4 Days Bordeaux Wine Tour Travel Package (private)

Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History" and has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble". It is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th century architectural urban areas and stands out as one of the first French cities to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV, under the supervision of two Governors, first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur then the Marquis de Tourny.

DAY 1 - ARRIVAL TRANSFER FROM BORDEAUX AIRPORT OR TRAIN STATION TO BORDEAUX CITY
DAY 2 - MEDOC GRANDS CRUS WINERIES FULL DAY TOUR
DAY 3 - GRANDS CRUS WINES OF SAINT EMILION & POMEROL
DAY 4 - DEPARTURE TRANSFER FROM BORDEAUX CITY TO AIRPORT OR TRAIN STATION

Pick up in Bordeaux (Airport/Train Station). Transfer to your centrally located hotel and check in.

Breakfast at your hotel.
9.30am Pick up at your hotel.

The Medoc wine region spans the left bank of the Gironde from the mouth of the river to the city of Bordeaux and includes the four famous communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux. It is about 60 km north to south, and about 10 km wide, with around 10,600 hectares under vines and a production of about 50 million liters of wine per year. All the wine made here is red and the main grape variety used is Cabernet Sauvignon. 

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. 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 winemaking. All these visits are followed by a commented wine tasting session. The wineries that you will visit are usually located in Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac or the Haut Medoc appellations. For lunch, we have selected a local restaurant that will introduce you to all the specialties this area has to offer.
5.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel.

DAY 3 - MERLOT WINES OF SAINT EMILION & POMEROL

Breakfast at your hotel.
9.30am pick up at your hotel.

The wine region of Libournais encompasses much of what is referred to as the Right Bank. Named after its historical capital, the expression Right Bank typically refers to wines from the Pomerol and St-Emilion areas of the Libournais. There are several villages around the region that share the SaintÉmilion name, such as Montagne-Saint-Émilion and St-Georges-Saint-Émilion that are named the satellite appellations. The area is bordered to the west by Pomerol. Merlot is the dominant grape in this area, followed by Cabernet Franc and a very small quantity of Malbec that is tending to disappear. The climate and damp, cool soils of the area make it difficult for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to fully ripen and, as such, they are less often used. 

This full day tour consists in the visit & wine tasting in 2 very carefully selected Wineries of the Right Bank as well as the discovery of the enchanting medieval village of Saint Emilion. Conducted by a professional English speaking driver guide, your tour will at first lead you to the right bank of the River Garonne where the Saint Emilion wine region is located. Your morning will include the visit and tasting in a winery which produce wines that perfectly reflect their ‘terroir’ – a very important notion for French Wines as it is the local soils and climate that truly define the main aromas and flavors that are to be found. But not only! The winemaker also contributes in a large manner to the quality of the wines that is why our tours combine both prestigious names to lesser known ones in which the visits are usually taken care of by a family member or the winemaker himself.

After the morning winery visit, reach Saint Emilion. The village is all the more charming because it is so different from all the other French medieval villages. Emilian, a Benedictine monk, was born in Brittany in the 8th century, to a modest family. The count who ruled the province chose him to be his financial steward, which turned out to be an unfortunate distinction in his life: Jealous rivals accused him of thievery to discredit him in the eyes of his master and confidant. After some turmoil, his path eventually led him to a forest where, captivated by the serenity of the area, he dug out a cave and dedicated his life to God. The hermit had performed so many miracles and done so much good around him that his name was given to the place where he had lived (after his death in 767) which became known as Saint Emilion. Follow your guide on a walking tour and unusual place not to be missed: the underground monolithic Cathedral. 125 ft long, 66 ft wide and 36 ft high, all you can see from the exterior are a few windows on the one facade and the steeple, topped with a Gothic arrow 174 ft high. Benedictine monks were the inspiration for this church carved out of solid rock which is Europe’s largest monolithic cathedral!

The tour will also include some information about the world-renowned wines of Saint Emilion through the history of the Jurade. When John ‘Lackland’ succeeded his brother, Richard Lionheart, to the throne of England in 1199, he signed the ‘Falaise Charter’ which accorded Saint Emilion the statute of a free and independent commune, with the right to be administered by a mayor, twelve members of the Jurade (the town council) and twelve advisers elected by the town’s notables. These councilmen had vast power that included rendering justice, regulating the manufacturing process and the sale of wine, and even publicly announcing the start and the end of the grape harvests. 

After your walking tour, enjoy some free time for lunch and personal discovery. Finally, your tour will include a visit & wine tasting session in a 2nd winery. At opposite ends from your morning visit and located in a different appellation, this will be the perfect opportunity for you to understand how two wineries that are located in the same wine region can produce such very different wines. Color, Aromas, Tannins, Flavors are just some of the notions that will be evoked but undoubtedly the commented tasting will constitute the highlight of this afternoon tour!
5.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel.

DAY 4 - DEPARTURE TRANSFER FROM BORDEAUX

Breakfast at your hotel and return transfer (Airport/train station). End of our services.