Bordeaux for Wine Lovers - Châteaux, the City and the Route des Châteaux
A wine holiday in Bordeaux: which châteaux receive visitors, prices, Saint-Émilion and the Médoc, the best wine bars in the city and the Premiers Crus.
The truth about the Premiers Crus
Let's start with what most guidebooks leave out: the five Premiers Grands Crus Classés of 1855 are, for ordinary holidaymakers, effectively impossible to visit.
| Château | Access |
|---|---|
| Mouton Rothschild | The only one with a genuine visitor programme - by appointment only, Mon-Fri, months in advance |
| Latour | Essentially only for wine professionals and regular buyers, usually through their own merchant |
| Lafite Rothschild | Was most recently closed to visitors for building work - check beforehand |
| Margaux | By prior arrangement only, very restrictive |
| Haut-Brion | By prior arrangement only, heavily limited |
That sounds discouraging, but it isn't. The finest visiting experiences in Bordeaux lie with the second to fifth growths anyway - and there the estates are excellently set up for guests, often better than in Burgundy. Château Kirwan receives 15,000 visitors a year and even guides in German. Château Smith Haut Lafitte combines wine, art, spa and two-star cooking in a single place. And Saint-Émilion, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a destination in its own right.
For the technical wine background on the region, see our Bordeaux profile.
Two banks, two worlds
If you should understand one thing about Bordeaux, it is this: the Garonne and the Dordogne split the region into two halves that differ in almost everything.
| Left bank (Rive Gauche) | Right bank (Rive Droite) | |
|---|---|---|
| Regions | Médoc with Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe; Graves, Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes | Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Castillon |
| Soil | Gravel and stones - drains superbly and stores heat | Clay and limestone - holds moisture |
| Lead variety | Cabernet Sauvignon (late-ripening, needs the warmth of gravel) | Merlot (ripens earlier, copes with cooler clay) |
| Style | powerful, taut, tannic, long-lived | softer, fleshier, fruit-driven, approachable sooner |
| Classification | 1855, practically unchanged for 170 years | Saint-Émilion, redone every ten years; Pomerol has none at all |
This is not a matter of taste but of geology. Cabernet Sauvignon ripens late and would never come ripe on cold clay; Merlot ripens early and would go overripe on hot gravel. Each bank found the variety that suits its soil - and then built a style out of it.
And the classifications tell that story. The 1855 list was drawn up in a matter of weeks on the orders of Napoleon III for the Paris World Exhibition, on the basis of the prices achieved on the market over decades. It covers 61 red wines - all from the Médoc, with the single exception of Haut-Brion - and 27 sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac. It has been changed exactly once since: in 1973, when Mouton Rothschild was promoted from second to first growth.
Saint-Émilion does the opposite: the classification is drawn up entirely afresh every ten years. Estates can go up, go down or fall out. The current 2022 version applies to the 2022 to 2031 vintages and covers 85 châteaux, 14 of them Premiers Grands Crus Classés.
The remarkable part: category A shrank from four to two. Pavie and Figeac remain. Ausone and Cheval Blanc dropped out (both declared as early as June 2021 that they would no longer stand), followed by Angélus (January 2022) and La Gaffelière (June 2022) - all voluntarily, in protest at assessment criteria which in their view weight marketing and visitor facilities too heavily against wine quality.
For you in front of the shelf that means: if a great name's label suddenly no longer says "Premier Grand Cru Classé A", nothing about the wine has changed.
Best time to travel
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| May - June | Our recommendation: pleasant weather, vines in full growth, châteaux easy to book |
| July - August | Hot and busy, but everything open - ideal combined with Arcachon |
| September | Very beautiful - but the harvest can block tours, ask beforehand |
| October | Autumn colour, quieter, more reliable again towards the end of harvest |
| November - March | The city and the Cité du Vin work well; many châteaux on heavily reduced winter hours, often Mon-Fri only |
The one point that decides the planning: many leading estates suspend their tours during harvest - for Mouton Rothschild that is expressly confirmed. If you come in September and want to visit châteaux, write first rather than book.
