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From the A*List Deals Weekly Newsletter
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Haut-Médoc (French Wine Country) Driving Tour Excerpt from the National Geographic Traveler: France guidebook
Text by Rosemary Bailey Photograph by Catherine Karnow
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A field worker collects walnuts near Rocamadour, France. |
*Bolded names and numbers in the text below correspond with our map of this driving tour. Download Driving Tour Map(To download this PDF, you will need the free Adobe Reader.)
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In a region that produces the noblest wines in the world, with some 4,000 named, single-vineyard (or château) wines, the Médoc boasts the lion's share of the most aristocratic growths.
An unpromising marshy area to the northwest of Bordeaux, the Médoc was drained and planted only in the 18th century but soon it established a preeminence that it has never lost. When the wines of the Gironde region were classified in 1855, all 62 crus classés were from the Médoc. This short tour (allow a day) of the Haut-Médoc (the upper part of the Médoc) stars some of the most celebrated vineyards in the world. The best time to visit is just before the grapes are harvested in mid-September, when the vine leaves have turned golden, and the grapes hang tantalizingly heavy and luscious.
If you prefer to visit another of the Bordeaux wine regions—perhaps St.-Émilion, Entre-Deux-Mers, Sauternes, Graves, Côtes de Bourg, or Côtes de Blaye—the Conseil des Vins du Médoc (cours du 30 Juillet, tel +33 [0]5 56 48 18 62) in Bordeaux will be able to provide all the information you need; they also organize bus tours. If you wish to travel independently, plan carefully: Try to contact each vineyard you want to visit to make an appointment (for some at least two weeks in advance) and remember that you may not be welcome during the grape harvest.
The Tour
For this tour of the crème de la crème, take the D2 (Route du Vin) north out of Bordeaux, through row upon row of vines planted in the gravelly ground flanking the Gironde Estuary between the river and the forest of the Landes. Stop first at Château Siran (1) (tel +33 [0]5 57 88 34 04), once home to the Toulouse-Lautrec family, and splendidly furnished, with paintings that include a copy of Caravaggio's "The Young Bacchus." Château Margaux (2) (tel +33 [0]5 57 88 83 83, closed Sat.-Sun. & Aug.), east of the D2 about 2 miles (3.5 km) farther on, dubbed the Versailles of the Médoc, is perhaps the most outstanding of the châteaus, with a grand avenue of trees leading to the Doric colonnades of the facade. But you won't see much more than the cool dark cellars (chais) where the superlative wine is stored. Skip the town of Margaux and take a detour on the D5 to Château Maucaillou (3) and the Musée des Arts et des Métiers de la Vigne et du Vin (tel +33 [0]5 56 58 01 23). From Vauban's star-shaped 17th-century Fort Médoc (4) (tel +33 [0]5 56 58 98 40) there is an all-encompassing view of the Gironde Estuary and, beyond, the vineyards of Blaye.
Back on the wine route, the D2, you come next to Château Beychevelle (5) (tel +33 [0]5 56 73 20 70), set in a beautiful 18th-century building where tasting is offered. Farther on, Château Latour (6) (tel +33 [0]5 56 73 19 80) is named after the tower that stands next to the château. Then take a deep breath as you approach the river port of Pauillac, where signs point to some of the most hallowed names in wines, including Mouton-Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. At Château Mouton-Rothschild (7) (tel +33 [0]5 56 73 21 29, visits by appointment only) you may visit the reception rooms and banqueting hall of the château, and the display of wine labels commissioned from artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, and Henry Moore (remunerated, naturally, in bottles of wine). Part of the cellars is now a museum, with paintings, sculpture, tapestries, ceramics, and glass all devoted to wine.
At Château Lafite-Rothschild (8), another fine château in a grand park, there are guided tours (tel +33 [0]5 56 73 18 18, by appt. only).
A little farther on the D2, Château Cos d'Estournel (9) (tel +33 [0]5 56 72 15 50), a bizarre 18th-century "Oriental" palace, produces one the five crus classés from St.-Estèphe. This little river port has one of the oldest vineyards of the Haut-Médoc, predating even the drainage work carried out in the 18th century.
From here on down the estuary, the land becomes the Médoc rather than the Haut-Médoc and the wines are classified accordingly as Médoc (but still very distinguished). Retrace your steps, or take the fast route back to Bordeaux on the N215 and D1.
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