Our last stop on Day 1 of the wife and my wine tour was Château Gruaud Larose, a Second Growth…read morechâteau in Saint-Julien. Tours were by invite only, which wasn't a problem since we were a part of group and all arrangements had been made in advance. Our guide was gracious, knowledgeable, and spoke excellent English. The château and its surround vineyard were visually appealing. Its winemaking operations were comparable to other Bordeaux chateaus with a blend of the modern with the traditional. Our tour culminated in tasting the 2004 Château Gruaud Larose and their second wine, a 2007 Sarget Gruaud Larose.

I was quite excited when I was able to book an appointment with Chateau Gruaud Larose. It's not…read moreeveryday that you get to visit a Second-Growth Chateau in Bordeaux and try their wines! -COST- 8 euros/group 15 euros/private *free with purchase Our guide, who spoke perfect English, was informative and gracious making our private tour a success. In the beginning of the tour, we had a choice to go to the tower and another location to go over the history of the winery. I picked the tower; if it's a clear, sunny day, go for the tower. The view is phenomenal! As we climbed up stairs to the top of the tower, the history started melting together where I can almost imagine it in front of me. As we finished snapping some photos on top of the tower, we made our way down to their VATS and cellars. In the end, we made it back to their small tasting room. FINALLY! Today (Sept 14'), I got to taste their 2004 Vintage and their 2007's 2nd label (Sarget). Unfortunately, the wines that I tasted today did not suit my palate. I wished I was able to try some of the their better vintages, maybe next time if I'm lucky. Overall, I enjoyed my visit at Chateau Gruaud Larose. Plus, I got to meet the new winemaker in passing. I was impressed by her because you don't see many young female winemaker in top Chateaus such as this. Thank you Chateau Gruaud for a lovely visit, sante!

Great tour. Beautiful chateau and a lot of fascinating information. Valentine is the perfect tour…read moreguide - speaks clearly, loudly, and makes sure everyone understands him. Patient with questions and generous with his information. The wine itself was also excellent. Valentine talked us through the aromas and flavors. Obviously a very short review but what else can you say about a wine tour? Beautiful estate and castle? Check. Great tour guide? Check. Good wines? Absolutely.

Family own chateau. Really beautiful. I like the wooden container in the vinification process. The…read moreowner appears like to try new method in making wine as well, as I was told they were experimenting two other methods in making wine. The staff is knowledgeable about the history of the vineyard despite her recent employment. Both red and white are quite nice, and the staff brought out also a board of little assortment of nibbles, like almond, chocolate, chorizo, and of course cheese and bread to pair the wine with. You can also buy their wine at the end of tasting. I wish they give more explanation while tasting the wine, because some of us, like myself, is novice and I do not quite know what i am tasting.

Wine was excellent and our tour guide at the chateau was great as well. The pairing with wine won…read morean extra point and they served their best 2010 vintage (which we bought). It was more expensive than the most recent vintage but totally worth it. We will taste them side by side to see what we like. This is a family owned Chateau that is in use by all sorts of folks. Complete with bee hives to help pollinate, this is an certified organic vineyard and they compost according to the moon! There are over 8000 chateaus in France so I can only discuss my experience with this one but I think it was really good. Especially the production facility. Not so humbly submitted, Michael C.

The second I opened my eyes after my quick car-nap, my breath was taken away by the gorgeous…read moreChateau de la Dauphine. Regardless of the damages that they (and most other wineries in the area) incurred due to frost, the land was stunning. There were flowers everywhere accompanied by large umbrella pine trees which lined pathways and green shrubs perfectly placed around the buildings and vines. It's easy to say that I was impressed. The Chateau itself is impressive as well. The private buildings are simple though well designed and the buildings used for wine making are modern and efficient as well as classy. We toured the property with the company Bordovino and our tour was great. Charlotte, our Chateau de la Dauphine was amazing and she answered all of our questions and more. At the end, we played a quick game of "name that smell" which proved more difficult than I would have thought. We also got to try a few of their wines which were all delicious! I usually do not enjoy Rose and we ended up buying a bottle. The wine was especially easy to enjoy with a light conscience after learning that the chateau is biodynamic and very environmentally friendly. I wish I could return to Chateau de la Dauphine, but I guess I'll have to settle for scouring the U.S. for their wines.

Went here on a small tour group on a cool summer day in Bordeaux. The winery itself is beautifully…read moresituated, grande, and elegant. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about not only the making of wine but the history of the company. Names after partly an owner and the town, the vineyards are spread out and among the most prestigious in Margaux. The tour itself was nice and detailed. The young lady talked about everything and answered all of our random questions. At the end of the tour we tasted a 2007 vintage of the first and second wines. While I wish we could have purchased some of the other vintages at the shop but it was very nice none the less. In summary, I really enjoyed my experience and would return to this magical place.

