Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a First Growth château in Paulliac, was the second stop on the day's…read moreschedule of visits. However, it was clearly the highlight of the day. Note: Tours are by appointment only. Our guide spoke excellent English and effectively provided insight on Lafite Rothschild's unique terroir (a term that was discussed at every château we visited) and described in depth its winemaking process. While the winemaking operations and facilities were pretty comparable with other minor châteaux, its cavernous cellar was definitely an impressive sight to behold. The best part of the tour was its culmination, the tasting. We were offered a generous pour of the 2001 Lafite Rothshchild. To which I could only say, "Yes, please."

Our private guided tour was very personal and informative…read more As one of the largest vineyards in the Médoc, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is 110 hectares (260 acres) and spread across a very good slope. The name "Lafite" derives from the meaning "small hill" and the small hill is located in the rear of the beautiful château. The different grape varietals are planted according to the condition of the soil: estates with heavy soils plant more Merlot and estates with gravelly, porous soils plant more Cabernet Sauvignon. The Ch.Lafite vineyard is cultivated with old vines of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% is Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. In Pauillac, Cabernet Sauvignon is king and the varietal gives the specificity and character to Pauillac wines. Ch.Lafite utilises 29 wooden vats, 20 stainless steel vats and 18 little vats. Typically, pumping over is twice per day for ~17 days and there are 20 days of maceration. Wines are matured 18 months in new French oak barrels: 7 months in a natural cellar and 11 months in the second-year chai, built under the supervision of architect Ricardo Bofill. The circular vault holds 2,200 barrels and is supported by 16 columns. The circular design is functional since racking, bottling and cleaning can be done with greater efficiency than a traditional, linear designed chai. As has been the tradition at Ch.Lafite, 100% of the Domaine's cooperage is done in-house in Pauillac. Ch.Lafite employs 6 full-time coopers to produce 2,000 barrels per year. This is adequate to supply Ch.Lafite and all the other estate-owned properties with new French oak barrels each year. The French oak is selected from the Allier and Nivernais forests, then left to dry in the open air for two years at Ch.Lafite before being crafted. Traditional racking is 5-6 weeks. 8,000 organic egg whites are used for fining. When asked why organic eggs were used, our host explained that it was for stability reasons in the fining process as opposed to any environmental concerns. Annual production is between 15,000 and 25,000 cases (or 180,000 and 300,000 bottles). At the end of our visit, we tasted the 1995 Château Lafite - which was superb.

As with most great Bordeaux, buy the premier vin in lesser years and the second vin in better…read morevintages. The Chateau is eternalised by their ancient water tower visible from the road. The 1995 Les Forts de Latour is perhaps my favourite Bordeaux but please don't drive the price up further!

Awful. We reserved and paid for a private tour (which they very coldly collected immediately upon…read morechecking in, without even a proper greeting!); yet we were stuck in a group tour. The feel is extremely corporate and cold - nothing like the warmth of much of the rest of the region. The wine served for the tasting was quite young and tight. Also very pricey. Lunch in Bages was very nice, but skip the winery tour!

Château Lynch-Bages, a Fifth Growth château in Pauillac, was the first stop on our tour of châteaux…read morein Bordeaux. The tour was informative and our personable guide spoke excellent English. It was a beautiful château with a winemaking facility and operations that nicely blended its past with the present. Unlike most other châteaux, Château Lynch-Bages showcased its history by maintaining its original winemaking operations as a museum. The culmination of our tour was the wine tasting. We tasted the 2007 Château Lynch-Bages and a 2007 Château Ormes de Pez (owned by Lynch Bages), a St. Estephe. It was a nice ending to our visit.

