"Bordeaux - the Wine and the Wineries" Suggested Travel Itinerary

"Planete Bordeaux" is the house of wines bearing "Bordeaux" and "Bordeaux Superior" appellations - more then 55% of the wines produced in the "Bordelais" - and the logical starting point of any wine discovering expedition in Bordeaux region.
It is a showroom that presents all the stages of the wine making from the planting of the vine to the bottling of the wine.
Each visit is followed by the tasting of red, rosé and white wines and the possibility of buying wine from one of the "1001 Chateaux belonging to the "Bordeaux" and "Bordeaux Superior" appellations.

The Wine and Trading Museum is located north of the historical center of Bordeaux in the Chartrons district.
The coquettish building that houses the museum was built in beginning of the 18th century by the Irish wine dealer Francis Burke. The building served as the dealer's home as well as a semi-underground cave where the barrels of wine were left to age.
The museum features a collection of artifacts that trace 3 centuries of Bordeaux wine trade.

Perched on the hill that offers a magnificent view of the Bergerac valley - and surrounded by the famous Appelation d'Origine Controlee Monbazillac wine producing vine - the castle built in the 16th century stands today perfectly preserved, a proud example of a blend of Renaissance and defensive style architecture.
The furnished rooms of the castle's first floor allow the visitor a "time travel" in regional history and the castle cellar is the repository of the best wines that the property has produced.

Château Fontesteau is not a grand cru but makes an interesting visit.
Its manor was initially built in the 13th century –and renovated in 1997 – is situated in the middle of a 100 hectares park. The building still preserves its three crenellated towers and the ramparts. In olden times the location has witnessed the passage of the Saint Jacques de Compostelle pilgrims as well as the visit of King Francis I of Valois.
The 32 hectares vineyard has been for the last 20 years noteworthy for its approach to organic grape growing methods.

Chateau du Taillan red wine belongs to the so called "Cru Burgeois Superior Haut-Medoc" classification.
The estate that belongs to the Cruse family since 1896 covers 100 hectares (250 acres) from which 35 hectares or 86 acres are the vineyards.
The beautiful manor dates from the 18th century. Its cellars dating from the sixteenth century are listed as Historical Monuments.
Beside the red wine the estate produces the white wine called Chateau La Dame Blanche and the rosé called "Le Rosé du Taillan".

Chateau Cantemerle, is one of the most extended chateaux in the Haut-Médoc area.
In 1855 was classified as a Cinquième Grand Cru.
Cantemerle's vineyard spreads currently on 222 acres. The domaine produces a total of 50,000 cases, divided between the first wine (30,000 to 35,000 cases); a second label, Les Allées de Cantemerle (10,000 to 15,000 cases); and a third, Baronne Caroline (5,000 to 10,000 cases)(source the winespectator.com).
Cantemerle has been a winery since the middle of the 14th century when it was the property of the Seigneur of Cantemerle vassal to the King of England!
The property has beautiful buildings and is surrounded by an extended park designed in the 18th century.

Château Agassac is arguably the most romantic wine château of Medoc. It is also the most visited.
The first mention of a Agassac seigniory dates from the 12th century when its lord was Guillaume-Raymond d'Agassac.
In the 14th century the land was sold to the famous d'Albret family that in the 16th century gave France its first Bourbon King Henri IV and in the 16th century it becomes the property of Pommiers family.
It is during the 16th century that the castle takes it's nowadays shape: surrounded by fosses - the castle was initially reachable via a drawbridge that in the 19th century was replaced with a stone bridge -, flanked by 4 tours, with conical roofs, wide doors and mullioned windows.
The

On visiting Château Lanessan one can, in the same time, savor the taste of its good wine and visit its impressive neo-classical architecture manor, the surrounding beautiful "a l'anglaise" gardens and the Museum of the horse.
The domain first distinguished owner was Jean Delbos, a Bordeaux wine broker, who bought the property in 1793. Its manor was built in the 19th century by the famous architect Henri Duphot in an Anglo-Saxon style.
The property covers 80 hectares and produces annually 450,000 bottles mainly from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety, AOC* Haut Medoc.
*Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Chateau de Malleret is an ancient beautiful vine growing property dating from the 16th century. Its beautiful 19th century manor, its surrounding vast park and the 57 hectares of vine are situated in Haut-Medoc.
The charm and uniqueness of the wine is due to the variety of its soil: gravel, sand tray, clay with limestone in places.

