Bordeaux Vineyards | Wines, Tours & Heritage | EUROtoday

Kasia Dietz heads to Graves and Sauternes in Gironde, the place she enjoys nice wines and dreamy motels…

A go to to Bordeaux, France’s wine capital, provides wine aficionados the prospect to take a deep dive into the world of this earthy libation on the first-class museum Cité du Vin. Savory sips can proceed over dinner at Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes, the Nineteenth-century wine cellar-turned-Philippe Starck-designed resort, the place celebrated Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto includes a number of nice pours at his namesake restaurant. After exploring the cobbled charms of the historic Chartrons neighborhood – the previous wine retailers’ district – head south for a rural journey within the distinctive wine areas of Graves and Sauternes.

With century-old vineyards stretching alongside the northern a part of the Graves area of Bordeaux within the coronary heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, there is not any higher place to style Grand Cru Classé than at Château Haut-Bailly. Following a tour of the gravel, sand and clay terrain, uncover the state-of-the-art cellar hidden inside the land, the place barrels and stainless-steel vats produce Château Haut-Bailly and Haut-Bailly II. Book the non-public chef’s desk for a gastronomic four-course tasting menu showcasing chef Maxime Pommier’s modern delicacies paired with the Nineteenth-century château’s wines. If a cat nap is so as and the rooms at Château Haut-Bailly are booked, head to La Chartreuse Haut-Bailly, simply 800m away. A pleasant feline may even welcome you. With 5 intimate rooms, plush dwelling and eating rooms wearing artwork and antiques, and a wine tasting salon, it appears like residence.

Sources of Caudalie_TucaReines©

A fast corkscrew away, wine producer Bérengère Quellien provides a stellar number of organically-farmed wines at family-run Château Lusseau. Her single varietal 100% Merlot wine, La Bérue Déglingué, with its whimsical labels revealing the character ‘Bérue’, is well worth the cease. Nearby, the candy-colored neo-Palladian Château Pont Saint-Martin is an intimate mattress and breakfast in the course of the vineyards, which has reworked its historical cellars into suites, with entry to a whirlpool spa and outside swimming pool. Notice the sphinx on the facade and the ornamental columns and fountains when strolling by the encompassing park. Located within the commune of Léognan, this space is a part of the distinguished Pessac-Léognan appellation and is residence to a number of Crus Classés de Graves. The 4 properties that make up the Rodrigues-Lalande estates are a Franco-Portuguese household affair. To discover these and different notable wineries (the place the wines will move with ease), hop on a motorcycle tour led by Arnaud Decroix, of Ateliers au Château.

RESPITE FOR MIND AND BODY

A go to to the Graves area is not full and not using a tasting at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. This 67-hectare single-block terroir of Garonne gravel, owned and run by Florence and Daniel Cathiard, is taken into account the ‘most Graves of the Graves’. A guided tour of the property features a tasting of the highly-acclaimed crimson and white blends utilizing the seven Bordeaux grape varieties – all harvested by hand. Take observe of the modern sculptures dotting the property: a brand new one is added yearly to have fun the harvest. If you could find the portal, enter the Forêt des Sens (Forest of the Senses), a ten-hectare open-air museum of poetic sculptures by native modern artists. Before returning to the vines, inhale the scents of the drugs backyard’s herbs and pause on the honey home.

Sources of Caudalie backyard statue

In the very coronary heart of the vineyards, Alice and Jérôme Tourbier opened 5-star resort Les Sources de Caudalie in 1999 and have been honoring the fertile land ever since. It’s the proper spot to relaxation thoughts and physique: cozy up in one of many 62 rooms and suites earlier than dipping into the thermal tub, whirlpool spa and hammam on the Vinotherapie Spa. The earthy glow is actual: Caudalie’s natural merchandise include anti-aging properties due to polyphenols within the grape seeds. Treat your self to a ‘Ritual of the Vines’ therapy, which features a Crushed Cabernet scrub and a rejuvenating therapeutic massage and facial. The grape theme continues over dinner on the two-Michelin-starred La Grand’Vigne, the place Chef Nicolas Masse presents the very best of the terroir, paired with wines from neighboring Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Another desk to e-book awaits on the nation stylish restaurant La Table du Lavoir.