Châteaux that will receive you
Médoc: the Route des Châteaux
The D2 is called the "Route des Châteaux" for good reason. Over some 80 kilometres from Blanquefort to just short of the tip of the Médoc, the highest density of classified estates in the world lines up along it - through Haut-Médoc, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe.
A realistic note: more than two châteaux a day is not achievable. Tours take an hour and a half to two and a half hours, plus driving time. Three is stress, not pleasure.
Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac - the most visitor-friendly address in the Médoc and our recommendation to start with. 5ème Cru Classé, the Cazes family. The Classic Tour lasts an hour and a half with three wines for 25 euros, the Premium Tour two hours with five wines from three of the family's estates for 60 euros. All year, Monday to Saturday, 9 to 12:30 and 14 to 18.
The real reason half a day goes here: the family has completely revived the village of Bages - with a bakery, the Café Lavinal bistro and shops. Plus the Relais & Châteaux Cordeillan-Bages. You can taste, eat and stroll without getting back in the car. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac - the only Premier Cru with a genuine programme, and it justifies the effort. The tour takes in the cellars, the Musée du Vin dans l'Art and the gallery of labels: since 1945 a different artist has designed the label each year - Picasso, Chagall, Warhol, Bacon, Koons. The museum is included in the price. It runs a good two hours.
By appointment only, Monday to Friday, with long lead times - two months is repeatedly quoted. No walk-ins. There are no tours during the harvest in September and October. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac - the most photographed château in the Médoc: a fairy-tale turreted house reflected in a pool of water, beneath which lies the new cellar. 2ème Cru Classé. All tours are private and by reservation only, from the Discovery tour at 50 euros to the vertical tasting at 250 euros, each with three wines. The reception and shop area is accessible Monday to Friday without an appointment - even if you only stop for a photograph, the detour is worth it.
Directly opposite lies Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (also 2ème Cru Classé) with a tasting room looking out over the vines - Monday to Friday by appointment. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Kirwan, Cantenac near Margaux ⭐ - the widest choice of tour languages in the whole Bordelais. Tours are given in French, English, German, Spanish and Russian. 3ème Cru Classé, a family operation in the orbit of Schröder & Schÿler.
The Visite Prestige (vines, chais, park, two wines) costs 28 euros, the Visite en Immersion accompanied by a member of the technical team 44 euros. Add food pairings, masterclasses and cookery workshops - the house claims to offer the largest range of tours in the whole Médoc. Monday to Friday 9:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:30, at weekends by reservation only. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Giscours, Labarde near Margaux - the best address for families. 83 hectares of vines set in 300 hectares of meadow and woodland. The classic tour with tasting starts from 20 euros, the private one from 65, a vertical from 100. The special touch: a treasure hunt with tasting from 10 euros and picnics in the park and in the chais. Plus a restaurant of its own and guest rooms overlooking the vines - one of the few Médoc estates where you can stay the night. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Palmer, Margaux - for anyone who wants to see biodynamics on a grand scale. The house began experimenting in 2008, bottled its first fully biodynamic vintage in 2014 and has been both organic and Demeter certified since September 2018 - one of very few classified Bordeaux estates with Demeter certification. The variety mix is unusual for a left-bank estate: 47 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 47 per cent Merlot, 6 per cent Petit Verdot. Visits by appointment only, Monday to Friday. Info: Website · Google Maps
Pessac-Léognan: close to the city
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Martillac ⭐ - our number one if you visit only a single château. Not because of the classification, but because everything is in one place here - and only 15 to 25 minutes south of Bordeaux.
The tour is unusual: it begins at the in-house cooperage, where the estate builds around 450 barriques a year itself - you will see that nowhere else. Then the fermentation hall, the underground barrel cellar and a 17th-century chapel, closing with the grand vin and the second wine.
Then there is the rest: the "Forêt des Sens", a land art trail through ten hectares of designed woodland, effectively an open-air museum. The five-star hotel Les Sources de Caudalie in the middle of the vines - the birthplace of vinothérapie, with red vine leaf baths, grape marc and grapeseed oil; every treatment includes the pool, jacuzzi and hammam. And three restaurants, among them La Grand'Vigne with two Michelin stars and the more rustic La Table du Lavoir.
