town hall of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont

The town hall of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, one of the more unusual mairies in the Bordeaux region, occupies the medieval Château de Tastes, perched on a cliff above the Garonne valley in the wine village of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Gironde.

Why does a château house the town hall?

Château de Tastes, originally a fortified residence, gradually became the seat of local government, and today it functions as Sainte-Croix-du-Mont's town hall. A path leads from the forecourt down the hillside straight to the cliffs below, making the town hall a natural starting point for exploring the village. Next to the château stands the church of Sainte-Croix, and the surrounding lanes of the old village form a quiet, compact centre well away from Bordeaux's busier tourist routes.

What lies in the cliff beneath the town hall?

Just below the hill on which the mairie stands rises a rock face nearly ten metres high, built almost entirely from fossilised oysters. It is the remnant of a submarine cove from roughly 22 million years ago, when the sea still reached this part of Aquitaine. Conditions in the cove suited oysters so well that they settled on top of one another, gradually forming a solid rock layer. Erosion later carved caves into this rock, and those caves are still put to use today — not as a fossil display, but as natural cellars for ageing the local wine.

What wine is this village known for?

Sainte-Croix-du-Mont also lends its name to its own wine appellation, known for sweet white (liquoreux) wines produced on the slopes running down to the Garonne. The vineyards face the river's most famous sweet-wine appellation, Sauternes, on the opposite bank, so the terrace by the château and the area around the town hall offer views across both sides of this wine valley. In one of the caves hollowed into the cliff, the local winegrowers' syndicate holds tastings of the area's wines, bringing geology, history and winemaking together in a single spot.

What else is worth seeing near the town hall?

Beyond Château de Tastes and the oyster cliff, it's worth walking the lanes around the church of Sainte-Croix and pausing at the viewpoint terrace, which looks out over the Garonne valley and vineyards stretching to the horizon. The site layers three eras in one place: fossils tens of millions of years old, a medieval château now serving an administrative role, and a winemaking tradition that has continued unbroken for centuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can visitors go inside the town hall? Château de Tastes functions as an administrative building, so interior access is limited to the mairie's opening hours. The grounds around the château, the viewpoint terrace and the path to the cliffs are open to everyone.

How do you reach the fossilised oyster cliff? A path runs from the forecourt of the château down the slope to the base of the cliff. The walk takes only a few minutes and needs no special preparation.

Can you taste wine inside the caves? Yes — one of the caves carved into the rock is used by the local winegrowers' syndicate for tastings of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont wines, an appellation known for its sweet white wines.

How does Sainte-Croix-du-Mont differ from Sauternes? The two appellations face each other across the Garonne and both specialise in sweet wines, but they are separate, independent appellations with their own histories and wine styles.