Chateau de Rochecotte bar ★ 4.4
Chateau de Rochecotte, the former estate of Princess Dorothee de Dino (Talleyrand's mistress), sits in vineyards above the Loire near Bourgueil. The candle-lit bar in the stone-vaulted basement pours the Bourgueil and Chinon range alongside Vouvray and Saumur Brut.
The list: Chateau hotel wine list of 200 bottles with Bourgueil and Chinon emphasis; 8 by-the-glass; candle-lit stone-vaulted bar
Tip: Combine an evening at the bar with a stay in the chateau for the next day's Bourgueil cellar visits; the bar gives easy access to wines from estates a kilometre away.