Three
horses on board; Lily and Dromara climb a 16th century tower; the Widow
welcomes Pushy Woman home... and one last puncture.
It had been 39 degrees on our last day in Alsace so
we got up at 4.30am to ensure that the horses travelled to Champagne in
the coolest part of the day. By the time we had reached only Nancy we
were into cool cloud - not my choice but good for the horses who
happily munched and dozed their way across this part of northern
France.
We made a detour north of Epernay to
Mourmelon-le-Petit where we collected Eole Pol Roger - Delphine de
Billy's horse. He is a very fine chestnut French chap who does some
great dressage - but on this occasion he was being taken out to come
and stay with our girls and to ride with us. This was the first time we
had had three horses on board so all the spare batteries and tyre and
horse food were piled high into the living area of the horse box along
with our bags as we drove the last 75kms to Château d'Etoges south of
Epernay.
Château d'Etoges is set in its own
beautiful parkland with an orchard at one end and a moat all the way
round. It is a very elegant building with perfect proportions but
remains charmingly welcoming without being severely formal. The mint
green mean machine scrunched up the drive and we were warmly welcomed
by the owner, Madame Anne Neuville-Filliette, who has always lived
here.
Lily and Dromara were allocated a corner of
the parkland and showed off their best English manners entertaining
other guests as they strolled around behind the famous mobile fencing
that had travelled so far with us. Meanwhile Eole explored his patch
for 24hrs and then decided to use the pickets as a scratching post,
sending his whole section of fencing down like ninepins on a regular
basis! Delphine came to the rescue and we decided he needed a good ride
through the vines.
Claire Gordon Brown who had been
with us in the Languedoc had come back for four more days which was
great as not only is she a good rider and a Master of Wine but normally
an excellent map reader - and I was in need of a break. We set off for
Château de Monmort - one of only two châteaux in France with a tower
especially designed for knights in armour to take their horses up into
the fortifications. However, Claire managed to over-extend the ride
right through the whole Forest of Vertus! After cantering down every
verge possible we arrived just in time for our appointment to be
greeted by Monsieur Hubert Combezde who owns the Château de Monmort and
he unlocked the tower door and led the way. No horses had been in the
tower for over three years and Lily certainly looked twice before
deciding that it was safe and following me in up the spiral brick path.
As they munched the grass at the top and we looked out at the ramparts
we told them that they really were the bravest, most trusting horses in
all of France.
From Château d'Etoges we moved to a
gîte in Vouzy just off the edge of the Côtes des Blancs and tucked the
horses into lovely shady stables on Christian Deibener's farm in the
next village where we met Carole Duval of Duval Leroy. From here we
explored the Côtes des Blancs on hoof and by lorry. It was a tale of
contrasts and great experiences from Duval Leroy to see their
impressive modern winery and learn just how champagne production is
controlled, to the small family house of Champagne Pierre Moncuit set
in its own courtyard where Madame Nicole Moncuit guided us round their
kilometre of cellars.
There has always been a great
ride of the region - and when Claire had gone home and Liz Price (who
had only ridden racehorses for the last 10 years!) came to join me for
the last three days of the whole tour we set out on the one of
Champagne. Lily and Dromara climbed out of the box just outside Vertus
and we climbed up through the vineyards to ride along the Côtes des
Blancs skirting the edge of the forest above looking down through the
vines at le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and down into Avize ending up just
before Cramant. The sun shone and the vines glistened green and
luxurious as we looked at the tiny buds which had just finished
flowering and imagined what might be poured into a glass... from
here... in four years time.
Apart from Champagne
itself I was keen to see other local products like some of the great
cheeses we found in Epernay market. Hubert de Billy of Pol Roger, not
only welcomed us to the region with a magnificent dinner but had also
researched one of his favourite cheese producers. So we left the girls
in their cool stable and set out for Sezanne an hour south of Epernay.
At la Villeneuve les Charlesville we found Madame Maltaverne at the
Ferme de Chapton where she makes many different styles of cheese from
her own cows. My favourite started out like a Tomme when young and
matured from an Emmental consistency though to nearly the strength of
Parmesan when really mature. How the horsebox will smell with one on
board we will have to see! Madame Maltaverne also makes delicious
Terrine de Lapin with Marc de Champagne.
Christian Deibener, our
horses' host, insisted that we visit Hautvillier to see the Abbey and
the tomb of Dom Perignon and experience this charming village
firsthand. So we set off with fresh asparagus for our picnic from his
farm and went in search of another small family business, Champagne
Tribaut. As we tasted their Cuvée Speciale on their
front lawn we had an excellent geography lesson of the region looking
out over the vineyards stretching to Epernay and on to the Côtes des
Blancs. Christian who can smell a party at 100kms downwind miraculously
turned up to join in the tasting...
As they say, all
good things come to an end and very soon it was time for Liz and I to
ride the girls through the beautiful wrought iron gates at the Manoir
de Verzy. We had moved the horses one last time to a very smart
stableyard at the bottom of the hill leading into Verzy where they were
surrounded by trotting horses at the Ferme de Pierre Monnaie owned by
Madame Danielle Hautus. Liz, Ben (who had been keen to come back and
drive for a third time - was it caused by a love of Lily or champagne,
I kept asking myself?) and I had moved into the Manoir de Verzy which
is owned by Veuve Clicquot and very much created as the spiritual home
of La Grande Dame. For me it was another very special place to return
to. I worked here in 1997 when it was still being renovated and now all
of Rosalyne de Casteja's hard work and elegant taste has come to
fruition as the light shone in through the long open windows.
At 12.35 Lily, Dromara and I completed The Great French
Ride as we walked from the Grand Cru vineyard of
Verzy in through the gates and on to the lawn in this very special part
of France to be greeted by friends from England, Paris, Montpellier,
Epernay and Reims. I was so touched that even Jacques Peters, Veuve
Clicquot's senior cellarmaster had made time to come and welcome us in
with an ever-so-fitting glass of La Grande Dame. Lily was adorned with
a vibrant Veuve Clicquot Yellow Pashmina round her neck to celebrate
over 500 miles on the hoof in France. She certainly lived up to her
true breeding name, Pushy Woman, as she posed for one more photo on the
lawn before Dromara told her it was time to be back in the mean green
mint machine and led the way up the ramp one last time. We turned the
truck towards Beauvais and on to Le Havre where P&O were
waiting at the dockside. They say home is where the heart is but will
Wiltshire ever be the same for these horses?
For me
and all my 'cavalières invitées' it has been an
amazing experience: the great French hospitality, the myriad of
different wines that make up these seven regions, the hills and valleys
we have climbed, the French love of horses, the dramas of nails in
hooves and punctures in vineyards all blessed under virtual continuous
sunshine, and above all two happy, healthy horses who have been so very
trusting - something none of us will ever forget.
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