Médoc Half-Day Tour from Bordeaux

2 Chateaux, 6 Tastings, and Chocolate pairing

Small Group Tour

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Tour Highlights•
FAQ •

Prestigious Medoc Wine, Vineyards, and Chateaux

Discover Medoc and the prestigious left bank of the Bordeaux wine region with it’s gorgeous Chateaux! You’ll explore two beautiful Chateau Wineries on this Half-day Trip from Bordeaux and learn their fascinating histories dating back more than 160 years. Appreciate the warm welcome you’ll receive at each winery and personal explanations about their unique ways of making wine.

This fun adventure will help you to appreciate the unique “terroirs” of Médoc as there are so many famous subregions with different soil here. You’ll walk through a Merlot vineyard, see a grape press, learn how Medoc wine is made and pose for souvenir photos while you lean on the huge oak barrels where it is aged.

Everyone knows that the best way to learn about wine is to taste it! So after you have finished exploring the wine making process you’ll enjoy 6 tastings of Medoc wines, with the Margaux and Haut Médoc labels, from different cuvées. As an additional treat we’ll bring even more sweetness to your day when we teach you how to pair these famous red wines with chocolate.

Margaux wine

Meet up with your guide on the corner of the Tourism Office in Bordeaux and head off on an adventure along the gorgeous Route des Châteaux into the Médoc vineyards. Your witty and charming guide will take you to two unique chateaux wineries in Médoc. You’ll ride in a luxury van in a small group with no more than 8 participants. This tour will be fun, interesting, tasty, and you’ll receive the personal attention you deserve.

The drive to the first Chateau is about 45 min long. You’ll be riding in comfort in one of our brand new vans with fresh A/C, comfy forward facing seats, and large clear windows. The first Chateau you’ll explore makes Margaux wines. You’ll learn about their fascinating family history of more than 160 years as well as their particular winemaking process.

You’ll visit their unique wine related art and artifact collection and also enjoy the panoramic view over their beautiful vineyard from on top of a bunker that was built to keep their wine safe during the cold war. You’ll tour their pressing room and also visit their huge fermentation vats. While some are made with cement and stainless steel they still have their much older vats made of oak for you to see. Then there will be at least 3 tastings of the Margaux wines which you will have just learned about.

Haut-Medoc Vineyard

At the next winery you visit you’ll be blown away by the elegant beauty of the renaissance castle (chateau) that is surrounded by perfectly ordered vineyards. It will undoubtedly become the backdrop for one of your favorite souvenir photos of France. This Medoc winery also has some very modern, celestial looking, lighting effects in their impressive barrel shed where the oak aging barrels are lit up with flare!

At this winery you will learn about their way of creating perfectly balanced Haut-Medoc wines. You’ll also enjoy 3 tastings of their different cuvées as you learn about how a slight change in soil composition can really affect a grape vine. And of course you will also learn to pair the wines with chocolates!

After you have finished enjoying your wine you’ll thank the winery for its friendly and in-depth tour before you board the van and head back to Bordeaux. The drive back to Bordeaux will take a little more than an hour long. You will be dropped back off at the same spot where you first met your guide. There are many great restaurants around the Tourism Office in Bordeaux so it will be easy for you to eat lunch or dinner right after the tour is finished.

Good to Know:

No meals are included in this tour. Unless you consider the chocolate chunks and wine pairing as a meal.
You can buy wine at all the wineries that we visit. It’s less expensive to buy it here than in your own country.
If you enjoyed the tour you can tip the guide. Our guides enjoy receiving tips.

Group size

Max. 8 pers. per tour

Duration

5hrs

What's Included

Transportation by luxury A/C minibus
2 wineries
2 X 3 tastings

Language

All of our tours are commented in English

Dates & Times

All year
Mon-Sat 8AM or 2PM

Meeting point

Bordeaux Tourism Office

Click here for picture
Reservation required

Tour Highlights

Two different Medoc wineries

Explore two beautiful Chateau wineries! You’ll love learning about the different ways that Medoc wine can be made and how each winemaker personalizes theirs!

Taste at least 6 great wines!

