The Caves of Bailly-LaPierre

A short distance upriver from Auxerre we made a stop at the Caves of Bailly-Lapierre, right on the Yonne River. A cave (pronounced cahve) is a wine cellar and may or may not be in a cave. But it is where you go to taste wine. This cooperative cave was in a former limestone quarry carved into the side of a hill like a cave system. It housed 7 million bottles of wine, most of it sparkling wine known as Crémant of Burgundy made from Pinot Noir grapes. We toured the caves, viewed a series of sculptures, marveled at the layers of moss on those 7 million bottles, and sampled a few wines. Sorry folks, no pictures allowed. However, they do have a website. http://www.bailly-lapierre.fr/ with some good pictures.