From Bordeaux, reach the Medoc wine-producing area by driving on the Castle Road - Route des Chateaux - that is lined by numerous wineries of the Medoc. Upon arrival at the winery, you will be greeted by a local guide. Begin the tour with a commented visit of the property, its history and a short resumé of who the owners are. Then, your guided tour will be followed by a visit of the technical installations. You will get to know how wine is made on this estate, from the vineyard to the harvest ending with the bottling process. The visit concludes with a commented tasting of the Chateau wines.
After the first visit, we will take you to a nearby property for your second winery tour. Typically, our half day tours in the Medoc includes the visit of a prestigious Classified Growth Chateau combined with the visit of a more boutique winery, usually. If your first visit was in the Classified Growth Chateau, then this second visit will be in the more boutique winery. Also, the terroir will be different as we usually combine a visit in Margaux followed by another in the Haut Medoc appellation.
If your second visit is in a family-owned winery, the visit is usually conducted by the owner or a family member. This more casual visit is when you can really interact with the locals and find out what it is like to own and manage a vineyard in Bordeaux today. Of course, you will also get to tour the property, hear about the winemaking process and tour the different cellars. Yet the goal here is to get as close as possible to the realities of winemaking, far from the 1855 Classification that was limited to just a chosen few.