Château Cantenac-Brown was founded by John Lewis Brown, a painter and good wine lover, in the beginning of the 19th century. The main residence of the domain is a beautiful manor was built in the English Renaissance style (Tudor style).
The vineyard covers 42 hectares (104 acres) divided into le cabernet sauvignon 65%, merlot 30% and cabernet franc 5%.
The wine which bears the appellation Margaux was listed as a Grand Cru in the 1855 classification.
The winery produces each year 11,000 cases of Château Cantenac-Brown, 7,500 cases of its second wine BRIO de Cantenac Brown and 2,500 cases of SIJAC de Cantenac Brown.

Château d'Issan, situated in the Margaux region, was during many centuries the lordship la Mothe-Cantenac.
According to the legend it was the wine served at the marriage in 1152 of Eleonor of Aquitaine to Henri Plantagenet, future King Henri II of England.
In the 1855 classament the Château d'Issan wine was listed as "Troisieme Grand Cru"
The vineyard that spreads on 53ha mostly in the Margaux Appellation is devided into 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.
It is an exceptional château to visit, its manor being listed as a historical monument.

Chateau Desmirail bears the name of its owner Jean Desmirail whose property the chateau was towards the end of the 17th century. He became the proprietor of the vineyard through his marriage with one of the daughter of de Rauzan family who owned several Medoc chateaux: Château Rauzan-Gassies, Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Desmirail, and Château Marquis de Terme. The Desmirail family owned the chateau until the middle of the 19th century when it was sold to Théophile Sipière, manager of Chateau Margaux. It is Mr. Sipière who builds here in 1860 a new residence in the Louis XIII style.
In 1855, the chateau is ranked as 3rd Growth in the Grands Crus Classés classification.
The estate covers 30 hectares in Margaux appellation divided into

Château Durfort-Vivens is a very interesting winery to visit. Behind the unpretentious entrance lays hidden a 6 centuries old wine making history.
The chateau was first created by the Durforts de Duras, a powerful Bordeaux region family, who came to Margaux region in the 14th century . Initially it was only a hunting lodge surrounded by marchland (the family also owned the nearby nearby Château Lamothe, later renamed Château Margaux.).
The domain stayed in the property of Durfort family until 1824 when it was purchased by M. de Vivens, who renamed it to Château Durfort Vivens (The across the street chateau Marojallia used to belong to the Durforts and it was their living quarters) .
During his visit to Bordeaux in 1775, Thomas

The name of a fortified dungeon called "Giscours" appears in history books in the middle of the 14th century. However only records from 1552 - that are related with the property sale - associate the name Giscours with a winery.
Throughout the centuries the fame of Giscours wine only increased and after being appreciated by King Louis XIV in the 17th century, was acquired in the middle of the 19th century by Count Pescatore who builds the chateau neoclassical style mansion where Empress Eugénie de Montijo was received in 1847.
For the consistent quality of its wine Chateau Giscours is rewarded by the 1855 Classification with the ranking of 3rd Grand Cru Clasé.
Giscours vineyard spreads on 80 hectares in Margaux region hence

Château Kirwan, situated in the heart of Margaux appellation, is an exceptional château to visit.
Not only for its outstanding wine, it was ranked as 3rd Growth in the famous 1855 ranking, but also for its beautiful 18th century residence, its extensive century-old tree park and magnificent rose garden.
The Kirwan vineyard spreads on 37 hectares divided into 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20 Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.
The estate produces 2 wines "Chateau Kirwan" and "Les Charmes de Kirwan" as a second wine.

