Led by Annette Schiller and Christian Schiller, a Bordeaux Trip is coming up: September 9 to 19, 2013, organized by Ombiasy Wine Tours.
Bordeaux
The Bordeaux region is the second largest winegrowing area in the world. Close to 300,000 acres are under vine. The Gironde estuary dominates the region along with its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers. These rivers define the main geographical subdivisions of Bordeaux: The Left Bank is situated on the left bank of the Gironde and the Garonne, subdivided into: Graves, the area upstream of the city Bordeaux and Médoc, the area downstream of the city of Bordeaux.
The Right Bank is situated on the right bank of the Gironde and the Dordogne, with wine regions such as Côte de Blaye, Côte de Bourg, Fronsac, Pomerol, Saint- Emilion, Côte de Castillon. Entre Deux Mers is the inland region sculpted into the wedge by the two rivers that give it its name, the Pyrenees-sourced Garonne to the west and the Massif-Centrale-sourced Dordogne to the east.
The Trip
This trip focuses on the two most well-known regions within the Bordeaux winegrowing area, where the highest number of world-class wines achieving skyrocketing prices are produced: Médoc with its appellations Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux on the Left Bank and Saint-Emilion on the Right Bank with a side trip to the tiny Pomerol appellation. We will also visit the area where the Sauterne wines are produced and one château in the Pessac-Leognan appellation.
We will tour, taste the wines, and meet the owners of some of the famous Châteaux ranked in the 1855 Médoc Classification. The Médoc classification of 1855 covers (with one exception) red wines of Médoc. The 1855 classification was made at the request of Emperor Napoleon III for the Exposition Universelle de Paris. It ranked the wines into five categories, mainly according to price, and this classification has never been touched, except for the promotion of Mouton Rothschild. The famous 5 first growths are: Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac, Margaux in Margaux, Latour in Pauillac, Haut-Brion in Péssac-Leognan, and Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, promoted from second to first growth in 1973. There are: 14 Deuxièmes (2nd) Crus, 14 Troisièmes (3rd) Crus, 10 Quatrièmes (4rd) Crus, and 18 Cinquièmes (5th) Crus.
On the Right Bank we also will visit, taste the wines, and meet the owners of some of the Premiers Grands Crus Classés Châteaux of Saint-Emilion. Since 1954 an official French decree regulates the classification in Saint-Emilion. Two appellations, Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru share a single geographical region. The Saint-Emilion Grand Cru classification is revisited every ten years, with the latest reevaluation conducted in 2012. We witnessed wine history during last year’s Bordeaux trip when our group visited Saint-Emilion on the day the results were released. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is again divided into two classifications: Grands Crus Classés (currently 63 Châteaux) and Premiers Grands Crus Classés (currently 15 Châteaux in the B category, and 4 in the A category: (Angélus, Ausonne, Cheval Blanc, and Pavie) for the top estates.
Lunches and Dinners with Château Owners
All lunches and dinners included in the itinerary will be gourmet meals in great restaurants. Special treats are lunches and dinners with wine pairings, where we will be joined by the Château owner. Our farewell dinner will be in a one Michelin star restaurant. Accommodation will be in 3-star, 4-star, and 5 star hotels with a breakfast buffet each morning waiting for you to kick off a great day of winery tours and tastings. Travel will be by luxury air-conditioned motor coach, starting and ending in the city of Bordeaux. This tour is designed for English speakers. Where English is not spoken, translation is assured throughout the entire trip.
Small Group led by Annette and Christian Schiller
The group will not exceed a total of 18 participants. Only a small group gets access to the top châteaux. Wine journalist Christian Schiller and Annette Schiller, professional event manager, both wine connoisseurs, experienced wine region travelers, and former residents of France will lead the group. We will make sure that the participants of this journey will experience a true feeling of genuine French culture.
In Short
• 10 nights hotel accommodation: 8 nights in 3-star plus hotels, 1 night in a 4-star hotel, 1 night in a 5-star hotel.
