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France, Bordeaux – Private Bordeaux Wine Explorer

From $10819pp

  • duration-trip
    Duration
    6 Days
  • trip-travelstyle
    Travel Style
    iconFood & Wine iconPrivate iconWine Itineraries
  • Product Code
    FRBDXFEWT

summary-image

Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste some of the world’s most famous chateaux. Tastings may include First Growths like Chateaux Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild, or Lafite Rothschild. Learn from insiders about the people, power, and politics that shaped Bordeaux’s past and continue to influence it today.

Be among the first to taste the most recent vintage in the barrel. Or sample fine older vintages and meet with the passionate cellar masters and chateau owners who make some of your favorite wines. On your Bordeaux tour enjoy first-class accommodations and sumptuous meals prepared by the region’s best chefs at private estates or fabulous Michelin-starred restaurants.

NOTE
We include only top-quality wine chateaux and estates in our programs. Once you book your program with us, we will contact the estates to determine which are available. If there are specific chateaux or estates you would like to visit, please let us know, and we will contact your preferences first when arranging visits and tastings for you.

Welcome to Bordeaux

Arrive on your own and check-in late afternoon to your luxury hotel: the centrally located 5* Intercontinental Grand Hotel de Bordeaux & Spa. Opposite the magnificent eighteenth-century Grand Théatre, the 150-room Intercontinental Grand Hotel de Bordeaux perfectly mirrors the aristocratic elegance of this lovely city, thanks to the exquisite interiors of designer Jacques Garcia.

The signature restaurant, Le Pressoir d’Argent, is a stunner with rocaille decor (seashells set into elaborate plaster moldings) and a sublime seafood menu. There’s also a lively wine bar, and a brasserie that provides great people-watching from the sidewalk terrace.

New for 2023, this afternoon you can enjoy a Bordeaux Wine Tasting Class at Max Bordeaux, located within walking distance from your hotel. Learn about the vineyards of Bordeaux, the different classifications, and finally taste three amazing Grands Crus.

Enjoy dinner (not included) tonight at your hotel’s fabulous restaurant, or in one of Bordeaux city’s many fine restaurants, with our recommendations.

Meals T(Grands Crus Wines)

Overnight Bordeaux

Graves & Sauternes

After breakfast meet your English-speaking, wine expert guide/driver, and travel south to the vineyards of the Graves Region. The Romans planted some of the first vineyards in the Bordeaux area here, just outside what is now the city limits. Here you will be the guests of a Classified Grand Cru chateau, such as Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte or Chateau La Louviere, where a great tour and tasting awaits you.

Following will be a welcome lunch at a local restaurant in the area. Possible tour and tasting at another Classified Cru chateau in the Graves region or if you prefer, a Classified Grand Cru chateau in Sauternes such as Chateau Suduiraut or Chateau Giraud, home of the most famous sweet wine appellation in the world.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon for an evening on your own.

Meals B, T(Graves), L, T(Sauternes)

Overnight Bordeaux

The Mighty Medoc – Margaux & Pauillac

Today we explore the Médoc, world-renowned for its Classified Growth chateaux, following the “Route des Chateaux” through the famous villages of Margaux and Pauillac.

Your first tour and tasting will be at a Grand Cru chateaux as their VIP guests in Margaux: such as Chateau Palmer or Kirwan.

Enjoy a lovely lunch at one of the finest restaurants in the area, a favorite of local winemakers.

This afternoon, you’ll enjoy 1-2 tours and tastings at a Grand Cru property as VIP guests at estates such as Chateau Pichon Baron or Chateau Haut Batailley.

We will provide an itinerary for the day that allows for variety in estates visited in different appellations to help uncover the nuances of each appellation. Typically we focus this day around Margaux and Pauillac.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon for the evening on your own.

Meals B, T(Margaux), T(Pauillac)

Overnight Bordeaux

The Mighty Medoc – Saint Estephe & St Julien

Today we return to the Médoc, to discover St. Julien and St. Estephe. Saint-Julien is considered by some the right balance between Pauillac and Margaux. Saint-Estèphe wines are very colored, earthy, robust, and tannic. They reach their maturity slower than other Médoc wines.

Our explorations in the Médoc start in St. Julien with a tasting at a classified growth such as Chateau Lagrange or Chateau Leoville-Poyferre.

Then a special treat awaits you in St. Estephe; indulge in a private wine tasting lunch specially prepared for you at a wine chateau estate of a classified growth or cru bourgeois. This is a perfect opportunity to sample library wines perfectly paired with specialties of the region, in the private kitchen or dining room of the estate.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon for an evening on your own.

Meals B, T(St Estephe) L, T(St Julien)

Overnight Bordeaux

Saint Emilion

Known since Roman times for the quality of its wines, the village and vineyards of Saint Emilion are designated today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Emilion has some of Bordeaux’s oldest vineyards, producing well structured wines with great character that comes from a judicious blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot grapes.

VIP tours and tastings at two great Grand Cru estates await you this morning, like Chateau Beausejour Becot with its ancient underground cellars, or the great 1st Growths Clos Fourtet or Chateau Figeac.

Following lunch on your own, explore the beautiful medieval village, its monuments, and its many shops and galleries (including some of the region’s best wine shops).

We suggest your final dinner at the gourmet restaurant of the hotel, one of the most coveted tables in the area.

Meals B, T(St Emilion), T(St Emilion)

Overnight Bordeaux

Pomerol & Farewell

This morning discover the other prestigious appellation of this area, Pomerol. This tiny appellation is considered the world’s preeminent terroir for Merlot,
producing wines of great character and complexity.

Although it seems much understated, this appellation is home to some of the most famous cult wines, including Petrus and Le Pin.

Two tours and tastings await you today in Pomerol as you round out your week of wine discovery in the Bordeaux region. Enjoy tours and tastings at some of the best estates of the region including estates such as Chateau Petit Village or Chateau Gazin.

End your day with a farewell lunch and a transfer to the Libourne or Bordeaux St. Jean Train Station or Bordeaux Merignac Airport.

Meals B, T(Pomerol), T(Pomerol), L

Included
Inclusions
  • Five Intercontinental Grand Hotel & Spa de Bordeaux, Executive Opera Room

  • Breakfast daily

  • Wine tasting experiences, tailored to your preferences

  • English-speaking wine expert/guide throughout the tour

  • Deluxe, air-conditioned transportation throughout

  • A traditional welcome and farewell lunch

  • A special private wine tasting lunch at a wine chateau estate

  • Up to eleven VIP tours & tastings at some of the finest chateaux of the region

  • Information on the region and its wines sent to you in advance of your tour

departure
Departure Dates

This is a private tour, operating year round.

Contact us to check if your preferred dates are available.

Monday through Friday tour dates are preferable, as more wine estates are open.

We include only top-quality wine chateaux and estates in our programs. Chateau visits are scheduled by special arrangement, and some chateaux or estates, including any mentioned in the Itinerary, may not be available on your dates.

Once you book your program with us, we will contact the estates to determine which are available. If there are specific chateaux or estates you would like to visit, please let us know, and we will contact your preferences first when arranging visits and tastings for you.

Please note that prices are indicative only, subject to availability for your travel dates and the exchange rate.
money
$10819
$10819

per person based on twin/double share two people travelling together sharing one room

$9272

per person based on twin/double share four people travelling together sharing two rooms

$7724

per person based on twin/double share six people travelling together and sharing three rooms

Please note that prices are indicative only, subject to availability for your travel dates and the exchange rate.
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