33 Hours in Bordeaux
Was this the best Christmas party in the world? We think so!
After a long week in the office, nothing beats jumping on a plane for a mini break. Our destination was of course Bordeaux – not just your average Christmas party!
Once we touched down in Bordeaux, we were whisked off by Pierre to the Medoc vineyards where we met Nicolas for our first wine tour at Château Pichon Longueville Baron. This iconic Château, set on the left bank of the Garonne, looks like it was pinched straight from a Walt Disney fairy-tale set.
SmoothRed Travel Team in front of Chateaux Pichon Longueville
Our wine tour started with the underground cellars and vat rooms which are all beneath a small lake that lies at the foot of the Château, interestingly the lake was built above these to keep them cool.
In the tasting room we had our first sip(s) of wine which was a vertical tasting of the 2009, 2010 and 2012 Pichon wines. Not a bad way to start our wine tour! Pichon, like most Medoc wines, are predominately Cabernet Sauvignon so are big masculine wines and full of tannins. For those of you who have no idea about the term ‘vertical tasting’ (I have to admit I can never remember…), this is where the different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted.
Which was my favourite wine? Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the 2010 (said to be one of the top vintages produced ever from Pichon).
After our wine tasting, we were led to the main Château where a Champagne and Canapé reception awaited us. The best way to describe the inside of Pichon is that it is exactly like a grand stately home or I would even go as far as saying it is something similar to Buckingham Palace (from what I can tell from the Queen’s speech on Christmas day). It is extremely impressive, sophisticated and very elegant – everything you expect from the outside plus more!
Our wine tasting was followed by a three course lunch in a white table clothed dining room overlooking the vineyards – it really was such a spectacular setting. This was paired with a wide selection of wines; Billecart-Salmon Rose Champagne with the fabulous canapés, Château Suduiraut 2012, Pichon Baron-Longueville 2004 and we finished with a Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2005 – what a perfect lunch!
Feeling suitably satisfied, we left Pichon for our next Château. With the bar being set extremely high, could the next Château live up to this?
We followed the “Route des Châteaux” to Château du Tertre, where we received a warm welcome from Mark who showed us around the stunning grounds, cellar and VAT rooms (the grounds include a swimming pool longer than Olympic size and an Orangery where they organise private dinners).
If we were not already in love enough with this Château, we were shown the five luxurious bedrooms overlooking the 52 hectares of vineyards. Pure heaven, the perfect retreat!
We were then guided into the kitchen of the Château (the private kitchen of the owner) to be presented with the ultimate Christmas scene; a fire, candles, chandeliers, holly, cheese, wine – we thought we were dreaming! Here we tasted two wines; Château Du Tertre 2004 and Château Giscours 2004 (its sister Château). A horizontal tasting, which is a tasting of the same year wines from different wineries. Interestingly, they are from plots very close with soft tannins and a long finish.
The time came when we had to leave Château Du Tertre to return to Bordeaux city. We freshened up at the Quality Hotel, Bordeaux (great central 3 star perfect for a weekend getaway) before visiting the Christmas market outside the Grande Theatre du Bordeaux. A classic Christmassy market selling Vin Chaud (hot wine), fur hats and Christmas trees… Need I say more.
Our dinner that evening was at the lively Brasserie Bordelaise on the bustling Rue Saint-Rémi, where we enjoyed another three course meal and some fantastic magnums of Château Coucheroy. After dinner, we had a couple more glasses of wine in a local bar where we also sampled the local tequila (don’t try this) and headed to bed ready for our Bordeaux wine tour day two.
DAY 2
After a nice lie in to sleep off some of the alcohol we had consumed yesterday, we headed straight to the right bank, to St Emilion to visit the charismatic Vincent from Château Guadet. This Château formally known as Château Guadet-St-Julien is in a unique setting on the limestone plateau of St Emilion where Merlot grapes thrive; in the heart of the village on one side, but with its own vineyards on the other side. Look how close to each other the houses are in St Emilion, how crazy is this?!
This family run business, predominantly run by Vincent and Guy-Petrus, is a one man band and a complete contrast to the Châteaux we visited in the Medoc. The passion for wine has been handed down generations; with Vincent’s family founding the famous and prestigious Petrus (Vincent’s full name is Vincent Petrus Lignac and his great great Aunt is Marie Louise Loubat).
Backwards down some very steep steps we followed Vincent into the cellars of the winery. The earliest bottle of wine I saw was from 1914, which was allegedly hidden from the Germans during the war. On one of the cellar walls there was an amazing picture sketched, drawn when people were using the cellars to hide during the French revolution.
After a truly remarkable visit to the cellars, we tried a 2003 and a 2010 Château Guadet-St-Julien (vertical tasting). Both were fantastic, it was a tough decision but if I had to choose one I would vote 2010.
Before heading to lunch we popped into a wine merchant and tasted a white wine from Château Olivier, a winery in the Pessac Leognan appellation in the Graves region (this is definitely on my list for visiting next time – Graves is well known for both red and white wines).
We followed the cobbled street to the cellar restaurant of Lard et Bouchon where we had our final meal of the weekend – an exquisite three course lunch with accompanying wines. We had a Bordeaux Blanc from Château Grand Renom with a crayfish and avocado starter. Our main of cod was accompanied by Couvent des Jacobins 2006, another winery situated right in the heart of St Emilion. Our meal drew to an end and it was time to leave. We were scooped up by our guide, Ben, and taken to the airport. Our Bordeaux Christmas party wine tour was over before we knew it. We learnt a lot, ate a lot and certainly drank a lot!