If you want to spend one night in the Bordelais in style, spend it here. Info: Château · Hotel · Google Maps
Château Pape Clément, Pessac - the oldest estate in the region, effectively within the city boundary and 15 to 20 minutes from the centre. Named after Bertrand de Got, Archbishop of Bordeaux, who was elected Pope Clement V in 1305; the first harvest is documented for 1252. Today owned by Bernard Magrez. Notable also as a white wine producer from Sauvignon, Sémillon and Muscadelle. The park holds old trees and a greenhouse by Gustave Eiffel. Tours, tastings and workshops are booked online. Info: Website · Google Maps
Saint-Émilion
Château Guadet - our recommendation for anyone without a car, because the estate lies in the middle of the village, opposite the Place du Marcadieu, and is reachable on foot. That solves the drink-driving question by itself. The Lignac family since 1844, now in the seventh generation, organic since 2008 and biodynamic since 2011 - very early for Saint-Émilion.
The tour goes down into the monolithic rock cellars, cut into the limestone and marked by several eras. Exactly the subterranean Saint-Émilion experience you are looking for. 20 euros for the tour and two vintages, 50 euros for the private version with a vertical of three vintages. Reservation required. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château Soutard - the most family-friendly address on the right bank. The simple tour costs 15 euros and lasts an hour, the private one 30. Plus wines by the glass, aperitif boards, picnics, a nature trail through the vines, bicycle hire and a puzzle booklet for children. You can stay in the listed guest house on the estate. Info: Website · Google Maps
Château La Dominique - the architectural highlight, right on the boundary between Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The working complex by Jean Nouvel, opened in 2014, is clad in layered stainless steel in gradations of red that mirror the colours of the surrounding vines - visible from far off. Tours must be booked in advance, but the boutique is open without an appointment. Upstairs sits La Terrasse Rouge, a rooftop restaurant with a panoramic view over the vineyards - considerably more relaxed and cheaper than the starred houses in the village. Info: Google Maps
Château Troplong Mondot - Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) in the 2022 classification, on the highest point of Saint-Émilion with the view to match. The estate includes Les Belles Perdrix, with one Michelin star in the 2026 guide and a Green Star for sustainability: 6,800 square metres of permaculture kitchen garden on the property, 80 per cent of suppliers within an hour's drive. The head chef is David Charrier. Info: Website · Michelin · Google Maps
The city: wine bars where you can drink anything
Bordeaux is the only great wine city in Europe where you can have a complete wine holiday without a car and without visiting a château. Three addresses are enough.
Le Bar à Vin du CIVB ⭐ - the best value in the city and the most obvious address of all. It sits on the ground floor of the Maison du Vin, the seat of the wine trade body, in an 18th-century town palace directly opposite the Grand-Théâtre. A glass costs between 2.50 and 12 euros - astonishing for a classified region in a prime city-centre location. Around 30 wines by the glass, changing regularly: reds, dry and sweet whites, rosé, Clairet (the Bordeaux speciality between rosé and red) and Crémant de Bordeaux. Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 22, no reservations, queues at peak times. Info: Website · Google Maps
Max Bordeaux - Wine Gallery & Cellar - here you drink by the glass what you would otherwise never buy: 48 great Bordeaux by the glass, among them Château Latour and Château d'Yquem, plus Clos Fourtet, Léoville Poyferré and Smith Haut Lafitte. Founded in 2009 by Norwegian wine merchant Henning Thoresen for exactly this purpose. Service is via Enomatic dispensers with a credit card, either self-serve or in a guided tasting workshop. Monday to Saturday from 11 to 20, in the Golden Triangle. Info: Website · Google Maps
Aux Quatre Coins du Vin - the same principle, but with three pour sizes: a taste, a half glass, a full glass. Around 40 wines open, Bordeaux plus an international selection. That lets you compare five appellations in an evening without ending up under the table. Cheese and charcuterie boards alongside. Budget around 20 to 40 euros per person. On the Place Saint-Pierre in the old town. Info: Website · Google Maps
