Hello,
My wife and I are planning a wine trip to France in September, and need some advice on Chateaux to visit. We are staying in St Emilion for 4 nights and have set up visits to Chateau Margaux, and Chateaux Mouton Rothschild. We are looking for one more Chateau in the Medoc Region, and maybe two in the St. Emilion area.
We are then driving to the Rhone Valley for 4 nights. Does anyone have any must see Chateaux or any other sites in the Rhone region?
Thanks for any input,
Leibs
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Since you already have appointments at two first growths, it sounds like you would like another cru classé to round out your itinerary. This web site should help you:
%26lt;http://www.medoc-wines.com/rubriques-eng/planning_crus-class-eng.htm%26gt;
For Saint-Emilion, the tourist office has a list of contacts:
%26lt;http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/pge_degus_chais.php?id=8%26amp;lang=%26gt;
Since my services are pretty much limited to the Bordeaux area, I%26#39;m afraid that I can%26#39;t give you much authoritative information regarding the Rhone other than that with the exception of the major negociant firms (Guigal, Jaboulet, Chapoutier, etc.) you%26#39;ll be visiting relatively small producers. Many of them produce wines equivalent to the first growths you%26#39;ll be seeing in the Médoc, but you%26#39;ll have to search them out.
An excellent source (if somewhat weighty--more suited for the dedicated Rhone aficionado than a visitor to the area for several days) is %26quot;The Wines of the Northern Rhone%26quot; by John Livingston-Learmonth%26quot;.
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I have visited Chateau Mouton Rothschild (good visit), but I have not been to Chateau Margaux. On the Left Bank, one truly unique visit I did was to Cos d%26#39;Estournel. The wine is great, and the architecture is unlike anything else you will see in the area. I also liked Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron (I haven%26#39;t visited Comtesse de Lalande) and Chateau Palmer. On the Right Bank, I enjoyed Chateau Figeac and Chateau Belair. I also liked Chateau Villemaurine. It is right on the edge of the town of St. Emilion--a little touristy, but they have a nice little wine museum in their caves.
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In the Rhône, you will need to decide whether to visit the north or the south, or perhaps combine them, though distances are quite large here. You may well be there during harvest so visiting is not so easy at that time except at the larger producers.
The vineyards in the North from Ampuis to Tain l%26#39;Hermitage are absolutely spectacular. You should find the following open at the very least near Tain: Paul Jaboulet (www.jaboulet.com) who has an interesting new visitor centre, Chapoutier (www.chapoutier.com) and the excellent local cooperative (www.cave-tain-hermitage.com)
In the South, you have more of Mediterranean feel to the vineyards, with stunning views to Mont Ventoux. The site of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not to be missed and you can taste in the village or may find a producer open.
I will send you a private message with more info.
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Hello,
I%26#39;m sorry to piggyback on another person%26#39;s post, but you just sound so knowledgeable. My husband and I are spending 6 days in Bordeaux after a love affair with Burgundy last year led us to want to check out the other wine regions in France. We really are unsure where to start and want to see as much as possible. We rather stumbled into and around Burgundy and I would prefer to be better prepared with the Bordeaux region. Any advice you have would be so much appreciated.
Also, another question - can we just walk up to the Chateaus or do we need reservations? How would we go about doing/finding either?
Thanks again for any assistance.
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Bordeaux is actually an easy region to make your way around. The wine areas are laid out simply, helping visitors to make the best of their time here.
If you have six days to visit châteaux, you%26#39;d certainly want to spend one (or two) days each in the major producing areas: Médoc, Graves/Sauternes, Saint-Emilion; an additional day can be devoted to the Côtes wines, if you like.
You%26#39;ll need appointments when visiting châteaux in Bordeaux, certainly for the classed growths and other significant producers. There are some places that will greet walk-ins, and these can usually be identified by nearby billboards offering %26quot;visites-dégustations%26quot; (visits-tastings).
When visiting a major château, you are under no obligation to purchase any wine--indeed, most of the classed growths offer nothing for sale. However if you drop into one of the smaller properties you should buy a bottle or two at the end of the tour. This is because the larger estates generally have someone on the staff to show visitors around; the person at the smaller property is usually the owner or his wife, and if they were not taking the time with you they would be doing something more important--like making the wine. Thus, a purchase is simply the polite thing to do.
(I usually advise clients to come a little bit later, if possible, around late October. The crowds have gone, the pace is more calm, and the wine is in the vats; you%26#39;ll have the opportunity of seeing the winemaking in the cellars, which--for me--is more interesting and informative than watching people picking grapes.)
You don%26#39;t mention which time of the year you%26#39;ll be coming, so it is difficult to give more specific information, but if it is harvest time expect a good number of the major châteaux to be closed to visits. They are too busy harvesting and making the wine to show people around. Nonetheless, there are a good selection of properties that are open, but you may have to do a little more calling around when putting together your itinerary.
Since the easiest days of the week to get appointments at the properties are Monday-Friday, if your schedule will be giving you a whole weekend in the area, you might want to spend a day on the Atlantic coast in Arcachon and the nearby Dune de Pyla (the largest sand dune in Europe and a very impressive site.) A two-day trip out to Sarlat in the nearby Dordogne valley is also an attractive option.
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We will be visiting in mid-May. What is the best way to make an appointment with the Chateaus? Thanks very much for all your help.
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You can try to email for an appointment - the larger, efficient properties who have a dedicated person or department for visits should reply!
However, telephoning is always a more sure-fire way of getting the instant reply, even if it is only a week or two in advance.
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chateau mouton rothschild is easy to get in by prior appointment
chateau margaux is more difficult
in saint emilion as in the medoc and the rhone,you need to make appointments
you might access www.france-wine-routes.com
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Does anyone know if there are any chateaus where you can also stay over? Friend planning a 40th birthday for a long weekend and we are looking for something in the Bordeaux region where all can stay and have good food and wine. Suggestions??
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There are numerous châteaux that operate as bed and breakfasts, but if the occasion is a 40th birthday celebration, you%26#39;ll want to stay at a classed growth.
In Saint-Emilion, you%26#39;d want to look at Château Franc-Mayne, a Grand Cru Classé in that region%26#39;s classification. I%26#39;ve had clients stay there and they%26#39;ve always been happy with the experience.
%26lt;http://www.relaisfrancmayne.com%26gt;
In the Médoc, try Château Pedesclaux in Pauillac. It%26#39;s a fifth growth in the 1855 classification. You can find more here (alas, information on the accommodations is available only in French; if you can read it, no problem, but otherwise you can see what the rooms look like):
%26lt;http://www.chateau-pedesclaux.com/reception_de_PEDESCLAUX.htm%26gt;
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