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In 1707 the Count de Buffon
exclaimed :
" Man's most noble conquest is this proud
and spirited animal "
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The Count was of course referring
to the horse! Two centuries later Alfred Jarry followed
with :
" The horse's most noble
conquest is the woman ".
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At Château
Fonrazade, a superb property owned for years by
the Count des Cordes, three horses grazing in the prairie
bring a smile to Fabienne Balotte's lips, who is thrilled
to combine her two passions, horses and wine.
The only daughter of Guy Balotte, who has owned the estate
since 1958, chose to be a vintner.
Fabienne remembers with fondness when as a child she would
run through the family vineyard, looking for her maternal
grandmother Renée who rode her horse through the
Saint-André de Cubzac vineyards.
Her first harvest was in 1964, when she was barely five
years old. Today she still remembers every detail : the
smell of sun gorged grapes, the workers' tanned faces
beaming with happiness when they reached the vat house
with overflowing baskets. Once the grapes began to ferment,
an acrid odour would waft across the stones, sticking
to her skin and taking over the estate.
She has followed in her father's footsteps, a still very
active 80-year old, in both spirit and action, and with
the attentive help of her husband Lucien Giol, a professional
engineer. Fabienne has firmly seized the reigns of the
Chateau. To maintain the highest reputation of her domain,
she handles everything from winemaking to sales.
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| (from "Bordeaux Pleasure
Wines", by Marie and Serge Tchekhov, at Amavinum) |
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