One way to learn about wine is to see how it's made but the BEST way is to taste lots of it! That’s why we include 6 different tastings on this tour!

Chocolate pairing

Some chocolates are just begging to be paired with wine. Their subtle aromas marry so well with the red fruit notes in the Médoc wine.

Margaux and Haut Médoc

Learn about the different terroirs and titles that are given to the prestigious wines of this region. Their rarity and prices will no longer be a mystery!

Beautiful Barrel Sheds

Most Médoc wineries do not have underground cellars. They prefer to have beautiful Barrel sheds with trendy styles. Learn why on this tour!

Beautiful Chateaux

Medoc is famous for the beauty of the renaissance style Castles that are sprinkled throughout the vineyards. You’ll see them up close on our tour.

Walk in the vineyards

Feel the smoothed river stones underfoot, touch the leaves on the vine, and get to the root of where the complex aromas in the Médoc wine is born!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people are in the group?

We like keeping things personal and getting the chance to really share in the experience with our guests. For that reason we cap our group tours to no more than 8 people.

What is the Cancellation Policy?

If for any reason you want to cancel your reservation with us you’ll get a full refund so long as you get it done more than 24 hours in advance of the tours start. Once within 24 hours of the tours start we do not provide refunds for any reason. So don’t you dare stand us up and then ask for your money back. It won’t be returned.

What is the difference between Médoc and Saint-Emilion?

Médoc and Saint-Emilion are 2 sub-regions of the well known Bordeaux wine region. Médoc is located north-west of Bordeaux, on the south bank of the Gironde estuary. The landscape is very flat, the wineries are very large with vast vineyards and the chateaux (castles) are very beautiful and impressive. Médoc is divided into several smaller prestigious appellations such as Margaux and Saint-Estèphe as the soil from one estate to the next can vary greatly. The main grape used here is the Cabernet-Sauvignon. It represents 50% of all grapes grown, and up to 85% in the wine blends. Saint-Emilion is located east of Bordeaux on the north bank of the Dordogne river, the landscape has rolling hills and the wineries are smaller, most of them still family run. The main grape used here is the Merlot. 60% of all grapes grown here are Merlot grapes. While both regions are planted with Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes each winery creates its own style by blending the different grapes in their wine. That is why it is best to try multiple wineries to taste the differences!

What is the legal drinking age in France?

Technically, there is no legal drinking age in France for minors who are under the supervision of a parent. However, it is illegal for wineries to sell or serve wine to anyone under 18 years old. So, if you book your kids onto this tour they will not be served any wine but you are legally allowed to let them taste from your own glass. Just don’t let them become inebriated as that is illegal and also really bad parenting.

Can I buy bottles of wine during the tour and bring them home?

Yes, we can fit up to 18 bottles of wine, per person, in our van. That is a lot of wine! We’ll bring it back to Bordeaux for you but once in Bordeaux you’ll have to figure out how to get the wine back home with you on your own. It is possible to ship them in the mail and it is also possible to bring some bottles back in your checked luggage. We do not know every airline's limitations so it is best to check with your specific airline before packing your bags to go home. As for the border customs limit it depends on each country/state, please check ahead. Usually anything that is obviously for a personal consumption (a few bottles) is not taxed.

How many tastings are included?

We have arranged for you to be able to taste 3 different wines at each chateau that we visit on this tour. So, officially 6 tastings are included in our tour price. If you’d like to taste more wine then you can arrange that directly with the chateau staff at your own cost. Just know that our guide will cut you off if you start acting “oddly”. This is a cultural tour not a “pub crawl”!

How far in advance should I book?

Our small groups fill up super fast! Especially in the warmer months. In order to have your first pick of dates we suggest that you book 4 weeks in advance of the tour date. If you need to change your reservation you can always do that for free so long as it is more than 24hrs in advance of the tours start. Just keep in mind that we won’t always be able to move you to a new date, as it might already be fully booked.

Love It Or Get Your Money Back

We are committed to giving you the best experience possible, in case the tour you took with us didn’t meet your expectation we are happy to give a full refund as long as you participated in the entire tour and tell your guide at the end of the tour.

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