The Wine Connect
2019 Tour de Bordeaux.
7 July – 14 July 2019
Join winemaker Ian Leamon on a tour of Bordeaux
where you will visit some of the region’s most prestigious chateaux.
Enjoy seven fabulous days in Bordeaux
when we visit Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau La
Tour Blanche, Chateau Conseillante, Chateau Mouton
Rothschild, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Grand
Puy Lacoste, Chateau Lascombes, Domaine de
Chevalier and Chateau Haut Brion.
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 expensive
and highly regarded wines in the world and maybe even meet the winemaker.
Bordeaux
City.
Day 1 Sunday 7 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 and
resident 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 8 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 9 July, Domaine de Chevalier and
Chateau Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan. Domaine de Chevalier is located
close to the township of Leognan and it is classified as Grand Cru Classé de
Graves. The 1855 classification applied mostly to the Medoc and so the wineries
in this region are not referred to as 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th or 5th growth as they are in the Medoc with the
exception of Chateau Haut Brion which is classified as a First Growth.
Confusing, hopefully this will become clearer after Dewey’s talk and the week
progresses. In the evening we will dine in a restaurant located in the centre
of Bordeaux.*Dinner and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 4 Wednesday 10 July. Chateau Palmer, Margaux and Chateau Conseillante,
Pomerol.
Today we will cover a bit of
territory as we will visit the superb Chateau Palmer in Margaux in the morning
and then we will travel across to Saint Emilion where we will have lunch before
visiting Chateau Conseillante in Pomerol. This is a great chance to compare the
Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wines of the Medoc with the Merlot dominant wines
of the right bank.
.
*Lunch
and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 5 Thursday 11 July, Chateau La Tour Blanche,
Sauternes.
Today
we will visit the region of Sauternes and more specifically Chateau La Tour
Blanche where we will learn how Sauternes is made and what makes it so
luscious. This will be followed by lunch at the winery with a selection of
Chateau La Tour Blanches wines. By now you have earned a bit of a rest so after
lunch we will return to Bordeaux where the rest of the day is free.
*Lunch and wines are included in the cost of the tour.
Day 6 Friday 12 July, Chateau Mouton and Chateau
Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac.
Today
we will visit Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Chateau Mouton is unique in that it
was originally classified as a second growth in the 1855 classification but
after many decades of lobbying by owner Baron Philippe Rothschild it was
elevated to first growth staus in 1973. To my knowledge this is the only change
to the 1855 classification.
After
our visit we will take the scenic drive to the Margaux region. Along the way we
will pass many of the famous and beautiful chateaux of Bordeaux. We will arrive
at the village of Arcins where we will have lunch at Le Lion d’Or.
After
lunch our winery visits will conclude with a visit to Chateau Grand Puy
Lacoste. This fifth growth Chateau is family owned and operated and it punches
well above its weight as it regularly receives ratings and reviews above those
of more highly ranked Chateaux.
*Lunch is included in the cost of the tour.
Day 7 Saturday 13 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 14 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 since 1985. Ian
first visited Bordeaux in 1985 and has returned on a regular basis since.
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.
Tour Costs
The
tour is a land only package.
We
understand that many tour members will be extending their time in Europe beyond
the length of the Bordeaux tour. For example some tour members may wish to
travel in Europe prior to the commencement of the Bordeaux tour in Paris or
they may wish to continue their holiday after the Bordeaux tour concludes. Either way we feel that it will be easier for
tour members to make their own flight arrangements with their preferred
carrier.
Included in the tour
price;
- Tour leadership.
- Accommodation in our four
star hotel including breakfast each day.
- Four lunches including lunch
at Chateau Lascombes and three dinners including our celebration dinner on
the final evening. All meals include wines carefully selected by Ian
Leamon.
- Bordeaux tasting and
tutorial with Dewey Markham Jr.
- Entrance and tasting fees at
all wineries visited.
- Bus transport in Bordeaux
- Not
included in the tour price.
- Airfares
- Airport Transfers.
- Passport and visa fees.
- Travel insurance.
- International airport and
general travel taxes.
- Sightseeing and general
expenses not specified in the itinerary.
- Lunches and dinners unless
where specified.
- Laundry
- Items of a personal nature
including drinks and snacks consumed from the mini bar in your hotel room.
- Additional travel
arrangements.
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