Itinerary-BordeauxWalter Eagleton2017-12-29T08:11:22-06:00
Home Back to Adventure ACCOMMODATIONS PRICE AND WHAT’S INCLUDED
Sunday, October 21 – Saturday, October 27, 2018
“If you could visit the best of the best….? If you could taste the best wines in the World…? We have access to the top Chateaux and will organize the best Tours. Many of the best Chateaux are not accessible. They do not open their doors to visitors to taste and look around. We have great links through the wine trade as well as being in the area for many years to be able to get access to the best.” Hamish Wakes-Miller, Bella Wine Tours
Sunday
We will meet you at the Bordeaux St Jean TGV station and transport you by large private air conditioned van to your Chateau home for the week. Enjoy a meet-and-greet with Hamish Wakes-Miller, our guest guide, as he discusses the Bordeaux area and wines and gives us an introduction to the week. Then relax until it is time for a Gourmet Welcome Dinner by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Monday
After breakfast at the Chateau, we will begin our week with a day of exploration with our professional wine expert and guide, Hamish. He will treat us to a full visit to the cellars at Chateau de la Riviere, our home for the week, followed by a tasting of wines.
After this wonderful experience, we will drive on in our private van to Pomerol and visit and taste at a top Pomerol Chateau. Then on to Saint Emilion. Feeling content we will then move on to a top Saint Emilion Chateau for a full visit and tasting at a Grand Cru Classe (or maybe a Premier). We will then return to Chateau.
Highlights of the Day lead by Hamish.
Visit and tasting at Chateau Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classe. A full guided visit of the winery and the cellars followed by a tasting.
Travel to Saint Emilion for lunch*.
Visit and tasting at Chateau du Tailhas, Pomerol. A full guided visit followed by a tasting. We will then return to the Chateau for a relaxing evening of Canapés and a Gourmet dinner.
Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Tuesday
Breakfast and then we will explore the city of Bordeaux. In historical times, around 300 BC it was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, who named the town Burdigala, probably of Aquitanian origin. The name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city. The 18th century was the golden age of Bordeaux. Many downtown buildings (about 5,000), including those on the quays, are from this period. Victor Hugo found the town so beautiful he once said: “Take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux”. Baron Haussmann, a long-time prefect of Bordeaux, used Bordeaux’s 18th-century large-scale rebuilding as a model when he was asked by Emperor Napoleon III to transform a then still quasi-medieval Paris into a “modern” capital that would make France proud.
Lunch* in Bordeaux and then we will enjoy our own private, guided walking tour of the city. We will then return to the Chateau for a relaxing evening of Canapés and a Gourmet dinner.
Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Wednesday
After breakfast at the Chateau, we depart for the Medoc area and begin a full day of exploring some cabernet based reds and some famous Chateaux in Margaux, St.Julien and Pauillac. We will visit one Grand Cru Classe Chateau in the morning including a full visit followed by a tasting. *Lunch will be in a small family owned restaurants in the village of St. Julien. We will then visit two more Grand Cru Classe Chateaux in the afternoon. Each Chateau will show a contrast in style and always top quality. Upon completion, we will return to the Chateau in the early evening.
Highlights of the Day lead by Hamish.
An early start today!
Travel across to the Medoc
Chateau Lascombes, Margaux…..full guided visit and tasting
Chateau Gruaud Larose, Saint Julien….full guided visit and tasting
Lunch*
Chateau Pichon Baron (which is probably the most beautiful Chateau in the Medoc)
We will then return to the Chateau for a relaxing evening of Canapés and a Gourmet dinner.
Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Thursday
Today, after breakfast we will drive a short distance to spend some time to discover the beautiful village of Saint-Émilion with it’s boutique shops and deep history. Saint-Émilion’s history goes back to prehistoric times and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets. The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine. The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. The monks who followed him started up the commercial wine production in the area. .It is a delightful and picturesque village. Lunch* in Saint-Émilion and back to the Chateau for a relaxing evening of Canapés and a Gourmet dinner.
Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Friday
After breakfast we will rejoin our guide for another day exploring the Graves and Sauternes area at three top quality Chateaux tasting some incredible dry whites, reds and sweet wines.
Highlights of the Day lead by Hamish.
We will head off to the Pessac Leognan area.
Chateau La Louviere, Pessac Leognan-visit and tasting of dry whites and reds.
Lunch* in a lovely local restaurant
Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes-visit and tasting
Chateau Coutet, Barsac wine and cheese pairing a comparative tasting of a young vintage (in-barrel) and an old vintage (available for sale) of the Grand Vin, as well as a vintage of Second Vin. We will then return to the Chateau for a relaxing evening of Canapés and a Gourmet dinner.
Breakfast and dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
Saturday
Breakfast then transportation to a Bordeaux St. Jean TGV station for your return home (or your next destination).
Breakfast provided by Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef Walter and the Artistic Gourmet Adventures Staff.
*Adventure costs cover only meals and wine while dining at the Chateau.
