Thank you Carol, OB, Mike and Don, for taking a look and leaving such nice comments. And yes, Mike, I have tasted a good few St Emilion bottles in my time! Nice bit of history as ever. You're right about the randomness of the buildings, Don. That's one of the things I love about these ancient places; they look as if they literally grew rather than being built.

fantastic shot steve .. have you had a bottle of their wine yet a wonderful bordeaux a good vintage is a 1982 or 2005 and guess what info time lol

Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.

The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century AD. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine.

The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.

Great photo of St Emilion.

Carol