L'Intendant - not a bar but the most spectacular wine shop in France, and worth a visit even with no intention of buying. Behind the facade of a 17th-century town palace stands a round tower twelve metres high across five levels, in which the bottles are arranged in a spiral around a winding staircase: around 1,200 oak niches holding more than 1,600 references, all of them Bordeaux. A walk-in Bordeaux library. Monday to Saturday 10 to 19:30; on Saturdays tastings are held in the presence of estate owners. Info: Website · Google Maps
Restaurants with a good wine list
Le Pressoir d'Argent - Gordon Ramsay, Bordeaux ⭐⭐ - two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, in the InterContinental opposite the Grand-Théâtre. For wine lovers the decisive argument: three sommeliers, around 1,000 references, two thirds of them from Bordeaux - the deepest Bordeaux list in the city. The signature object is a massive silver lobster press by Christofle, one of five in the world. Info: Michelin · Google Maps
Maison Nouvelle - Philippe Etchebest, Bordeaux ⭐⭐ - first star in 2022, second in March 2025, held in 2026. On the market square in the Chartrons quarter, the historic antiques and wine merchants' district. A purely seasonal tasting menu with notably good vegetarian courses. Info: Michelin · Google Maps
Le Quatrième Mur, Bordeaux - the most approachable star-chef address and perfect for the first evening: Etchebest's brasserie inside the Grand-Théâtre building itself. At lunch from Friday to Sunday a 60-euro menu, in the evening a three-course menu at the same price; at the separate table d'hôtes there is a seven-course menu. The wine list has a broad range by the glass - the better choice for holidaymakers who want to try a lot rather than drink one bottle. Info: Website · Google Maps
La Table de Pavie, Saint-Émilion ⭐⭐ - two stars in 2026, in the five-star Hôtel de Pavie in the middle of the village. Culinary direction by Yannick Alléno, head chef on site Sébastien Faramond. Two menu lines: classics of the south-west and a purely plant-based menu. Info: Michelin · Google Maps
Logis de la Cadène, Saint-Émilion ⭐ - one star since 2017, in a house dating from 1848 on the Place du Marché au Bois. Chef Thibaut Gamba cooks with an emphasis on vegetables and the sea; some of the fruit, vegetables and honey come from the family's own farm. Michelin praises the "splendid wine cellar with a knockout selection of Bordeaux reds" - the most obvious address for comparing Saint-Émilion Grands Crus by the glass. There is a special offer for guests under 35. Info: Website · Michelin · Google Maps
Le Saint-James, Bouliac ⭐ - on the hills east of the Garonne, 15 minutes from the city, with a panoramic view of Bordeaux. The building was designed in 1989 by Jean Nouvel and counts as a design classic; the terraced garden is his too. Reopened in December 2024 after a lengthy refurbishment, with Mathieu Martin as head chef. On the menu: Gironde caviar and Bazas beef. Info: Website · Google Maps
One correction to lists still in circulation: "La Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez" - the two-star house with Pierre Gagnaire - closed in August 2020 and no longer appears in the 2026 Michelin round-up. If you are looking for a replacement: Cent33 gained a new star in 2026 (chef Fabien Beaufour) and Ressources by Tanguy Laviale took the 2026 Green Star alongside its existing star.
Saint-Émilion: the village you have to walk
Saint-Émilion has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 - as a wine-growing landscape, not just for its townscape. The heart of the visit is underground.
The Église Monolithe was hewn entirely out of the limestone in the early 12th century: 38 metres long, 12 metres high, with the bell tower rising 68 metres above the village. You cannot enter it on your own - the Gothic entrance can only be opened by a guide, and access is possible solely on the tourist office's guided tour. That tour covers four monuments: the hermitage of Émilion, the Trinity Chapel with medieval wall paintings, the catacombs and the church itself.
Entry 9 euros, concessions 6 euros, free under 12, duo ticket 17 euros. The meeting point is the Place de l'Église Monolithe. Photography is not permitted in the underground monuments.
And a detail hardly anyone knows: the tour is not given in every language, but the tourist office provides printed translations on request before the tour begins - German among them. You have to ask for them at the desk.
