The 1855 Classic Clarets Wine Tasting Tour

The Grape Escapes Bordeaux (1855 Classic Clarets) wine tasting tour includes 2 nights accommodation in your chosen Bordeaux hotel, plus a full day tour around Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe. For prices, please see our dates and prices page.

1855 Classification

In 1855, Bordeaux was the first wine region in the world to classify their wines and the system used still exists today. Napoleon III chose five wine regions to be included to showcase the best wines of France for the Exposition Universelle de Paris that year. These were Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe (all north of Bordeaux, collectively known as The Medoc, or The Big Four), plus Sauternes (situated south of Bordeaux).

In this Classic Claret Tour, we will be visiting a superb winery in each of the Big Four regions.

Saturday

Margaux

Heading north out of Bordeaux along the Left Bank of the Gironde, our first stop of the wine tasting tour will be to Margaux, to visit one of the great wineries such as Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac-Brown, or Kirwan, for a cellar tour plus tasting. The wines of Margaux are traditionally the most delicate and approachable of the Medoc wines.

St Julien

We will then move further north to St Julien, home to no less than five Deuxieme Cru Classé wineries, such as Léoville-Poyferré or Léoville-Barton. A tour and tasting awaits you at a cru classé château in the village.

Pauillac - Lunch

What wine tasting tour is complete without lunch? A 3 course lunch will be served a little further north at a cru classé wine estate in Pauillac. This will, of course, be washed down with several wines from the area.

Pauillac Château

Staying in Pauillac for the third visit of the day, we will enjoy the welcome from one of the fine châteaux such as Pichon-Longueville or Lynch-Bages, who will share their wines with us.

St Estephe

Finally, we will move yet a little further north to the commune of St Estephe. The terroir here has a lot more clay than the communes further south, meaning the soil retains more moisture. This results in wines that are more earthy, robust, and tannic compared with the softer wines from Margaux. You will enjoy a final visit to a St Estephe château to sample more great wines before your return to Bordeaux.

Extend Your Stay

If you wish to extend your stay to visit the Graves and Sauternes regions, we can provide an excellent tour itinerary which includes the very best places to visit. Please call us on 08456 430 860 for details and prices.

Bordeaux Hotels, Tour Dates and Prices

The Grape Escapes Bordeaux (1855 Classic Clarets) wine tasting tour includes 2 nights accommodation in your chosen Bordeaux hotel, plus a full day tour around Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe. For prices, please see our dates and prices page.

Other Bordeaux Wine Tasting Tours

Please see our Bordeaux Wine Tasting Tours page for details of the other Bordeaux Wine Tasting tours we offer.

We also arrange many private Bordeaux wine tasting tours for individuals, groups and corporate clients. If you would like to arrange a private or gorup trip to Bordeaux, pleasee contact us on 08456 430 860, or email us at info@grapeescapes.net to arrange your perfect Bordeaux Wine Tasting Tour.