What a great way to spend an afternoon! We had lunch here first. A salad with blue cheese and ham,…read moreyum. Then leg of duck with mashed potatoes and a crusted tomato. Dessert was an interesting apple pie. Then we learned about cognac. We had 4 different cognac's form different areas around Cognac. We got to try and smell each and decide our favorite blend. Then we made a 500 ml bottle of our mix, corked and then sealed. It's a big recommend!

From the owner: La Cave à So ! Ce bar à vin et à cocktail situé sur le Gabut dispose d'une belle et grande…read moreterrasse. L'accueil est soigné et l'ambiance variée selon la programmation : vernissages, expositions, concerts live, jazz...

Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a First Growth château in Paulliac, was the second stop on the day's…read moreschedule of visits. However, it was clearly the highlight of the day. Note: Tours are by appointment only. Our guide spoke excellent English and effectively provided insight on Lafite Rothschild's unique terroir (a term that was discussed at every château we visited) and described in depth its winemaking process. While the winemaking operations and facilities were pretty comparable with other minor châteaux, its cavernous cellar was definitely an impressive sight to behold. The best part of the tour was its culmination, the tasting. We were offered a generous pour of the 2001 Lafite Rothshchild. To which I could only say, "Yes, please."

Our private guided tour was very personal and informative…read more As one of the largest vineyards in the Médoc, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is 110 hectares (260 acres) and spread across a very good slope. The name "Lafite" derives from the meaning "small hill" and the small hill is located in the rear of the beautiful château. The different grape varietals are planted according to the condition of the soil: estates with heavy soils plant more Merlot and estates with gravelly, porous soils plant more Cabernet Sauvignon. The Ch.Lafite vineyard is cultivated with old vines of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% is Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. In Pauillac, Cabernet Sauvignon is king and the varietal gives the specificity and character to Pauillac wines. Ch.Lafite utilises 29 wooden vats, 20 stainless steel vats and 18 little vats. Typically, pumping over is twice per day for ~17 days and there are 20 days of maceration. Wines are matured 18 months in new French oak barrels: 7 months in a natural cellar and 11 months in the second-year chai, built under the supervision of architect Ricardo Bofill. The circular vault holds 2,200 barrels and is supported by 16 columns. The circular design is functional since racking, bottling and cleaning can be done with greater efficiency than a traditional, linear designed chai. As has been the tradition at Ch.Lafite, 100% of the Domaine's cooperage is done in-house in Pauillac. Ch.Lafite employs 6 full-time coopers to produce 2,000 barrels per year. This is adequate to supply Ch.Lafite and all the other estate-owned properties with new French oak barrels each year. The French oak is selected from the Allier and Nivernais forests, then left to dry in the open air for two years at Ch.Lafite before being crafted. Traditional racking is 5-6 weeks. 8,000 organic egg whites are used for fining. When asked why organic eggs were used, our host explained that it was for stability reasons in the fining process as opposed to any environmental concerns. Annual production is between 15,000 and 25,000 cases (or 180,000 and 300,000 bottles). At the end of our visit, we tasted the 1995 Château Lafite - which was superb.

Did a wine tasting here today. We were luckily at the winery during the harvest and the collecting…read moreand sorting of the grapes. We were taken through the entire process from grape sorting to entry in the vats to walking through the barrel room and the bottle storage area. The wine was excellent. We tasted 3 of the same wines from 3 different years. It was a wonderful exercise.

The third day of the wife and my tour of Bordeaux wine châteaus continued with a late morning stop…read moreat Château Prieuré Lichine. A 4th Growth château of the Margaux appellation, Prieuré Lichine offered the best overall tour experience of our trip. Our tour guide, Ulrich, was fluent in English, exceedingly knowledgeable in Prieuré Lichine's history and operations, and easily the most descriptive and enthusiastic, if not passionate, while leading our tour. He was stellar! The château property was aesthetically beautiful with an interesting, logical blend of the modern with its vintage heritage. Château Prieuré Lichine had a very nice tasting room/wine/gift shop where its wines in a wide range of formats and vintages as well as wine accessories, books, and other souvenirs could be purchased. We had the opportunity to experience a barrel tasting of its 2013 vintage Margaux as well as a barrel tasting of its pre-blend, straight cabernet sauvignon. Our tour culminated with a delicious lunch in the château's "Harvest" dining room where we were served both its white Bordeaux, a 2013 Le Blanc du Château Prieuré Lichine and a vertical of its 2003, 2005, and 2007 margaux. Tasting the wines as a vertical truly highlighted the variances of the same wine between multiple vintages. Our tour of Prieuré Lichine was an enlightening and enjoyable experience. We were made to feel very welcome. While we were on a special tour not available to most of the public, I still highly recommend checking it out. If Ulrich's the one giving you your tour, then you're in for a treat!

