Touring Bordeaux Wineries - Tiny Urban Kitchen

This is the fourteenth post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

The city of Bordeaux is a great place to stay if you want to explore the wine regions of the area.

You don't have to go far. Right near the city (just a couple miles outside the center) is highly regarded, (very expensive!), first-growth producer Chateau Haut-Brion (where we spent our first afternoon). Drive out a bit, however, and you'll experience the French countryside, miles and miles of vineyards, and views of many magnificent "chateaux" or castles from well-known wineries that have been around for hundreds of years.

The Gironde River divides the wine region of Bordeaux roughly into two main regions, the "Left Bank" and the "Right Bank." On our first full day in Bordeaux, we rented a car (with some friends), and drove to visit several wineries in the Right Bank, (St. Emilion) and then drove to the Left Bank region of Sauternes. The second day, we explored the Haut-Medoc region (St. Estephe, Pauilliac, and Bages).

Here's a look at our whirlwind adventure that first full day!

Stop #1: Chateau Troplong Mondot

Chateau Troplong Mondot is a vineyard in St. Emilion, a wine growing region a little over 20 miles northeast of Bordeaux. The wines in St. Emilion were not classified in 1855 along with the Bordeaux wines from the Medoc and Graves regions. Instead, they have their own classification, which is updated approximately once every 10 years.

According to the most recent classification (2012), Chateau Troplong Mondot is a Premiers Grands Crus Classés B, the second highest possible class. It shares this distinction with 13 other wine producers. There are only four wine producers who are Premiers Grands Crus Classés A, the highest distinction.

You have to book your tour in advance (15 Euros), which includes a tour of their grounds, winemaking facilities, (in English, if desired) and a tasting of several of their wines.

{we emailed [email protected] to book}

We booked a 9:30AM tour, and had plenty of time to enjoy the property before we headed out to lunch.

The grounds are pretty, and we spent quite a bit of time just taking photos and soaking in our surroundings Yes, it was raining a bit!).

Stop #2: Lunch in St. Emilion

The actual village of St. Emilion is a UNESCO heritage site and is not very far from Chateau Troplong Mondot. The old, Romanesque architecture is beautiful, complete with narrow cobblestone roads, Roman ruins, and towering churches.

It's a great place to walk around, take photos, and grab some lunch!

There are also a number of shops selling desserts, wine (of course), and local souvenirs.

And the views are stunning.

I would highly recommend visiting. It was one of my favorite villages to visit in the greater Bordeaux region.

Stop #3: Chateau d'Yquem in Sauternes

I have always been a huge fan of sauternes, the sweet French wine made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. Sauternes in general have a unique flavor due to the effect of Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that, under the right climate conditions, can cause the grapes to take on that distinctive, "raisin-y", intensely concentrated flavor.

Producing the wine is expensive because yield is low. Accordingly, a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem can cost several hundred dollars a bottle.

Chateau d'Yquem is by far the highest rated sauternes in the region, occupying an entire class by itself, Premier Cru Supérieur (Superior First Growth!).

The grounds are beautiful (they have a lovely garden outside), and the tour is excellent. You can tell that everyone there is truly passionate about the wine they make. It shows when they talk about it.

The best part? You get a sample some sauternes! Keep in mind, this is a wine that sells for ~ $400 in the U.S. We were really, really surprised they were willing to open an entire bottle for us to try, especially considering the tour was free (!).

Yes, you do have to book in advance (we emailed them at contact@yquem.fr), but this is definitely a tour worth booking!

Coming up, Day 2 of our crazy, whirlwind tour of Bordeaux and our amazing French dinners in the city of Bordeaux.