Fantastic tour!! We learnt so much about the history, wine making, viticulture and Grand Cru Classe…read morewines. We were late for our appointment but they were very accommodating and made sure we had a great experience. We started with the complimentary rose, that we took with us on the tour to the vineyard and then to the barrel and production area. We learnt about the grapes and vines. We then walked back to the area outside the tasting room for the wine tasting. Great pours and the story behind each bottle was fascinating. Overall, loved the experience here and we brought home couple bottles. Highly recommend!

Margaux was the only day trip we could fit in during our week in Bordeaux. So we rented bikes, took…read morethe train, and spent a rainy day at a few chateaux. This particular one was just a lunch stop. There aren't many places to eat in Margaux-our original intention was to have a picnic lunch-but this place came recommended by one of our chateau tour guides and it is Michelin rated, so we decided to splurge. Duck was very difficult to come by on this trip-a bird flu epidemic caused them to have to destroy most of their poultry-so when I saw it on the menu, I pounced. Melissa got their fish entree and we got a cheese plate as well (because of course we did). Finally, we shared 2 glasses of wine-their grand cru label and their 2nd label. Everything was excellent. The wine, the cheese, the food. The only thing I might take points off for was that the host and server both seemed to have a bit of an attitude. Not mean and we got everything we asked for, so I'll stick with 5 stars, but just got the vibe they didn't want us there. Pretty sure when we didn't order dessert and got the cheese first as an appetizer that our server went and complained or made fun of us to the adjacent table. However, I have zero proof of that and my French wasn't nearly good enough to pick up on it, so maybe it's all in my head. Regardless, the meal was wonderful and this chateau is worth a stop.

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!

During my stay in Bordeaux, I rented a vehicle and drove from the city to the Left Bank region of…read moreBordeaux to explore the vineyards and visit the home of some of the Grand Cru wines I have enjoyed in the past, and Chateau Dauzac was a must visit! Located in the Margaux appellation within the Médoc region, which sits on the left side of the Gironde estuary and Garonne River, its estate and vineyards are predominantly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes growing in gravelly soils. Awarded A Grand Cru Classé according to the 1855 classification, Château Dauzac has revealed the quintessential qualities of an exceptional terroir for many centuries. Booking a private tour and a private tasting with pairings, we arrived and were greeted by our host "Etienne" a fine young gentleman with extreme knowledgeable of the estate's history; the region's history; the wine production process from harvest to the glass; and why Bordeaux produces some of the finest wines in the world. To my surprise we were visiting during the harvest, and Dauzac had already begun the fermentation process, which is something amazing to observe. Huge, sealed vats of grapes with bubbles rising to the top viewable through slender window along the side. Following a tour of the various stages of wine production, the laboratory, and the barrel room, we were taken to a quiet dining lounge to participate in a guided tasting and food pairing. Charcuterie: Ossau Irraty (Ewe Cheese). Morbier (Cow Cheese with Ashes in the Middle). Comte (Very Floral Cow Cheese). Jambon De Bayonne 12 Mois (Ham of Black Pork from the Mountains Aged 12 Months). Gratont medocain (Pate of Pork from the Medoc). Grenier Modocain (Sausage of the Belly of Pork with Black Pepper and Sea Salt). Wine: (Grand Cru Bronze, Silver and Gold vintages). · Haut Medoc De Dauzac, Haut Medoc 2021 · Aurore De Dauzac, Margaux 2021 · Chateau Dauzac Margaux, Margaux 2020 After a brief explanation of the wines being sampled, Etienne retired to his office, leaving us alone to savor the wine and enjoy our exquisite lunch while chatting about our experience. Occasionally returning to see if all was well, and to pour more of their delicious nectar. The visit lasted just over two hours, and before our departure I ordered several bottles for delivery later this year when the temperatures are milder in California and delivery will not compromise the wine. Highly recommend a visit to this impressive Chateau for the experience of a lifetime.

Beautiful winery! We took a day trip to the Medoc region from Bourdeaux and Chateau Dauzac was one…read moreof the stops along the way. Our tour guide spoke English and French with ease and translated between them for our tour to accommodate all parties. The estate was beautiful - they were even filming a TV show while we were there! After taking a tour of chateau, we enjoyed a brief tasting which we tried 3 different wines. The wine was very delicious, but was not the best place we tried that day. Minus one star because the pours were very small - something that appeared to be a theme at all the places we visited in Medoc. Overall, I would recommend if you are in the area. It is a beautiful, low-key winery.

Excellent place to taste regional wines. Half-full glass sizes for great price. I wish I could come…read morehere more often!

Great place to enjoy some local wines. Very reasonable prices. You can also order half glasses. For…read morefour half glasses, we spent about 10 euros. The employee was very friendly and fun to chat with.