The appellation

Saint-Émilion

Right bank of the Dordogne. A UNESCO landscape. Wine here is older than the classification — Romans, then the first Bordeaux to be sent abroad. Limestone, gravel, sand, clay, and iron change from one vineyard to the next, and so does the wine.

Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the grapes that matter. 5,565 hectares, about 800 producers, nearly 4% of the red wine Bordeaux makes each year — and some of the highest quality in the country. The vineyards are either unclassified or Grand Cru. Château Du Parc is the latter.

The house on the vineyard is Arcachonnaise, a Victorian of the southwest: four bedrooms, a kitchen, and a pool looking over the vines. It is where the wine is kept. It is not a hotel, and nothing here is a stay.