5-Day Private Grands Crus Bordeaux Wine Tours Package - 4* Hotel

Pick up in Bordeaux (Airport/Train Station). Transfer to your hotel and check in.

Enjoy some free time to discover the lively city of Bordeaux!

Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History" and has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble". It is home to one of Europe's largest 18th century architectural urban areas.

It also stands out as one of the first French cities to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV, under the supervision of two Governors, first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur then the Marquis de Tourny.

Optional Experience: A First Exploration of Grands Crus Bordeaux Wines

For your first evening in Bordeaux we have booked a very special fine wine tasting experience that will be the perfect introduction to the Wines of Bordeaux. Reach one of Bordeaux’s centrally located wine bars and participate in a special “Grands Crus Classés Wines” commented tasting session.

A mysterious hallway that opens up into an immense modern art deco room, strange machines made of stainless steel, a tall ceiling where, hung by their feet, hundreds of wine glasses seemingly float, suspended in mid-air. Night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

9.30am Pick up at your hotel.

Depart from Bordeaux and reach the left bank wine region 

Take an exclusive, private Medoc full day wine tour and you’ll discover delicious red wines with cabernet sauvignon blends in the heart of this celebrated Bordeaux wine region. With Ophorus, experience is the most important factor when it comes to our personalized private sightseeing tours.

On your Medoc region wine tasting tour full day, you’re sure to discover hidden gems and taste prestigious wines in one of France’s most celebrated wine regions in an informal yet expertly guided way. This highly recommended wine tour from Bordeaux will introduce you to some of the most prestigious appellations  such as Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac, Saint Estèphe & Haut Médoc where some of the most famous chateaux are located.

Follow the Castle road, lined by prestigious wineries

As you reach the Medoc vineyards, we will take you to 2 or 3 carefully selected wine estates that are ranked as Grand Cru, classified growth Château or cru bourgeois estates. As you leave, reach the famous castle road along which many of the Grands Crus Classés wineries are located.

At each winery, you will be introduced to the history and wine making facilities of the domains. You will also have the opportunity to understand the wine making process. Then, your tour of the médoc region will continue with commented wine tastings in each winery. You’ll then get the chance to sample delicious cabernet sauvignon wines on this full day Bordeaux excursion.

With Ophorus, rest assured that your Medoc vineyard tour will be everything you imagined. All our drivers are fully accredited guides, meaning you’ll get double the expertise on this great Medoc tour. Every one of our expert guides holds at least the WSET level 2 certification in wines and spirits, and they take great pride in their region and craft.

You’ll learn how to judge a wine with all the senses, using your eyes, nose, tongue, and memory. These licensed guides are not only wine connoisseurs, they’re also authorities on the local area, ready to share a wealth of information about the stunning Bordeaux region.

Taste delicious Medoc Wines 

Medoc wines produce wonderfully perfumed yet very intense french wines. Margaux wines have a distinctive fragrant taste, attributed to the high gravel content of the soil in these vineyards. The soil’s excellent drainage means the plants need to root down further to find moisture, making them particularly strong, and bringing up the flavors of the deeper earth.

The Haut Medoc appellation is vast, with almost 400 different wine producers operating there, the different wineries produce wine that have a wide variety of textures and flavors. If time permits, your guide will try and organise a stop at Chateau Margaux for photo opportunities. Saint Julien wines are known to be tannic, powerful and are usually coined as being quite masculine type of wines while the wines produced in Pauillac are generally are rich, full bodied and stern.

World renowned wines & wondrous ocean views

As well as producing some of the world’s most exquisite wines, the Médoc region also boasts over 60 miles of sandy beaches and is dotted with stunning castles. The Castle Route, running from the vibrant city of Bordeaux to the tip of the Médoc peninsula, is packed with breathtaking vistas and secluded fairytale classified growth Châteaux. Unlike saint emilion wines that are mainly composed of Merlot grapes, the Medoc wines are known for their high quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blending. The most famous region includes Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estephe.

Gentle hills, sand dunes, deep lagoons, and sweeping Atlantic coastal views highlight a trip to another part of the Médoc region. The best way to see different things in the Medoc is to program a full day private tour that we will set up for you and that will allow you to experience the diverse flavors of the region in expert hands.

Flanking the town of Pauillac, some of France’s most acclaimed vineyards cover the eastern side of the Médoc peninsula. This area is home to many fabulous castles, including Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild. Another highlight of the region is the Gironde estuary. Formed from the convergence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, it is home to a monument that is known as the ‘Versailles’ of lighthouses.

6.00pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

9.30am pick up at your hotel.

Discover the Magic of the ‘Right Bank’ Wine Region of Bordeaux

The wine region of Libournais encompasses much of what is referred to as the Right Bank. Named after its historical capital, the expression Right Bank typically refers to wines from the Pomerol and St-Emilion areas of the Libournais. There are several villages around the region that share the Saint Émilion name, such as Montagne-Saint-Émilion and St-Georges-Saint-Émilion that are named the satellite appellations.

The area is bordered to the west by Pomerol. Merlot is the dominant grape in this area, followed by Cabernet Franc and a very small quantity of Malbec that is tending to disappear. The climate and damp, cool soils of the area make it difficult for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to fully ripen and, as such, they are less often used. 

Mix Incredible Wineries With the Enchanting Village of Saint Emilion

This full day tour consists in the visit & wine tasting in 2 very carefully selected Wineries of the Right Bank as well as the discovery of the enchanting medieval village of Saint Emilion. Conducted by a professional English speaking driver guide, your tour will at first lead you to the right bank of the River Garonne where the Saint Emilion wine region is located.