If you make an appointment in advance, you'll be able to get a tour in English to check out Pontet…read moreCanet. Chateau Pontet Canet is classified as part of Fifth Growth in the Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 (Pauillac's appellation), but Pontet Canet is at times better than the other wineries that's classified first, second, or third. Today's tour (Sept 2014) included a tasting of their 2007's vintage and a view around their vineyard, VAT, Cellar, and tasting room. The best part is that the tour goes in depth about the history and their operational point of view of Pontet Canet. Plus, the tour and tasting is free! Pontet Canet also invented (patent pending) on their new VAT, which reminds of Big Hero 6 from Disney! Pontet Canet's wine is a bit pricey and there's a reason why....certified organic and biodynamic! Overall, Pontet Canet is a must stop to check out how the wineries are changing their ways back to biodynamic with a lighter touch to the vines. Perhaps it's because of Pontet Canet's drive is the reason why they recently lost their AOC status for their second label. Or perhaps, it's wine politic? Who knows and it's quite unfortunate! Regardless of status, I was thoroughly impressed by their passion, keep up the good work Pontet Canet!

Really great tour and really great wine. 5eme 1855 cru but one that has dared to change. They are…read morecompletely biodynamic and innovating in all areas. You will know their 2005 which got a near perfect Parker mark. This was the second year they started their organic process. Their 2007 is nice which was the first big challenge to the process. Good tour, great wine. they have a loyal customer.

This chateau has been ranked as a Second Growth in 1855, but today is in fact a most elite…read moreproducer. The wines are made with about a third of Merlot, making their tannic structure more supple than most other Pauillac wineries. They tend to benefit in otherwise tannic vintages. Accessible to advance bookings, the property is visible from both the front street and the surrounding properties. You will not miss it as you drive along Route des Chateaux. Driving southbound, you will see the Pichon Baron on your right and immediately afterwards the Pichon Comtesse on your left. The two names are not to be confused. A 17th Century legend has it that the Comtesse de Lalande built one chateau for herself, and added the Pichon Baron for her husband. Some people just know how to live!

Mouton Rothschild is one of the few grand cru estates with a specially designated visitors center…read moreand an appointment tasting begins with a video narrated by Baroness Philippine. The chateau's heritage begins around 1850, when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild settled in Paris and in 1853, he purchased Ch.Brane Mouton in order to serve his friends his own wine. The estate was renamed "Château Mouton Rothschild". In 1922, the Baron's grandson, Philippe de Rothschild took control of the estate and it was his lifelong passion to elevate Ch.Mouton Rothschild from a second growth to a first growth vineyard. As part of his effort, the Baron started the practice of estate bottling (Mise en bouteille au Château). Eventually, estate bottling became a quality standard and is now required that all first growth wines to be made from grapes grown & bottled on the property of the winery. In 1973, the Baron's efforts were realized and Ch.Mouton Rothschild joined the ranks of Premier Grand Cru. Baron Philippe died in 1988 at the age of 86 to be succeeded by his daughter Baroness Philippine. Since then, Baroness Philippine has worked closely with the executive directors to maintain, modernise and develop the family business. Ch. Mouton employs traditional French vinification techniques: fermentation is 3 weeks in oak vats, ageing is 18 to 24 months in new French oak barrels and fining is with egg whites. The guided group tour includes the French oak vat room, the chai, the private 60,000 bottle cellar, as well as a special tour of the Rothschild family's private museum (no photos allowed). The Rothschilds have a passion for art and their private collection includes Greco-Roman artifacts, as well as a concentration of 17th and 18th century fine art and antiquities. Notably, there is a golden ram that served as the model for the Ch.Mouton 2000 bottle engraving, as well as the figural statues that served as the models for the Ch.Clerc Milon and Ch.d'Armailhac labels. Our tour concluded with a generous barrel tasting of Ch.d'Armailhac, Ch.Clerk Milon and Ch.Mouton. There are no direct sales at the estate; however, a few souvenirs are sold at the visitors center (eg, posters, shirts, coffee table books).

Ch. Mouton Rothschild is not truly a First Growth. While it may have been the star of a vintage or…read moretwo in the past century, it cannot really compete with the heavyweights such as Lafite or Margaux. In comparison to the greats, Mouton uses higher yields per acre, younger vines and stronger marketing to make up for the quality lost. Many prefer its less expensive and more reliable neighbour winery Duhart Millon. Mouton is open to public visitors by appointment. The chateau is a rarity in that it does not have caved cellars. Its cellars (strangely for Bordeaux) are above ground. So the first thing you'll notice is that it looks like a warehouse. The chateau conduct reasonably interesting tasting tours of the property. Try to avoid the video presentation unless you are a complete novice - it will ruin your day with useless brainwashing.

