,

to be able to share
what we do with people like you.

-And what an honor to taste
such a personal vintage.

But the wines at Château Palmer
are only half the story.

I hear the food is
also pretty special.

So maybe I'll stick around
for lunch.

♪♪

Here at château Palmer, they're
creating a new type of vineyard

where deep respect
for the land produces subtle,

expressive wines,

and where I'm hoping the food is
as captivating as the drink.

Bonjour, Chef.
-Ah, bonjour, Eva.

[ Speaking French ]

-Jean-Denis Le Bras is the
estate's Michelin starred chef,

preparing haute cuisine
for the château's paying guests,

who get to dine
in aristocratic style.

[ Speaking French ]

-But today we're
not cooking for the guests.

We're feeding the people who
keep the place running --
the workers.

♪♪

[ Speaking French ]

-We're starting
with a velouté,

a soup made with peas
fresh from the château's garden.

[ Speaking French ]

-The workers' meals
at Château Palmer

are inspired by an old
French tradition --

the harvest feast.

In the fall, when the grape
harvest was finished,

the vineyard owners
would treat their workers

to a celebratory meal
to thank them for their efforts.

[ Speaking French ]

-It's like a camaraderie.
-Yeah.

-This is the ultimate in
farm to fork dining.

Every ingredient comes from
the estate,

including creamy goat's cheese
and crunchy pistachios.

And to follow the soup,
an entrée that's been
cooking all night.

[ Eva gasps ]

-Wow, the jus!

Oh, my God, it's just
falling off the bone!

♪♪

After a morning's work in
the fields and in the château,

staff from all over the estate
have earned their lunch.

Everyone is assigned
their own napkin, including me.

They just told me
there's a difference.

This means you work here,
and this means you're a guest.

-Yeah.
-But I did work, you guys.

I did work. I feel like I should
get a red napkin.

Ah!
First course on the menu --

the pea soup with goat's cheese.

-Check the color of it.
-Oh, my God.

it's like the brightest green.

Mmm.
-[ Arnaud speaks French ]

-Mmm. It tastes like it just
came out of the garden
an hour ago.

Which it did!
-It did, actually. It did!

-How do you feel eating
like this every day?

-We feel like
we get to see the result

of all this work
every day, basically.
- Every day. Yeah.

-And the chefs do a wonderful
job, which is awesome
for everyone.

-Mmm.
-Usually plates come out empty.

-Oh.
-Which is a good sign.
-I would --

And then the dish
I'd been waiting for.

[ All exclaim ]

-The slow roasted lamb
with rosemary and thyme.

-Bon appétit.
-Bon appétit.

-Merci.
-Oh my God.

Wow.
-Good?

-That is so tender!

So subtle, so soft.

So, Arnaud,
other châteaux don't do this?

-But it's like an ecosystem,
too.

You need every person here
to make the vineyard work.

-Yeah, exactly.

So having everyone here
all together, it just

brings community
all altogether.

-I know the château has
a different menu,

but I'd much rather be
in this room.

-Yeah, right?
-[ Eva laughs ]

-Santé!

♪♪

Bordeaux is and always has been
a world leader in wine.

But the food was
always sidelined.

The cuisine was born
out of a necessity

to feed its workers in
the fields and in the vineyards.

But in the last 20 years, the
city and the region of Aquitaine

has undergone a renaissance...

[ Eva gasps ]

...and an amazing
food scene has emerged

to rival its vineyards
in ambition.

Sleeping Beauty has awoken
from her slumber

and boy, is she awake.

♪♪