Your morning will include the visit and tasting in a winery which produce wines that perfectly reflect their ‘terroir’ – a very important notion for French Wines as it is the local soils and climate that truly define the main aromas and flavors that are to be found. But not only! The winemaker also contributes in a large manner to the quality of the wines that is why our tours combine both prestigious names to lesser known ones in which the visits are usually taken care of by a family member or the winemaker himself.

Uncover the Magic of Saint Emilion

After the morning winery visit, reach Saint Emilion. The village is all the more charming because it is so different from all the other French medieval villages. Emilian, a Benedictine monk, was born in Brittany in the 8th century, to a modest family. The count who ruled the province chose him to be his financial steward, which turned out to be an unfortunate distinction in his life: jealous rivals accused him of thievery to discredit him in the eyes of his master and confidant.

After some turmoil, his path eventually led him to a forest where, captivated by the serenity of the area, he dug out a cave and dedicated his life to God. The hermit had performed so many miracles and done so much good around him that his name was given to the place where he had lived (after his death in 767), which became known as Saint Emilion.

Follow your guide on a walking tour and unusual place not to be missed: the underground monolithic Church. 125 ft long, 66 ft wide and 36 ft high, all you can see from the exterior are a few windows on the one facade and the steeple, topped with a Gothic arrow 174 ft high. Benedictine monks were the inspiration for this church carved out of solid rock which is Europe’s largest monolithic cathedral!

The tour will also include some information about the world-renowned wines of Saint Emilion through the history of the Jurade. When John ‘Lackland’ succeeded his brother, Richard Lionheart, to the throne of England in 1199, he signed the ‘Falaise Charter’ which accorded Saint Emilion the statute of a free and independent commune, with the right to be administered by a mayor, twelve members of the Jurade (the town council) and twelve advisers elected by the town’s notables.

These councilmen had vast power that included rendering justice, regulating the manufacturing process and the sale of wine, and even publicly announcing the start and the end of the grape harvests. After your walking tour, enjoy some free time for lunch and personal discovery. Finally, your tour will include a visit & wine tasting session in a 2nd winery.

At opposite ends from your morning visit and located in a different appellation, this will be the perfect opportunity for you to understand how two wineries that are located in the same wine region can produce such very different wines. Color, Aromas, Tannins, Flavors are just some of the notions that will be evoked but undoubtedly the commented tasting will constitute the highlight of this afternoon tour!

5.30pm return to Bordeaux.

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCE - Enjoy a pre-booked diner in a selected restaurant of Bordeaux

This evening we have pre- booked dinner for you in a carefully selected local restaurant. The Bordeaux food scene has taken center stage, and today, the city is cluttered with interesting new offerings like experimental modern bistros, elaborate sanctums of haute cuisine and cozy button-down gastro-bars. 

After dinner, night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel.

9.30am pick up at your hotel.

A Full Day Wine Experience In A Lesser Known Bordeaux Wine Region: Graves

Today’s tour has been designed as an introduction to a lesser known wine region of Bordeaux the Graves. Bordered on the north by the Garonne River, it contains the sub regions of Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes and Barsac. It is known for its intensely gravelly soil. In the Middle Ages, the wines that were first exported to England were produced in this area. Château Pape Clément, founded at the turn of the fourteenth century by the future Pope Clement V, was the first named chateaux in all of Bordeaux. In 1663, Samuel Pepys’ mention of Château Haut-Brion was the first recorded mention of French Claret in London.

Be Introduced to the Pessac-Léognan Wine Region

Leave Bordeaux and reach the Pessac Léognan sub region. Here, discover this appellation where some of the most magnificent Bordeaux Reds & Whites are produced.

After a visit to a carefully selected winery, participate in a commented tasting that will introduce you to the typical Aromas and Flavors that are usually found in Pessac Léognan Wines. Traditionally, the red wines crafted in this area are mainly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon as the main grape variety and then blended with Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc.

Lunch (without drinks) is included today

Then, discover a restaurant near the vineyards to enjoy lunch with local and fresh products of the region of Bordeaux.

An afternoon sipping on Sauternes Sweet White Wines

After lunch, we will head towards the Sauternes wine producing region. Sauternes is a sub region of Graves known for its intensely sweet, white, dessert wines such as the Premier Cru Supérieur classified Château d’Yquem.

Wines produced in the region of Barsac, such as Premiers Crus Château Climens and Château Coutet are allowed to be labeled either with the commune name or with Sauternes. The intense sweetness of these wines is the result of the grapes being affected by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that is commonly known as noble rot.

In the autumn, the Ciron river produces mist that descends upon the area and persists until after dawn. These conditions are conducive to the growth of the fungus which desiccates the grape and concentrates the sugars inside.

The three main grapes of this area are Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. Production costs for this area’s botrytized wines are comparatively high. The evaporation and fungus produce low yields, five to six times less than in other Bordeaux regions.

The grapes are normally harvested individually from the bunch with pickers going through the vineyards several times between September and November to ensure that the grapes are picked at their optimal points. The wine is then fermented in small oak barrels, further adding to the cost.

Visit and wine tasting in a Sauternes producing winery

Follow your guide as you tour one of the 1st Grand Crus of the Sauternes wine region. After a brief introduction of the Historical past of the Winery and a visit of the technical installations, the most interesting part of the tour will no doubt reside in the explanation of how this wine is being made, far from the techniques seen in the Medoc or Saint Emilion!

Finally, a commented tasting will reveal all the subtleties of aromas and flavors that are to be found in this very refined wine.

5.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel and return transfer to Bordeaux Airport or Train Station. End of our services.