The Wine Connect
2018 Tour de Bordeaux.
8 July – 15 July 2018
Join winemaker Ian Leamon on a tour of Bordeaux
where you will visit some of the region’s most prestigious chateaux.
Chateau d’Yquem.
Enjoy eight fabulous days in Bordeaux when we visit
Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau d’Yquem,
Chateau Climens, Chateau Figeac, Chateau
Sociando-Mallet, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Grand
Puy Lacoste. and Chateau Lascombes.
If you have ever dreamed
of going to the great Chateaux of Bordeaux and tasting their wines then this
tour is for you. Ian Leamon will take you to Chateaux that are normally
inaccessible to the general public. You will taste some of the most highly
regarded wines in the world and maybe even meet the winemaker.
Day 1 Sunday 8 July, Bordeaux
Tour members will make their way to
our four star hotel, Hotel de Seze or equivalent which is
perfectly located in the very heart of Bordeaux city. Bordeaux can be reached
by TGV train from Paris and the Bordeaux station is a short taxi ride from our
hotel or you may wish to fly or drive to Bordeaux.
Later
in the afternoon we will receive a talk on the different regions within the
Bordeaux appellation. The talk will be presented by Bordeaux expert Dewey
Markham Jr and it will incorporate a tasting of red wines from across Bordeaux.
In the evening we will dine at Brasserie Le Noailles.
*Dinner and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 2 Monday 9 July, Chateau Lascombes, Margaux,
Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac.
After
breakfast we will board the tour bus and drive to Margaux where we will have a
tour and tasting at Second Growth winery, Chateau Lascombes followed by lunch
in the Chateau. After lunch we will drive to the township of Pauillac where we
will visit the famous and beautiful first growth winery, Chateau Lafite
Rothschild. The winery tour will conclude with a tasting of Chateau Lafite. *Lunch
and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 3 Tuesday 10 July, Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Climens,
Sauternes.
After breakfast we will take the
bus to the region of Sauternes. Here we will visit Chateau Climens. Chateau
Climens is actually located in the Sauternes sub region of Barsac and here we
will receive a tour of the vineyard and cellars
After
lunch we will take the short drive to Chateau d’Yquem. Chateau d’Yquem has the
unique classification of First Growth Superior. Chateau D’Yquem is part of the
luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy or LVMH. After a tour of the
grounds and cellars you will receive a tasting of the golden nectar that is
Chateau d’Yquem.
*Lunch and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 4 Wednesday 11 July, Chateau Figeac, St Emilion.
We
will visit St Emilion where you will have some free time to explore this
medieval town which has world heritage listing. We will then have lunch at
L’Envers du Decor. This restaurant is a local institution frequented by local
wine merchants and winemakers.
After
lunch we will visit the classified first growth winery of Chateau Figeac. Chateau
Figeac has been classified a First Grand Growth winery since the vineyards of
Saint Emilion were classified in 1954 and has been owned by the Manoncourt
family since 1892.
.
*Lunch
and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 5 Thursday 12 July, Chateau Palmer and Chateau
Grand Puy Lacoste, Medoc.
Today
we will be visiting two of my favourite Chateaux as I think they are making
superb wines. In the morning we will visit the picture postcard Chateau Palmer
in Margaux which is consistently making some of the best wines in Bordeaux. This
will be followed by lunch at Le Lion D’Or, a local restaurant which allows us
to BYO red wines. In the afternoon we will visit the beautiful family owned
Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste. Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste is a 5th Growth
Chateau that is punching well above its weight as it often receives better
reviews from wine writers than the second and third growths. *Lunch and wines are included in the cost of
the tour.
Day 6 Friday 13 July, Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut Medoc.
After
breakfast we will board the bus which will take us back to the Medoc region
where we will visit the Cru Bourgeois winery of Chateau Sociando-Mallet.
Sociando-Mallet is a smaller producer than the wineries we have already visited,
however it is highly regarded by American wine writer Robert Parker and it has
an enviable reputation for high quality, affordable red wines.
After
our visit we will return to Bordeaux. In the evening we will dine together at a
local Bordeaux restaurant. *Dinner is included in the cost of the tour.
Day 7 Saturday 14 July, Bordeaux.
This
is a free day and after a busy week you can enjoy a sleep in before taking the
opportunity to wander around Bordeaux city. You will be able to explore the
shops, including the many wine shops, as well as visiting some of the
historical sites that may have caught your eye during the week or maybe even
explore Bordeaux by tram and of course there is the market.
In
the evening we will enjoy our tour celebration dinner at 1 star Michelin
restaurant Le Chapon Fin or equivalent. *Dinner is included in the cost of the tour.
Day 8 Sunday 15 July, Bordeaux
Sadly
we have reached the end of the tour of Bordeaux. Should you wish to continue
your journey from Bordeaux then you will find that many hire car companies are
located at the railway station. You may
also wish to fly out of Bordeaux to another destination and of course there is
the TGV back to Paris.
Tour Guide.
Winemaker Ian Leamon is your tour guide. Ian was
involved in the establishment of his family’s vineyard and winery, Chateau
Leamon in 1972. He then studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University and has
been making wine for more than thirty years.
Ian is a founding partner of Wine-Connect and he has
travelled extensively throughout the wine regions of France over the past thirty
two years. Ian first visited Bordeaux in 1985 and has returned on a regular
basis.
Ian also imports champagne to Australia and he visits
Champagne on an annual basis. Ian has twice worked during vintage in Champagne,
in 1985 for Veuve Clicquot in the village of Bouzy and in 2007 with the Loriot
family at Champagne Joseph Loriot-Pagel in the village of Festigny.
Ian is an experienced tour director, having
conducted numerous tours of the Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy regions.
Meals.
The
tour offers breakfast on a daily basis plus one other meal, either lunch or
dinner. Rarely do we offer a third meal on the same day. We do this for two
reasons.
- Group meals tend to be large
meals and if we had two such meals in one day then people start to feel
weighed down by their food and wine.
- Sometimes tour members like
to take the opportunity to have a free evening on their own and choose
their own restaurants.
Tour Accommodation
We
have selected a four star hotel for the tour. All hotels have clean and modern
facilities and breakfast is provided at our hotel on the tour.
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