The church is still consecrated and is used for services and concerts - among them the enthronement ceremonies of the Jurade, the wine brotherhood of Saint-Émilion. Info: Tourist office · Google Maps
La Cité du Vin and the city itself
The Cité du Vin is not a classic museum but an immersive experience exhibition on wine culture worldwide - not only Bordeaux. Around 3,000 square metres of permanent exhibition with close to twenty thematic modules across six "universes" and over 120 audiovisual productions. Opened in 2016, reachable directly by tram line B.
The highlight is the Belvédère at 35 metres with a 360-degree view over Bordeaux - and a glass of wine up there is included in the standard entry. Adults pay around 23 euros, concessions about 17, young people from 6 to 17 around 10 to 12 euros, free under 6. Allow at least two hours, realistically two to three. Info: Website · Google Maps
The city itself has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 under the name "Port de la Lune" - the medieval name refers to the crescent shape of the Garonne's bend. Some 1,800 hectares of urban area are protected, one of the largest continuous UNESCO city ensembles in the world. The Place de la Bourse was built between 1730 and 1775; the Miroir d'eau in front of it - 3,450 square metres of reflecting water - only in 2006, to a design by Michel Corajoud. It is the most photographed sight in the city and genuinely as good as it looks.
The contrast trip: Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat
When your head is full after three days of wine: the Dune du Pilat is, at around 107 metres, the highest shifting dune in Europe, over 500 metres wide and nearly three kilometres long, holding some 60 million cubic metres of sand. It lies an hour south-west of Bordeaux at the entrance to the Bassin d'Arcachon.
Access to the dune is free, you only pay for parking - the first 30 minutes free, four hours 7 euros, eight hours 9 euros, a day ticket 11 euros. A staircase is installed roughly from late May to early November; otherwise it is a climb through sand.
Then there are the oysters of Arcachon-Cap Ferret, AOP protected, around 10,000 tonnes a year. Classically drunk with dry Entre-Deux-Mers or Graves blanc, classically eaten with small crépinettes. Arcachon is also reachable by train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean. Info: Google Maps
Bordeaux cooking: the crib sheet
| Dish | What it is |
|---|---|
| Entrecôte à la bordelaise | The brasserie dish above all others: grilled over vine cuttings (sarments de vigne), with sauce bordelaise of red wine, shallots and beef marrow |
| Cannelé | A small fluted cake, dark and caramelised outside, soft inside, with vanilla and rum. From the 18th century; tradition has it that they used up the egg yolks left over when wine was fined with egg white |
| Oysters from Arcachon | AOP protected, classically with Entre-Deux-Mers or Graves blanc |
| Gironde caviar | From local sturgeon farming - a serious local luxury product |
| Bazas beef | The region's cattle breed, on every good menu |
For shopping: the Marché des Capucins is the city's great market, the Marché des Chartrons is held on Sundays on the quay.
Practicalities
Driving, alcohol and the only sensible solution
France has a 0.5 limit, and 0.2 for newly qualified drivers in their first two years. With four to six tasting wines on a château day, that is impossible to keep to.
The three workable solutions:
- Spit. A spittoon is provided at every tasting, and using it is not an affront but professional.
- Book a guided tour. The Bordeaux tourist office runs its own: the Médoc half-day tour leaves at 13:30 from the Office de Tourisme, is back at 18:30 and visits two châteaux with a bilingual guide and two red wines. The Saint-Émilion half-day tour runs on Sundays and Mondays from late March to late October at the same times, including the tour of the underground monuments and an estate visit. From around 55 euros. In the interests of honesty: "bilingual" generally means French and English.
- Do Saint-Émilion and Bordeaux on foot. In both you can manage without a car - and Château Guadet is in the middle of the village.
Info: Booking, Office de Tourisme
On the requirement to carry a breathalyser, which still appears in many guidebooks: it was introduced on 1 July 2012 and abolished on 22 May 2020. Formally it partly remains in the statute, but it is neither checked nor penalised. Instead, nightclubs and discos have been obliged since then to keep testers available.