Château Lascombes bears the name of its 17th century owner Antoine, chevalier de Lascombes. Antoine himself got the domain from the Durfort de Duras family who owned at the time several chateaux in the region.
In 1855 it was awarded the prestigious ranking of "Second Cru" in the "Grands Crus Classés" classification.
In more recent history, in 1952, the chateau was purchased by Alexis Lichine - a colorful Russian wine writer and entrepreneur who was also the owner of Château Prieuré-Lichine - in partnership with a syndicate of American investors.
Nowadays the chateau is owed by the Insurance Group MACSF.
The domain covers 84 hectares in the Margaux appellation with a grape variety of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot.
The château produces

A passage from William Styron’s 1979 bestseller “Sophie’s Choice” describes the Château Margaux wine as: “Were a wine to be drunk in paradise,” Styron wrote, “it would be Chateau Margaux.”
The wine is - and was! - in fact one of the most pricey wines in the world with a starting price of more then €400/bottle and going well in the thousands of Euros, even for recent years, depending on the vintage. In late 18th century already Thomas Jefferson, a wine enthusiast and of course at one time the American ambassador to France wrote about Margaux wine: "It cost me 3 livres a bottle. It is very dear".
Margaux ranked in the famous 1855 classification as "Premier Cru".
The history

Château Palmer bears the name of owner Charles Palmer, general of the British army who bought it in 1814.
In 1853 the domain is bought by the Pereire brothers, famous French businessmen of the time (who also founded the resort of Arcachon) who built in 1856 the chateau - a construction in the classic style with baroque and renaissance touches - that is still standing today.
In 1855 the wine of Chateau Palmer is included in the legendary classification as a "Grand Cru".
In 1938 the chateau and its domain is sold to 4 families known in the Bordeaux wine industry: the Mähler-Besse, the Sichel, the Miailhe and the Ginestet. Nowdays the winerie is in the possession of the descendants of

Château Prieure-Lichine, a Grand Cru Classe 1855, takes its name from its ancient status dating from the 15th century when it was the wine producing property of the Priory of Cantenac and the name of its more recent owner: merchant, author and wine guru , Alexis Lichine - the author of the renowned " Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits" who took over the estate in 1951.
Lichin, a marketing genius, was the first to introduce wine tasting at the chateau for the general public.
The estate covers 70ha, is producing different wines beside the grand vin including a white and a rosé. The grape varieties are: 50% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot.
The residence is a 16th

Château Rauzan-Gassies was ranked "Second Grand Cru Classe" in 1855.
The Château is situated in the Margaux - it is an Margaux Appellation Controlle - et Cantenac districts of Gironde. The château and the vineyard are the achievement of Pierre des Mesures de Rauzan, a wine broker from Bordeaux, who bought the property in the middle of the 17th century. (He also created the neighboring château Rauzan Segla).
At the end of the 18th century, the wine bottle labels were changed by Jean-Baptiste de Rauzan , the owner at the time , with the addition of two "angel wings" that protect the grapes. The legend wants that the grapes were many times "miraculously" saved from frost and hail and

Château Moucaillou, named this way - maucaillou stands for bad stone - because in ancient times the fields covered in pebbles were not favorable to grains grow, has as written on its web site the motto: "Grand Cru Classé, can not,/ Cru Bourgeois, is refused,/ MAUCAILLOU castle, I am." as devised by Philippe Dourthe the director of the enterprise.
The motto synthesizes the uniqueness of Chateau Maucaillou wine that appeared at the end of the 19th century and therefore could not be included in the famous 1855 ranking as well as the refusal of its stakeholders to being considered a "Cru Bourgeois".
The chateau features a "Wine and Vinery" museum that can be visited any day of the year with the

Château Lafite does not need any presentation.It was listed as one of the "Premiers Crus" in 1855. Its 800 years of history is detailed on its web site at http://www.lafite.com. In the 18th century the domain was along Latour, Mouton and Calon-Ségur the property of Marquees Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, - known as "le Prince des vignes" - one of the biggest Bordeaux region vineyard landlords of the time. Less now is that Lafite wine was introduced to Versailles court during the reign of King Louis XV, in the middle of the 18th century. This is what the Petit Journal was telling its readers in June 1907: "One day the king said to the Marechal de Richelieu: "- Mr. Governor Septimania, of Aquitaine and Novempopulania,

