The last winery on our Bordeaux excursion! We got there a little past 3 in the afternoon, and from…read morethe looks of it, the winery staff was busy preparing for an event. Let me guess, the Vin Expo? Indeed it was according to our winery tour guide that afternoon. Both wineries we've visited earlier that day were also preparing for the Vin Expo like mad. Everyone in our group loved our guide. She was so bubbly and super nice. She had spent some time in Sonoma to earn a certificate for her wine studies, so she spoke English very well. We settled on doing a half-hour tour and tasting for 7€ with her. She took us outside and proceeded to describe the history of the vineyards, the Chateau and their current owner, who is incidentally an American banker. She showed us the vineyards, the chais and other parts of the winery. We ended the tour at the boutique where we tasted a couple of wines. The winery produces Grand Cru Classé wines and we were able to taste a 2007 vintage and one of their second wines. Both were excellent. The Grand Cru wine we tasted was going for 65€ and may be aged another 10 years according to our guide. After the tasting, we browsed in the botique and decided on buying a half case of their Rosé. Our group of 10 has been going through wine like crazy and the Rosé was 6 bottles for 50€. A great deal! We had no problem consuming all that in a couple of days along with the other wines we bought from the other places. When in France, drink lots of wine!

They were so nice to welcome us for lunch even if we were on a tight schedule. It is a gorgeous…read moreplace. The private table is very exclusive in fact. There's just two different dining room, a small one and a bigger one for small groups. The resident chef has built the menu to pair with the wines but in an unusual and daring way. The decadent reds were paired with decadent fishes dishes and very delicate courses. Even the dessert has the same shape as a sculture just outside the Castle. It was a memorable moment.

Came here today for a wine tour and tasting. The tour was was wonderful. It was interesting and…read morethe grounds were beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and kept things moving. My biggest disappointment was the wine tasting. We tasted 3 wines. A white Bordeaux and 2 reds. I didn't care for any of them. I really wanted to like this and ship a case home but since the 3 I tasted we're not what I like, I left empty handed.

Amazing wine chateau in Bordeaux! The grounds are beautiful and the service is great. You can do a…read moretour of the chateau that includes a wine tasting after. This Château is the oldest in Bordeaux and has amazing wines! The staff was wonderful. We accidentally booked a French tour when none of us speak the language but they were nice enough to accommodate us and give us a personal wine tasting after the tour in English. It's an easy uber or bus ride away from the center of Bordeaux. Definitely check it out!

The most delicious wine we tasted in St. Emilion. Wonderful family history. If you can get in for…read morea tasting, you will be impressed like others. Life is too short to miss tasting wines which are over $300 per bottle.

Château Angelus was the final château stop of the wife and my tour of Bordeaux. Tours were by…read moreappointment only and our tour was given to us by one of the château owners, Jean-Bernard Grenié. A Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) château from the Saint-Émilion appellation, Angelus trailed only Château d'Yquem as the most beautiful château we visited. The château itself appeared to be a new construction that was specifically built with traditional/classic touches. The château and the facilities housing the winemaking operations were the perfect blend of state of the art and traditional. The grounds were obviously well maintained and beautiful, as well. Our tour ended with a wonderful tasting of the 2005 Château Angelus. It was sinfully good and capped off our tour of Bordeaux in perfect fashion. If you're on the Right Bank and have the opportunity to tour Château Angelus, take it!

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!

My husband and I along with our friends went wine tasting in Southern France. We read about Cave d…read moreEymet in the charming town of Eymet and decided to give it a try. I can't say enough wonderful things about this experience. Mitch was such an amazing lady with an abundance of knowledge about wines and wine tastings. We actually ended up booking two wine tastings with her. One was for local and regional wines and the other was for wines around the world. Mitch speaks English and has a delightful sense of humor. This was by far our favorite tasting experience. And as an added bonus...her dogs are adorable! We had an absolutely fabulous evening each time we were there. I advise calling ahead for a reservation so she can give you the absolute best experience. This is a must do when in the area!

During our month long stay in southwest France we toured several wineries and tasting rooms. Cave…read mored' Eymet was our best and most educational tasting and wine experience. Mitch, the owner, gave us two separate night tastings, first taking us through the region and then around the world. Her expertise was enlightening and educational. With her humor and knowledge we had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend anyone interested in wine make an appointment and enjoy an evening with Mitch.

Our day of wine tasting in Bordeaux started at Chateau La Louvière! We arrived a little past 10 in…read morethe morning, so we were a few minutes late, but luckily they were very accommodating. We started the tour at the tasting room where our tour guide showed us the other châteaux owned by the same owner of Château La Louvière, André Lurton. He then led us outside to the back of the château where he explained its history. The oldest vines in the property date back to the 14th century, and the château was built in the 18th century and recently restored by the current owner in the 1950s. Our friendly guide was very thorough. He explained the whole process of making wine--from hand-picking and sorting the grapes, pressing, fermenting and storing. He showed us the different rooms where all these things happen, particularly the room where all the stainless steel vats are and the cellars where barrels of red and white wines are stored. The winery was busy preparing for the Vin Expo, so there was a lot of activity in one of the barrel rooms. We had two toddlers and 10 adults in our group, and though the toddlers were running around the place, not once did he express any displeasure at them. He was so nice! I think it helps that he's in his early 20s. He also seemed to appreciate all the questions people had. After the tour of the winery, he led us back to the tasting room, and proceeded to pour us wines. We thought we were only going to taste one red and one white, but he actually let us taste 5 different kinds of wine--2 whites (blends of mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon), two reds (blends of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Merlot), and a sweet wine (a Sauterne). They were all good, but the château's grand vins (or first wine) were standouts. For 8€ per person, the tasting fee was a great value, and the wines themselves were very reasonable. Some of us bought wines to drink back at the château and some to take back to the States. I would definitely recommend this winery if you're in Bordeaux. The Pessac Léognan appellation is the oldest in the Bordeaux region, so they've been producing wines for a very long time! Make sure you book ahead of time via e-mail, which is what my sister did for our group of 12. Salut!

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.