Further southeast from Graves, you will discover the candy Sauternes appellation (composed of 5 communes Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Barsac), which tempts with notes of orange marmalade, honey and dried fruit.

ch de Cérons©m.anglada1RoutedesVins

A composition of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and sometimes Muscadelle grapes, this nectarous wine will be paired with dishes from foie gras to poultry, or loved as an aperitif or with dessert. Drive or bicycle to Château de Cérons to raised perceive how these regional wines must be served. Set within the coronary heart of the stone-walled village of Cérons inside the Graves and Sauternes areas, this family-owned property, led by Caroline and Xavier Perromat, is a 300-year-old residence devoted to producing and savoring wine. The summer time solar is good for a French-style picnic on the property, whereas throughout winter months, a rotisserie lunch and dinner contained in the château contains suckling pigs and Landais chickens. Each meal and tasting consists of the 4 wines of Château de Cérons – white, crimson, candy and orange. The movie Gabriel and the Drop of Water, directed by Romain Dussaulx, is projected onto the partitions of the centuries-old barrel cellar, poetically depicting the journey of a drop of water from the Pyrenees to a glass of Cérons wine.

STAR-STUDDED TABLES

Art meets distinctive vintages at close by Château Gravas, the place sixth-generation winemakers Florence and Michel Bernard current their elegant Sauternes wine in a carafe evoking a fragrance bottle. The bouquet of their 2022 Sauternes classic recollects candied fruits and white flowers, an ideal reflection of the mineral-rich land.

Château Lafaurie Peyraguey Library-Hotel-Restaurant-LALIQUE-Château-Lafaurie-Peyraguey-4428-©AgiSimoes-RetoGuntli

The most star-studded desk within the Sauternes area is at Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Hotel & Restaurant Lalique, which opened in 2018 to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey. This good mix of wine, crystal, gastronomy and hospitality makes a glowing setting for a two-Michelin-star eating expertise, paired with the area’s and property’s distinctive wines, together with a Sauternes Premier Grand Cru. Feast on a four- or five-course tasting menu crafted by chef Jérôme Schilling beneath a spectacular glass ceiling adorned with 120 golden crystal leaves – a bespoke Lalique creation impressed by the long-lasting Champs-Élysées assortment. The solely becoming ending features a Sauternes and citrus soufflé, adopted by a nightcap in the event you e-book an Art Deco-style room on the adjoining 5-star resort.

If your palate leans in the direction of wines with fruity and spicy notes, look no additional than the celebrated vintages of the Saint-Émilion area, only one hour north of Sauternes. A 1902 masterpiece by architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier, Château Grand Barrail Hôtel was fully restored in 2023. Its elegant golden moldings and vibrant stained-glass home windows recall the romance of a bygone period. With 46 opulent rooms and suites set inside the grounds, it is time to stay your imperial goals whereas sipping world-class vintages. Château Grand Barrail Hôtel provides electrical bike expeditions by the long-lasting estates of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, with a cease on the medieval city of Saint-Émilion, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the route, sip on the primary biodynamic Grand Cru Classé at Château Fonroque earlier than returning to the fort for a spa therapy and an epicurean meal.

Grand Barrail Hotel – Events – Mauresque Room

BORDEAUX ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

Fly direct to Bordeaux from a number of UK airports. From Paris, the TGV from Gare Montparnasse takes lower than three hours. It’s greatest to hire a automobile to discover the neighboring vineyards, or e-book a taxi/Uber.

WHERE TO STAY

Mondrian Bordeaux Les Carmes is a not too long ago opened five-star deal with within the Chartrons neighborhood of Bordeaux.

To greatest uncover Graves, e-book a room at charming mattress & breakfasts La Chartreuse Haut-Bailly (www.haut-bailly.com/en/guest-rooms) or Château Pont Saint-Martin (www.domaines-rodrigues-lalande.fr) or splurge at five-star resort and spa Les Sources de Caudalie (www.sources-hotels.com/bordeaux).

Set within the coronary heart of Sauternes, dine on two-Michelin-star delicacies whereas sleeping in model at Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Hotel & Restaurant Lalique (www.lafauriepeyragueylalique.com).

Explore Saint-Émilion by bike from the not too long ago refurbished five-star Château Grand Barrail Hôtel (www.grand-barrail.com).

FESTIVALS IN THE VINEYARDS

During these three enjoyable and festive weekends nearly all of the châteaux and vineyards are open to visits, with loads of actions and live shows.

October 18-19 in Graves appellation

November 8-10 in Sauternes and Barsac appellations

December 6-7 in Pessac-Léognan appellation

CONTACTS

Bordeaux Tourism

www.bordeaux-tourisme.com

Graves and Sauternes Tourism

www.bordeaux-graves-sauternes.com

Saint-Émilion Tourism

www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com

From France Today Magazine

Lead photograph credit score: Ch Haut-Bailly ARA 6887_Credit_Iwan_Baan