Pédesclaux Chateau, situated in Pauillac region (it produces a Pauillac Appellation wine), was founded in 1810 by Pierre Urbain Pédesclaux, a famous Bordeaux wine broker. It is listed in the 1855 “Grand Crus” ranking. The property spreads on 40 hectares covered with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
The Chateau practices a sustainable viticulture and at harvest time the grapes are manually picked and manually and optically sorted.
The Chateau produces annually 110,000 of Chateau Pédesclaux wine and 20,000 bottles of Fleur de Pédesclaux (the second wine).
Chateau Pédesclaux "little sister" (or brother!) is Chateau Lilian Ladouys, situated on 45ha on the territory of Saint Estèphe village hence its Saint Estèphe Appellation.
Chateau Lilian Ladouys wine was recognized in 1932

With a wine ranked Grand Cru Classe in 1855, a beautiful manor built in the middle of the 19th century and an art collection Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a landmark of Medoc.
The name comes from one of its first owners Jacques de Pichon Longueville, the first president of the Bordeaux Parliament whose daughter and heiress became later Comtesse of Lalande.
The estate that covers 87-hectare has been managed by only three families since the 17th century.
The prestigious Wine Spectator magazine calls Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande "A first-class second growth" as a reference to its consistently fine quality that overcomes its ranking in 1855 as a Second Cru

Château Haut-Brion - the famous Premier Cru in the 1855 listing and the oldest wine-producing estate in Bordeaux - it is sometimes wrongly pronounced as Hot Brian(!!!), is unfortunately closed to visitors due to renovation work.
Its sister domain Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion is nevertheless an exceptional wine making property and can be visited.
The domain and its renowned wine date from the 16th century when it was created by Lestonnac family. At the end of the 17th century it passed in the hands of the "Priests of the Congregation of the Mission" hence the name "La Mission".
A major stepping stone in the evolution of the Chateau la Mission Haut-Brion was its 1919 purchase by Frederic Otto Woltner who along with

Château Cos d'Estournel is a Second Cru in the 1855 Grand Cru listing.
The château was created by Louis Gaspard d'Estournel in the beginning of the 19th century and owes its flamboyant South-Asian architectural style to his passion for Indian culture and the fact the wine was exported even during d'Estournel's time as far as India.
Cos d'Estournel's vineyard spreads on 70ha on the village of Saint-Estèphe, hence the wine's Saint-Estèphe Appellation.
The grapes are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.
The chateau produces Cos d'Estournel and Les Pagodes de Cos (as a second wine).

Gruaud Larose Château is a member of the exclusive "1855 Grand Crus Claseé" wineries family.
It is situated in the town of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle of Medoc, hence its Saint Julien AOC.
The winery dates from early 17th century when the first building - the tower - was also built by Joseph Stanislas Gruaud.
In 1778, the castle passed into the hands of Joseph Sebastien Larose, husband of the daughter of Joseph, and became known as Gruaud-Larose. The vine, whose average age is 43 years, covers 80 ha and is devided between Cabernet Sauvignon (61%), Merlot (29%), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (5% each).
Gruaud-Larose is one of the first wineries to see off the insecticides, pesticides and herbicides in the vineyard and to replace them

The Beychevelle château is many times referred as the Versailles of Medoc. The domain was the fief of the Dukes of Epernon the most famous of whom Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette (1565-1642) was also Grand Admiral of France and Governor of Gueynne.
It is during his time that the property became known as "Beychevelle", name coming from the fact that the ships going on the Gironde Estuary and passing in front of the chateau were lowering their sails - "becha vela" in the local language - in the honor of its owner.
The actual "chateau" was built in the 17th century and renovated several times since then.
The vineyard covers 90 ha and is divided between: 62 % cabernet-sauvignon, 31 %

Château Canon-La Gaffelière is a Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe.
Château Canon-La Gaffelière is one of the 6 chateaux owned by von Neipperg family, an old wine making family from Germany, who bought it in 1971.
They modernized the wine making process, built new wine making facilities and moved to a biodynamic approach that replaces the chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

