Route du Vin de Bordeaux (France part 8)

From Bordeaux, we drove north on the D2 to follow the wine route (Route du Vin) along the Garonne. Here, vineyard after vineyard lines the road, and behind many vines rise magnificent castles (the vineyards are called 'Château' because the winemakers could afford such magnificent buildings here.

Our first stop was Château de Siran, which is still family-owned. The vineyard once belonged to the Toulouse-Lautrec family, who lived here - though not for very long. Their family coat of arms can still be found above the entrance of the house - which is private and not accessible.

We were able to visit the buildings in front, where the vineyard workers used to live and where there were storage rooms. Today, there is a small museum here. All the walls are painted pink so that red wine stains on them are not so noticeable...

We spontaneously received a private tour of the museum and old storage rooms, where we could see how wine used to be stored in huge barrels and in modern containers today.

Finally, we had a small wine tasting, where we could try some wines from Château. They are not classified as 'Grand Cru' according to the classification of Bordeaux wines from Médoc, because the Toulouse-Lautrec family was apparently against the rule of Napoleon III. Therefore, they did not apply for the classification announced for the 1855 World's Fair. In Bordeaux, tradition seems to be highly valued, and this classification has never changed...

We also made a brief stop at Châteaux Margaux, known as the 'Versailles of Médoc'. The driveway is lined with trees.

In addition to the old mansion, there are also several large new buildings and an exhibition about it in the reception area. Having a vineyard near Bordeaux seems to be very profitable.

Next, we visited Fort Médoc, which was built in the 17th century to monitor ship traffic on the Garonne. Since the cannons had too short a range for the width of the river, there was also a fort on the other side and on an island in the middle of the river.

The northernmost vineyard we visited (from the outside) was Château Cos d'Estournel, which dates back to the 18th century and has a slightly oriental appearance with its towers.

We made a stop at Château Lafite-Rothschild on the way back. However, you have to make an appointment in advance for a visit, and they were already fully booked for this week.

At Château Mouton-Rothschild, they also didn't seem very interested in visitors. But there was an exhibition with bottle labels designed by an artist for each vintage.

There were also some bottles for sale. When studying the price list, we realized how the winemakers can afford such castles and these wonderful park grounds: The most expensive bottle was priced at 21,500 euros, and even 'normal' bottles for a few hundred euros were beyond what we would spend on a bottle of wine...

In the evening, we went to the old town of Bordeaux to conclude our wine tasting at two wine bars. We particularly liked the "Bar du Vin" opposite the tourist information office, which had delicious wines at affordable prices.

Then we explored the illuminated old town. When we wanted to drive back, we unfortunately found out that the tram drivers were on strike. So we had to walk...