4 to 15 June 2023Day 4Cognac to Saint-Émilion (389.2km)8 June 2023Photos: gerardbrown.co.ukDay four of the CarreraRiviera saw us enjoyingour vintage cars by dayand vintage wine bynight. Between breakfastand dinner we enjoyedsome of the finest roadswe’ve driven so far.First up though were thevineyards of the Charente,whose fruit was destined forthe brandy still, followed bythose more likely to end up asa cru; regular Grande or Classé.And, maybe some of thevieille vignes, we occasionallyglimpsed, were mere seedlingswhen one or two of our maturevoitures rolled off their own Josef and Adelheid Dillier, 1955 Jaguar XK140 Coupeproduction lines.The Segonzac section, a looping test of navigationclever scheduling, after taking the chequered flag at thethrough the hills of the Cognac AOC, got the day underway.end of their two laps of the kart track, the Time Control atthe Bistro Circuit provided the Rally with a fine restorativeHere it paid to keep a closer eye on the road book than thebuffet lunch. Then they lined up to tackle the second Testcar in front because, at various points, the route loopedaround the much bigger Saintonge Circuit. Tyres squealed,and crossed.engines howled and navigators, after what had been aThe La Charente Passage Control, set in the midst of abusy morning for them, found they had little else to doseries of four delightful old bridges spanning various armsbut hang on tightly.of the River Charente, ensured no-one was left behind. ThenFrom the intensity of the track session the pace droppedit was time for coffee at the Time Control in the Château dea little and more rolling roads brought us gently into thePlassons where they’ve been distilling Cognac for hundredsDordogne with a long Section through the Forêt de Laof years. Another Section followed almost immediately fromDouble before we spied another highlight of the day peepingthis welcome break. From the village of Le Plassons thethrough the trees. Set well above the village of Saint-Michelcrews once again found themselves with vineyards to thede-Montaigne, the days final Passage Control in the groundsright of them, vineyards to the left of them and vineyards toof the Château de Montaigne, provided us with a memorablethe front of them, leaving them no other choice but to pressalfresco refreshment break. Then it was a run into theon in true Tennysonian fashion; to another amazing circuitDepartment of the Gironde and our night halt in Le Grandat Haute Saintonge for the first of two Tests.Barrail Saint-Émilion followed by a rest day tomorrow, whichIt had been a full morning of charging around and thewill give us time to explore the region and its viticulture.Rally had worked up quite an appetite. Thanks to somewww.rallytheglobe.com
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