Saint-Pourçain vineyard

Twenty-eight kilometers northwest of Vichy, the D2009 slips through rolling Allier hills toward Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, its vineyards cresting around 300–360 m. The AOC granted in 2009 celebrates tressallier, chardonnay, and gamay—heirs to monastic plantings from the 1200s. You’ll pass Montoldre and Contigny, skirt the Sioule, spot the Clock Tower, and catch the plots of Les Pâtures. Expect cellar tastings at family estates and a farmhouse lunch of Bourbonnais potato pie, paced for conversation with growers.

From there, your Vichy-based private chauffeur keeps a Mercedes at your disposal: hotel pickup, a flexible route, and pre-booked visits. Tour barrel rooms, contrast a lees-aged tressallier with a gravel-grown pinot noir near Saulcet, while driving and parking are handled discreetly. Continue to Saint-Loup then Saulzet, add the 1952 cooperative if you wish, and sit down to lunch in town. On the way back, a detour via Verneuil-en-Bourbonnais offers one last view across the Sioule valley.