What it costs
| Format | Price | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple tour with two wines | 15 - 28 € | Soutard 15, Guadet 20, Giscours from 20, Kirwan 28 |
| Extended or immersion tour | 44 - 60 € | Kirwan Immersion 44, Pichon Baron from 50, Lynch-Bages Premium 60 |
| Private tour | 50 - 70 € | Guadet 50, Giscours from 65 |
| Vertical tasting | 100 - 250 € | Giscours from 100, Pichon Baron up to 250 |
Rule of thumb: 20 to 30 euros for a solid standard tour, 50 to 70 euros for a private or in-depth one.
Getting there
By TGV Bordeaux is astonishingly close: Paris to Bordeaux in 2 hours 4 minutes via the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique, a 302-kilometre new line running at 320 km/h since July 2017. The same journey previously took three and a half hours. You arrive at Bordeaux Saint-Jean, from where the tram reaches the centre in minutes.
By air to Bordeaux-Mérignac: from Frankfurt, for example, there are daily nonstop connections with a flight time of around 1 hour 50 minutes; from other airports the offering is thinner and changes seasonally.
Taking wine home
Within the EU there is no customs border - what apply are guide quantities for personal use: 90 litres of wine, of which no more than 60 litres sparkling. That is 120 bottles and irrelevant for ordinary holidaymakers. Anyone above it has to be able to show credibly that the goods are for personal use - it is not an automatic penalty but a reversal of the burden of proof.
Practical points: most châteaux keep shipping boxes in stock. And don't leave wine in a hot car overnight.
What you no longer need to look for
Two fixtures that appear in older articles and are no longer true:
Vinexpo no longer exists in Bordeaux. The fair was founded by the chamber of commerce in 1981, and the 2019 edition was the last in Bordeaux. In 2020 it merged with Wine Paris to become "Wine Paris & Vinexpo" and has been held exclusively in Paris ever since. For holidaymakers it was irrelevant anyway - it is purely a trade fair with no public access.
Bordeaux Fête le Vin takes place on the quays in the city centre, but only every two years, usually in late June. According to our research the festival is pausing in 2026 and the next edition is due in July 2027 as part of the Tall Ships Race. Because this point directly affects travel planning and the sources are thin: check the city's official site before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit the Premiers Grands Crus in Bordeaux?
In practice only one: Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac has a genuine visitor programme with an art museum and label gallery, but by appointment only, Monday to Friday and with long lead times. Latour essentially receives trade visitors, Margaux and Haut-Brion only very restrictively by prior arrangement. Lafite Rothschild was most recently closed to visitors for building work. The good visiting experiences are with the second to fifth growths.
What does a château visit cost in Bordeaux?
20 to 30 euros for a solid standard tour with a tasting, 50 to 70 euros for a private or in-depth one. Specifically: Soutard from 15 euros, Giscours from 20, Guadet 20, Lynch-Bages 25, Kirwan 28. There is no ceiling - vertical tastings from 100 euros at Giscours, up to 250 euros at Pichon Baron.
What languages are tours given in around Bordeaux?
Mostly French and English, and English will get you everywhere. The broadest range is confirmed at Château Kirwan in Cantenac near Margaux, which guides in French, English, German, Spanish and Russian. For the rock-hewn church of Saint-Émilion the tourist office provides printed translations on request in several languages; you have to ask at the desk.
What is the difference between the left and right banks?
The left bank of the Gironde (Médoc, Graves, Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes) has gravel soils that store heat - late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon dominates there, and the wines are taut, tannic and long-lived. The right bank (Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Fronsac) has clay and limestone that hold moisture - earlier-ripening Merlot dominates, and the wines are softer, fleshier and approachable sooner.
Do you need a car in Bordeaux?
For the Médoc yes, for the rest not necessarily. The city itself has an excellent tram network, Saint-Émilion is reachable by train and walkable once there, and Arcachon is just under an hour away by rail. For the Route des Châteaux the best option is a half-day tour booked through the tourist office - because with four to six tasting wines a day, the 0.5 limit is impossible to keep to.
When is the harvest in Bordeaux?
White grapes in late August, reds from early to mid-September with the bulk in late September, and Sauternes often stretching into November. In 2025 Bordeaux started as early as 16 August with Crémant - up to 20 days earlier than in previous decades. Important: many leading estates suspend their tours during harvest. September and October are the most atmospheric time, but the least reliable for visits.
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