Château Clos Fourtet is a "Premier Grand Cru Classe" de Saint Emilion.
It is located close to the enterance in the town of Saint Emilion.
Its beautiful manor was built in the 18th century.
Clos Fourtet consists of 45 acres of vineyards planted to 80 percent Merlot, 10 percent Cabernet Franc and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvingon. The estate produces about 5,000 cases of Clos Fourtet annually, along with 2,500 cases of its second wine, Domaine de Martialis.(source winespectator.com).

Located on a limestone slope just east of the town of St.-Emilion, the 32 hectares property had been earning enthusiastic reviews for almost two decades before it was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé b, the second-highest rank in the Saint Emilion appellation.
The estate that produces around 100,000 bottles of wine a year mainly from the Merlot variety but also with some Cabernet franc and Cabernet sauvignon was in the 18th century the property of the abbot Raymond de Seze who in the 1745 built the its manor. In 1850 Raymond Troplong, at the time the president of the French Senate, bought the domain. The property belongs now to the Valette family.

Château Villemaurine is a 7 hectares estate ranked "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé".
The caves and the winery were completely renovated in 2010 in a modern style.
The cellars of the chateau are old quarries that form an underground network and make an interesting visit.

It is a "1er Grand Cru Classe" en 1855.
It is one of the oldest domains in the Sauternes region dating from the 13th century.
Château Coutet produces mainly dessert-style wines known as botrytised wines.

Château Guiraud, 1er Grand Cru Classé Sauternes 1855, recently received his certification in organic farming. This is the second of the Great Classified Growths of Bordeaux classification of 1855 to achieve this certification, but the only 1st Cru, Château Pontet-Canet being certified as organic viticulture in 2006.
The property is becomes a vine growing land in 1766 when Pierre Guiraud – a wine grower from Bordeaux - buys it.

When you are so famous you do not need to draw more attention! In the vineyard maze that is Sauternes region, Chateau d'Yquem, listed as "Premier Cru Superieur" in 1855, and considered the Sweet Wine King of the World and the most expensive white wine of the world, is the only one not indicated on any panel that guides the oenotourists !
On the 26th of July 2011 a bottle of Chateau d’Yguem 1811 was sold for 85,000 Euros! The wine belongs to the class of the botrytised wines, the wine made from grapes attacked by a fungus that renders their juice sweeter.
The chateau also produces, in years when the conditions are met a dry wine very appreciated by the connaiseur

Château de Malle was founded by Jacques de Malle at the begining of the 17th century.
From its inception to this day the property has belonged to the same family, the current owners the Counts of Bournazel being direct descendants of Jacques de Malle.
The property's manor is listed as a historical monument along with its 6 hectares gardens "a l'italienne"!
The Château de Malle was listed in 1855 as "Second Grand Cru".

Château Filhot belongs to the Grand Cru Classee 1855 exclusive family.
Its 350 hectares property, including 62 hectares of vineyard, is located in Sauternes.
Its first owner was Romain de FILHOT, member of parliament of Bordeaux, who built the initial manor at the beginning of the 18th century. The today chateau was built in 1845 in neoclassical style.
The property is now managed by the descendants of the de Filhot family.
Chateau Filhot produces an exceptional white wine with an elegant liquor feel.

Château La Tour Blanche stands out not only through its wine, listed as "Premier Grand Cru" in 1855 but also through its history.
The château was founded in the 18th century. In 1907 its owner, Daniel "Osiris" Iffla, left it to the French Republic, under the condition that a wine school is set on the site.
The property vineyard covers 37 hectares planted with 83% Semillion, 11.9% Sauvignon, 5.% Muscadelle.

Clos Haut-Peyraguey of the Sauternes region was listed as First Grow in the famous 1855 wine ranking.
The domain is an ancient barony that belonged to different owners throughout the centuries.
It is a relatively small property of 17hectare that produces around 8,000 bottles of wine mainly from the semillion grape variety.