Bordeaux, gateway to the vineyards
City of gastronomy and capital of the Gironde and good living, Bordeaux is the gateway to the prestigious Bordeaux vineyards. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is as surprising and effervescent as Crémant de Bordeaux. In addition to its many terraces and wine bars, the most emblematic of which is undoubtedly the CIVB bar on the first floor of the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux, the Cité du Vin is the starting point for an initiatory journey to the heart of wine culture. The museographic tour winds its way through the museum like a wine whose aromas you'd like to release at the moment of tasting. With its belvedere 35 meters above the city and river, the Cité du Vin is a unique site in the world. Whether you're a neophyte, an amateur or a connoisseur, come aboard for an immersive, fun and multi-sensory experience!
And don't miss Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan) and its 10-hectare vineyard surrounded by the city. Inaugurated in 2016, the new winery, designed by Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry, emerges from the waters of the Peugue. Above some 300 barrels, the tasting room offers a superb panorama of the vineyard.
Also accessible by streetcar, as it is located in the heart of Bordeaux's Bastide district, Clos des Queyries is a former 18th-century wine estate converted into a guest house where the rooms are called Aquitaine, Dijeaux, Salinière, Cailhau...
Bordeaux is also home to the famous Fête du Vin, the Week-end des Grands Crus and the Fête du Vin Nouveau et de la Brocante.
Graves and Sauternes
Explore the lands of Bertrand de Goth, Queen Margot, Montesquieu, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec... and the world's most prestigious wines! Planted in ancient times by the Romans, the Graves and Sauternes vineyards are the oldest in Bordeaux.
A major Bordeaux appellation crossed by the Ciron river, the Sauternes region is home to one of the jewels of French viticulture: Château d'Yquem, Bordeaux's only Premier Cru Supérieur. In the land of yellow gold, high above the village of Bommes, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is also well worth a visit. Here, you can admire the one and only Lalique crystal barrel and visit the chapel, entirely decorated by Lalique. For gourmets, the visit to Or et d'Accords, with its gourmet bites prepared by Michelin-starred Chef Jérôme Schilling, promises to be a real treat.
The Apéros Dorés at Château de la Tour Blanche are yet another way to enjoy a glass of Sauternes. This summer's program includes music, horse-drawn carriage rides, Sauternes cocktails and tapas...
How about a flight over the Graves and Sauternes appellation from the vines of Château Vénus, or a "perched tasting" at Château de Rayne Vigneau?
A classified Graves growth, Château Smith Haut Lafitte is full of surprises, starting with a magnificent cooperage where the Master Cooper makes 3 to 4 barrels a day. Here, art, wine, gastronomy and well-being meet. With its collection of colorful concrete eggs and its 4,000 m² Jardin Millésimé, a contemporary creation in the winegrowing landscape, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is also a land of art and wine.
Punctuated by major events such as the Foire aux Vins et aux Fromages de Langon, La Raisin d'Or and Les Nuits Atypiques, the Graves and Sauternes Bordeaux Wine Route provides a good overview of the wealth and diversity of wine tourism on offer in Gironde.
Medoc
Nestled between the estuary and the ocean, the route des Châteaux that crosses the Médoc is certainly one of the most beautiful wine routes in France. Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux... the Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée are world-famous. Châteaux Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and 56 other great Médoc estates are on the list of Grands Crus Classés in 1855.
Here, the vineyard is the heart of everything. The Maison du Tourisme et du Vin de Pauillac is almost a must to pick up the precious topoguide "Architecture des châteaux". Allow around 3 hours for this 52 km circuit, which can be completed by car.
Nicknamed the "Versailles of the Médoc" with its formal gardens, Château Beychevelle is a must-see on the Wine Route. Château Cos d'Estournel is undoubtedly the most original, with its Oriental-style architecture.
Cellars, tours and tastings, horse-drawn carriage rides, gourmet restaurant, 1930s brasserie, bicycle workshop, cooking school, art exhibitions... Within the Cazes family wine estate, the village of Bages in Pauillac is a place apart and a must for all gourmets and epicureans curious to discover the Médoc savoir-vivre.
A château of tales and legends, Agassac will satisfy the curiosity of the youngest, as well as the thirst of the greatest connoisseurs of high-expression wines. It is said to be the château of Sleeping Beauty.