• 10 breakfast buffets.
• Travel in the wine region by luxury air-conditioned motor coach.
• 5 gourmet lunches and dinners at excellent restaurants.
• 7 wine pairing gourmet lunches and dinners at various châteaux guided by the owners / winemakers, and at Millésima.
• 1 light lunch with wine at a châteaux.
• 1 dinner at a one michelin star restaurant.
• Visits of and tastings at 15 top châteaux (12 are classified).
• The opportunity to meet with many of the châteaux owners and winemakers.
• 2 guided city tours and sightseeing tours of spectacular historic sites.
• 1 visit of a merchant house in Bordeaux.
• 1 visit of a cooperage in Bordeaux.
Fees
The price for this 11 day / 10 night trip is $ 3965 per person, double occupancy. Single occupancy supplement is $ 535. Tour starts and ends in the city of Bordeaux.
We are sure, this trip will be as fantastic as the previous one. Join us on this trip to get a genuine feel for what Bordeaux has to offer.
Detailed information is available at the Ombiasy Wine Tours website:
Ombiasy Wine Tours
www.winetours.ombiasypr.com
Annette Schiller
Call: (703) 459 7513 or
Email: aschiller@ombiasypr.com
Ombiasy Wine Tours Bordeaux Trip 2013 – Related Postings
Here are a number of postings on schiller-wine on various events of last year’s Ombiasy Wine Tours Bordeaux trip as well as other postings that might be of interest for this year’s Ombiasy Wine Tours Bordeaux trip. Unlike this year’s trip, the 2012 trip started and ended in Hochheim, Germany and thus also included (in the beginning and in the end) events in the Champagne, Loire Valley, Cognac, Bourgogne and Alsace.
Bordeaux Trip September 2012, France
Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics
The 5 Premiers Grands Crus Chateaux en 1855 of Bordeaux, France
What is a Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois? France
Saint Emilion Wines and their Classification, Bordeaux, France
The Saint Emilion 2012–2022 Classification, Bordeaux
In the Wine Capital of the World: the City of Bordeaux, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City), France
Plateau des Fruits de Mer and a Pessac-Leognan Wine in Bordeaux City, France
An Afternoon with Owner Henri Lurton at Château Brane-Cantenac, a Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855, in Margaux, France
An Afternoon with Owner Michel Tesseron at Château Lafon-Rochet, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
An Afternoon with François Mitjavile at his Tertre Rôtebeouf - A Saint Emilion Cult Wine Producer
Vin Bio de Bordeaux - At Château Beauséjour in AOC Puisseguin-St.Emilion, France
The Wine Empire of the von Neipperg Family in France, Bulgaria and Germany
Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina
Lunch with Didier Cuvelier at Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, Bordeaux
Château Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan and the World Wide Wine Empire of Bernard Magrez, France
Tasting with Alfred Tesseron the last 10 Vintages of Château Pontet-Canet in Washington DC, USA/France
Château Figeac, Saint-Émilion - A Profile, France
Tasting the Wines of Chateau Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, with Owner Basil Tesseron at the French Embassy in Washington DC, USA/France
Fête du Bordeaux of Calvert and Woodley in Washington DC, 2012, USA
Château Brane-Cantenac, Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Margaux – A Profile, France
Henri Lurton and his Chateau Brane Cantenac Wines
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) on North America Tour in Washington DC - Schiller’s Favorites
Owner Jean-Bernard Grenié and Wine Journalist Panos Kakaviatos Presented the Wines of Chateau Angélus and Chateau Daugay at Black Salt Restaurant in Washington DC, USA
Tasting Château du Cros and other Petites Bordeaux Wines with Winemaker Julien Noel at Calvert and Woodley in Washington DC, USA
Thank you, I really enjoy reading your posts! I am a big connoisseur of wine and try to go to as many wine tours as I can. I'm headed to visit family next week.
ReplyDeleteAmazing place to visit.Thanks for spending the time. Genuinely enjoyed the post and really very nice information.
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