This is another local non-famous winery that I was searching for that makes a very good wine. They…read moreput a little more thought into the wine tasting experience where they have a round tasting table inside of a medium sized hall where at the far end there is the barrel room. We were met by the proprietor herself and she was quite friendly. We could tell she was very proud of her wine and after we tasted a few vintages and types, we could tell why. A very well balanced wine. I didn't mess around and purchased the 2005 considered the best vintage everywhere in Bordeaux. (unlike the 2009 and 2010 which is considered to be as good potentially as 2005 in some places but not in others) She also told me that she was going to start exporting to a location in Orange, CA fairly close to me so I was psyched. She's also exporting to a couple other wine shops in the US including Zachy's in Scarsdale, NY. i think she only sells in France other than that. Highly recommended.

Maybe not the finest of the Bordeaux wines but still great tasting nonetheless. Anything you find…read morein the last 15 years is actually fairly reasonable. Go back in time however and you'll be dropping several hundreds for a bottle going back to the 70s. A perfectly reasonable 2009 is full of blackberry, wooden notes. Super dense and somewhat unfriendly. Put together which rich spicy meat however and you've got something drinkable.

We had a lovely time at Hourtin Ducasse. They had a large variety of tasting and tour options,…read moreincluding many of which were kid friendly (not what we went for, but they have the option if you need it). We opted for their L'Ampélo tasting and added on the vineyard picnic. The L'Ampélo tasting was a fun and educational experience, as well as the first time I've ever gotten to taste wine in this way. For this experience we got to taste all of their individual grape varietals directly from the barrel, with an actual grape from that harvest, and then we tasted the blend made by the wines we tried. From there we tasted a couple previous vintages that were in the bottle. As we tasted the bottled wines, we also got to snack on some meats, chips, and bread - not a part of our picnic. This was all lead by Michel, the winemaker and owner. We loved learning from him and hearing his analogies about wine. He was a welcoming host and happy to teach us all about French wine rules in the region. After our tasting we enjoyed a wonderful picnic in the vineyard. Much of the food was local, and some items even prepared by Michel's wife. Everything was fresh and flavorful and the picnic setup felt whimsical and romantic. We also had plenty of food and weren't even able to finish it all. We ended up spending a good 3 hours here for our whole experience. I would definitely recommend this chateau/winery to anyone looking to have a unique tasting experience or who want to have a slow day in the vineyard.

From the owner: Traitements de nos vignes aux infusions de plantes, parcelles naturellement enherbées, indépendance…read moreénergétique grâce à nos panneaux photovoltaïques, tonte et fertilisation naturelle avec nos brebis landaises, nichoirs à mésanges bleues et chauve-souris, bouteilles de verre allégé pour une empreinte carbone réduite, assemblage à l’aveugle, fermentations alcooliques directement en barriques, musicothérapie, des capteurs d’ondes électriques sur les pieds de vigne … et de nouvelles expériences chaque année. Pourquoi ? D’abord, nous sommes convaincus d’améliorer ainsi la qualité de nos vins ; les 37 derniers millésimes ont reçu 149 récompenses. Ensuite, nous voulons protéger la richesse de notre terroir pour un futur qui continuera de raconter l’excellence du Haut-Médoc ; nos choix s’y rapportent. Enfin, nous souhaitons laisser à nos 7 enfants un environnement de qualité qui leur permettra de s’épanouir pleinement dans ces merveilleux métiers de la vigne, sur une planète aussi saine et généreuse que possible. Et puis recevoir au vignoble, c’est pour nous, faire aimer nos vins autant que nous les aimons en partageant nos convictions mais aussi la vérité de notre quotidien… et nos vins. À très vite ! Château Hourtin-Ducasse, la nature du Haut-Médoc.

Absolutely incredible experience visiting this modern architectural gem with a high tech approach…read moredriving innovation and precision in wine making