The Médoc Châteaux Marathon and other major events such as the Jazz and Wine Festival and the Festival International des Vendanges du 7e art are great opportunities to discover the region.
Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac
From the banks of the Dordogne to the farthest reaches of the Périgord, the wine landscapes of Saint-Emilion and the neighboring appellations of Pomerol and Fronsac stand on one of Bordeaux's most emblematic wine routes. Angélus, Cheval Blanc... the great names of wine echo to the other end of the world.
Saint-Emilion is the first vineyard to be listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, representing some 5,000 hectares of vines spread over the 8 communes of the Saint-Emilion Jurisdiction: Saint-Emilion, Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, Saint-Pey-d'Armens, Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens, Saint-Hippolyte and Vignonet. For Unesco, Saint-Emilion is "an outstanding example of a historic winegrowing landscape that has survived intact" and "illustrates in an exceptional way the intensive cultivation of the vine".
With its cobbled streets, old stones and magnificent views, particularly from the Place des Créneaux, the medieval town of Saint-Emilion will use its charms to tell you all about its history through its wines and listed monuments. Jurade events are timeless moments. On these occasions, the Jurats parade in their traditional red robes, solemnly proclaiming the Judgement of the New Wine on the third Sunday in June, or the Harvest Ban on the third Sunday in September.
Château de la Rivière, Château La Fleur de Boüard, Château Tour Saint-Christophe, Cloître des Cordeliers, Château La Dominique, Château Faugères, le Dôme... As mythical as it is, the Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Fronsac wine route is at the crossroads of tradition and modernity.
Entre-deux-Mers
A land of wine, art and history, Entre-deux-Mers is the largest wine-growing region in Bordeaux (7,000 hectares). Entre-deux-Mers wines come in all colors, so they can no longer be summed up as the little dry white wine traditionally enjoyed with a dozen oysters from the Arcachon or Cap Ferret basins... Entre-deux-Mers is far more surprising! Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux Haut-Benauge, Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire, Entre-deux-Mers, Loupiac, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Moelleux, Cadillac, Sainte-Croix du Mont, Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Crémant de Bordeaux... With 17 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée, the region is also, and above all, the most diverse.
And with a medieval heritage like no other, the hinterland of Bordeaux has a lot to offer, especially for cycling enthusiasts, who don't hesitate to follow the Roger Lapébie trail through vineyards, forests and bastides.
Heritage tours aboard a legendary Citroën 2CV at Château de La Dauphine, summer tastings with panoramic views over the Garonne valley from the cool caves of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Cadillac wine-tour in Cadillac, history-filled visit to Château de Camarsac, a one-of-a-kind sound and light show at Château Seguin, the history of winegrowing and a visit to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's apartments at Château Malromé, a bucolic hike at Château de Ferrand, awakening the senses around the Gustave Eiffel greenhouse in the garden of scents at Château de Reignac..
Perpetuating a tradition that goes back more than eight centuries, Cadillac's weekly market, the largest in southern Gironde, brings together the region's producers. It's a great opportunity to discover Entre-deux-Mers wines and the finest local produce.
Blaye and Bourg
A heritage of the estuary, the hillsides of Bourg-sur-Gironde and Blaye make up an atypical and discreet winegrowing terroir, like Clos de l'Echauguette nestled in the "bastion des Pères" of the Blaye Citadel. Planted 100% with Merlot, this small 1,500 m² vineyard, ploughed on horseback and farmed organically, enjoys an exceptional location overlooking the estuary opposite the Médoc. Accessible via a tunnel dug under the earthen rampart, it is a place steeped in history.
In Blaye and Bourg, the red wines are predominantly made from the Merlot grape variety, while the whites are made from Sauvignon Blanc. There are two ways to discover the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux and Côtes de Bourg AOCs: by river, with wine-tourism cruises to visit the Margaux, Nouvelle and Patiras islands, or along the Corniche Fleurie road, which runs along the Dordogne for 12 kilometers from Bourg-sur-Gironde to Villeneuve.
The Printemps des vins de Blaye is a not-to-be-missed event in the heart of the Citadelle.
Visits and tastings, impromptu stops, Appellation Open House weekends... As you can imagine, there's no better way to explore one of the 6 Bordeaux Wine Routes!
