- SPANISH SPEAKING GUIDE ON REQUEST -

GREAT CABERNETS OF THE MEDOC DAY TOUR

9.30am Depart from the Bordeaux Tourist Office.

At 9.30am, meet your guide at the tourist office in Bordeaux. Our minivan has air conditioning and comfortable seats.

3 visits and wine tasting sessions in Classified growth or Cru Bourgeois estates

During this full day tour you will experience 3 visits and wine tasting sessions in Classified growth or Cru Bourgeois estates that have been carefully selected for their exceptional setting and quality of wine.

Laid on the southern bank of the Garonne river, Médoc region offers a wonderful wine and cultural experience. You will drive along the Route des Vignobles (wine route) through prestigious appellations. Margaux is worldwide famous for its magnificent 19^th century château surrounded by a romantic park and an overview vineyard, giving the famous Château Margaux, one of the best grand cru classé. Further on the route, you will approach the picturesque and bucolic st-julien appellation, proud of its delightful soft red. Still driving through this verdant landscape, you will arrive in Pauillac which is one of the best expression of of the glory of Bordeaux wines. Château Latour, Laffitte and Rotschild are promises of immemorial remembrance.

During these visits you will learn all there is to know about the history of the estates, the wine making process as well as the techniques used during the wine making. The visits are followed by a wine tasting session to experience hands on and enjoy the most notorious wine in the world. Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac or the Haut Medoc appellations will have no secrets for you, nor will Carbernet sauvignon and cabernet franc which are the kings of the Médoc region. Of the grape varieties permitted, 50% of the viticultural area is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and to a lesser extent Petit Verdot and Malbec. Also allowed within the AOC regulations are the varieties Cabernet Franc and Carménère

Sightseeing of the Castle Road.

Following the castle road, you will admire some of the most famous châteaux such as Château Margaux, Château Palmer or Chateau Pichon Longueville.

It is hard to separate Bordeaux Medoc wines from their cultural and historical heritage. Indeed, Bordeaux wines fame go way back in antiquity. Bordeaux was already starting to earn fame for its wines as far back as the 1st century AD. Romans had settled in 60BC in Burdigala and already started to plant and cultivate wine. From Pompei to England, Bordeaux wines were known in all around Europe’s royal court and churches and served to royal wedding. And in the 16th century, Dutch consumers of wine will change Bordeaux wines fate forever by creating what is now known as the Medoc, part of the Left Bank. Motivated by the need to quicken the export of Bordeaux Wines to Dutchland, they dried out all the swamp lands and marshes to create agricultural land, vineyards and direct routes to the Atlantic via the Estuary of the Gironde. It is on this piece of land that the most famous Châteaux will be born. From the 17th century on, Wine trade was entrusted to ‘negociant’ or wine traders by the royal vineyards owners, and it is no secret that the Medoc became a refuge for the wealthy nobility. They had the vision and the money to create what we know as Bordeaux’s Medoc today.

At 6PM, your guide will drop you off at Bordeaux tourist office.