Chateau Montrose is a peculiar chateau. Its wines are usually hard and tannic, but in very hot…read moreyears they become stunningly refreshing. The vines at Montrose are among the oldest in Bordeaux. This means that they have extremely deep roots. Being in close proximity of the Gironde river, they have access to irrigation regardless of the weather. This normally results in tough, hard wines with a minimum ageing requirement of 15 years. Yet in hot years, Montrose produces the most astonishingly beautiful and balanced wines, capable of drinking in 10 years or ageing for another 50. This was the case in 2003. While other chateaux destroyed most of their crop, Montrose received 100 points from Parker and sold at $200 per bottle. Just FYI, Chateau Montrose was sold in 2006 for $0.92m per acre.

Fabulous château, understated, magnificently beautiful yet extremely Subtle. A great visit as well…read moreas a fine wine tasting.

Had a great visit to Pichon Baron. Kiram gave us a really nice tour and we loved his humor. The…read moreplace is in the middle of nowhere and we had a very hard time getting a a taxi or an uber to depart the place, plan accordingly. Wonderful wine and a very informative tour.

Very much enjoyed this experience. It was well worth the cost of the tour. Tasted several…read moredifferent wines and vintages. The wine was great and our host/guide (Aude?) was exceptional. We were fortunate that Pierre (technical director) was also present and it was fantastic to chat with him

If you make an appointment in advance, you'll be able to get a tour in English to check out Pontet…read moreCanet. Chateau Pontet Canet is classified as part of Fifth Growth in the Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 (Pauillac's appellation), but Pontet Canet is at times better than the other wineries that's classified first, second, or third. Today's tour (Sept 2014) included a tasting of their 2007's vintage and a view around their vineyard, VAT, Cellar, and tasting room. The best part is that the tour goes in depth about the history and their operational point of view of Pontet Canet. Plus, the tour and tasting is free! Pontet Canet also invented (patent pending) on their new VAT, which reminds of Big Hero 6 from Disney! Pontet Canet's wine is a bit pricey and there's a reason why....certified organic and biodynamic! Overall, Pontet Canet is a must stop to check out how the wineries are changing their ways back to biodynamic with a lighter touch to the vines. Perhaps it's because of Pontet Canet's drive is the reason why they recently lost their AOC status for their second label. Or perhaps, it's wine politic? Who knows and it's quite unfortunate! Regardless of status, I was thoroughly impressed by their passion, keep up the good work Pontet Canet!

Really great tour and really great wine. 5eme 1855 cru but one that has dared to change. They are…read morecompletely biodynamic and innovating in all areas. You will know their 2005 which got a near perfect Parker mark. This was the second year they started their organic process. Their 2007 is nice which was the first big challenge to the process. Good tour, great wine. they have a loyal customer.

My tip for you with Chateau Lagrange would be to book an appointment in advance; also make sure to…read morespecify if you want an English tour or not (cost - 8 euros). At the time, I was corresponding with the wonderful Estelle. She gave me lots of good tips around the Bordeaux area for lunch and was very sweet when I finally met her in person. The tour started off by taking us to the vineyard where we tasted various grapes they grew in Chateau Lagrange. We were lucky to be in a small group (total of 4), which made it feel like a private tour. Lucky! Our timing in September made it extra special because all the grapes were ready to Harvest, making em' even tastier off the vines! After tasting the grapes, we went onto the VAT room, Cellars, and lastly, the tasting room. I found that Chateau Lagrange uses more up to date technology than the other Chateaus when it comes to their process, which is not a bad thing! They have chemists and other specialists that will test the grapes to see whether they are ready or not. Pretty fancy! Our group tried 3 of their lovely wines; 2008's Chateau Lagrange, 2009's Les Fiefs de Lagrange (Lagrange's 2nd label), and 2013's Les Arums de Lagrange (a white made of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Gris and 20% Semillon). All of them was quite lovely and the prices were even better for this 3rd Growth Chateau! Merci, Chateau Lagrange, for this wonderful experience! PS they do take appointments during Harvest. Till next time, Santé!

This chateau has been ranked as a Second Growth in 1855, but today is in fact a most elite…read moreproducer. The wines are made with about a third of Merlot, making their tannic structure more supple than most other Pauillac wineries. They tend to benefit in otherwise tannic vintages. Accessible to advance bookings, the property is visible from both the front street and the surrounding properties. You will not miss it as you drive along Route des Chateaux. Driving southbound, you will see the Pichon Baron on your right and immediately afterwards the Pichon Comtesse on your left. The two names are not to be confused. A 17th Century legend has it that the Comtesse de Lalande built one chateau for herself, and added the Pichon Baron for her husband. Some people just know how to live!

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.

This is I believe the only officially classified Cru Artisan winery in the Pauillac appellation…read more It is not a commercial business built for wine tourism as it is a small outfit but they make a nice and uniquely flavored wine. It is only open to wine tasting in the evening after 3:30pm'ish (they don't go by exact times) and we had to go to the grape sorting room to ask one of the workers to contact the proprietor. It has no noticeable sign so you just have to trust it's there on the corner and walk around the premises a bit. A portly man appeared and he spoke almost no English (and zero Japanese) so we had to communicate with limited English and sign language. :) He was a typical country person who wasn't overtly friendly like city folk but genuinely friendly and very accommodating. He offered up a glass from an already opened 2007 bottle which was good but we wanted to taste another vintage (2006) so he opened up another bottle. I ended up buying the 2006 vintage (unfortunately didn't have anymore 2005) for a very reasonable price. They make a wine that I can't quite describe. It's unique with a bit of power but also balance. Never tasted anything like it before. I was glad to have tried out this place as it wasn't one of the larger wineries where you can get their wine everywhere. Would recommend it to anyone who is willing to adventure out of the norm for a unique bottle of wine.

Ch. Branaire Ducru is one of several properties proving that the1855 Bordeaux classification has no…read morerelevance today. Branaire Ducru regularly ranks among the best bargains in Bordeaux.

I came to Chateau Branaire Ducru on an excursion I booked through my cruise ship. The grounds of…read morethis winery are much like most of the others in the area. Grape vines as far as the eye can see and beautifully designed old buildings. Our tour guide spoke English and showed us all around the Chateau. We were taken inside to see how the wine is actually made and it was all very modern looking. Their barrel room was very impressive with hundreds of barrels which did not even fill half the room. We were able to taste a 2006 and a 2007 of the middle of the road price wise offerings. They were both tasty and I decided to buy a few bottles to bring home.