Classy. Tasteful. Beautifully executed tour…read more The tour of Chateau Margaux was stellar!!! Detailed, not rushed, historical in nature. Great blending of old and new architecture! But the tasting blew me away in a private tasting room overlooking the long cement cellar. Merci beaucoup Chateau Margaux

Our private tour began in the reception room, continued to the chai, the vat room, the cooperage,…read moreand we returned to the reception room for a tasting and conversation. Altogether, the tour lasted about 1 to 1.5 hours and was both interesting and informative. As we learned, for over four centuries, Ch.Margaux has been considered a wine of excellence. Today, Corinne Mentzelopoulos is the château's proprietor and, together with her team, she continues to produce outstanding Margaux wines on the estate's 262 hectares (650 acres). The estate's Premier Grand Cru is Château Margaux. The second bottling is Pavillon (Rouge/Blanc) du Château Margaux. Currently, the estate dedicates 82 hectares (203 acres) to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines in the red vineyard is 35 years. Harvesting is done by hand from September through October by a seasonal team of harvesters. Ch.Margaux employs traditional French vinification techniques: fermentation is 3 weeks in oak vats, aging is 18 to 24 months in new French oak barrels and fining is with egg whites. The use of oak vats means that there is no punching down or pumping over during the maceration process. Since the château is designated as a French historical landmark, any efforts to modernise or annex the exterior buildings are restricted, e.g., even the addition of windows is restricted. As a result of the historical landmark designation, when the time came for expansion in 1982, the estate built a subterranean cellar with a 1,200 barrel capacity adjacent to the chai (above-ground cellar). As a result of the region's high water table, the cellar is made of concrete with two walls that are each several meters thick. The open space between the concrete walls allows for water overflow and this space is drained regularly. Today, the estate continues its cooperage tradition with Alain Nunes, the in-house cooper who produces three new French oak barrels per day (approximately 30% of the château's needs). Messr. Nunes continues the same trade as his father and, prior to his father, the château employed two coopers. Annual production is ~150,000 bottles of Château Margaux, ~200,000 bottles of Pavillon Rouge and ~33,000 bottles of Pavillon Blanc. At the end of our visit, we tasted the 2004 Château Margaux.

We went to the Château Giscours for a picnic and cricket match and spent the entire day there. It…read moreis an absolutely gorgeous Château, just 30 minutes from Bordeaux. It's an ideal place to organise events (business meetings or wedding celebrations). There are in-doors and outdoors venues. Contact them for wine tasting, or to visit the site. It is stunning and worth checking out.

From the owner: Le classement de 1855 attribue aux vins de Giscours le rang de 3ème Cru Classé de Margaux. A…read morequelques lieues de Bordeaux (30km), dominant un parc de trois cents hectares, Château Giscours se distingue par son imposante stature. Quatre vingt-cinq hectares de vignes plantées sur l'aire d'appellation Margaux y servent d'écrin à un château construit au XIXème siècle. Le Château dispose de 3 chambres d'hôtes, cosy et romantiques pour ceux qui veulent découvrir les paysages des vignobles bordelais. Il ouvre également ses chais et son cuvier au grand public pour des visites instructives. Toute l'année, le lieu accueille réceptions et mariages.

From the owner: Oenotourisme - Parcours de visite "De La Vigne Au Verre"…read more Premier producteur de France en AOC, Les Vignerons de Tutiac regroupent 500 vignerons passionnés. Avec leurs 4000 hectares de vignes, ils maitrisent toutes les étapes de l'élaboration du vin. Ils vous invitent aujourd'hui à découvrir leur parcours de visite 'De la vigne au Verre', Best of Wine Tourism 2016. Au sein d'un espace interactif venez percer les secrets de la vinification, avant de vous plonger dans l'univers intimiste du chai à barriques pour découvrir l'art de la tonnellerie et de l'élevage sous bois. La visite vous conduira ensuite au cœur du vignoble expérimental pour comprendre comment ces vignerons conjuguent conduite de la vigne et respect de la biodiversité. Un aperçu de leur centre d'embouteillage vous sera proposé avant de terminer par une dégustation de quatre vins des appellations Bordeaux, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux et Côtes de Bourg. Horaires d'ouverture : Visites du 02/05/16 au 30/09/16 du mardi au vendredi à 10h30 & à 15h30; Autres possibilités sur rendez-vous. Tarifs: 5€ par personne / gratuit pour les moins de 18ans Nos plus : Grande capacité d'accueil, visite disponible en anglais et en français, boutique avec une large gamme de vins et de produits du terroir