12 Bordeaux Wineries You Simply Must Visit

A Cabernet Sauvignon, lush and robust. A velvety Merlot, rich with the warmth of a crackling fireplace. A honeyed Sauternes, the perfect finish to an indulgent meal. Think of fine French wines, and Bordeaux immediately comes to mind.

With over 7,000 winemakers producing 65 appellations (legally defined geographical areas where grapes are grown for wine), Bordeaux works hard for its reputation as the oldest and most celebrated wine region in the world. But stroll amid the immaculately tended rows of vineyards and it’s not just the beauty of the countryside that you notice. The buildings punctuating these picturesque rolling hills are architectural gems in their own right, ranging from medieval and renaissance to classical and contemporary.

So with this much choice, which wineries should you visit? Here’s our insider’s guide to the 12 best estates to see during your stay in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux’s estates, known as châteaux, range from boutique wineries to labels so famous that you don’t have to be a connoisseur to recognise them. For history, architecture and, of course, celebrated wine, consider these three.

Let’s start with one of the most famous wineries in Bordeaux. One of only five First Growth (Premier Cru Classé) red wines from the Médoc and Graves areas, Mouton Rothschild extends across a series of gravelly hillocks that produce intense wines rich in tannins and minerals. The vineyard is said to date back to Roman times, although it was only acquired by the powerful Rothschild family in 1853.

Top tip: Keep an eye out for the bottle labels, which showcase paintings commissioned yearly from different artists. Previous contributors include Dalí and Picasso, while the 2020 vintage features Scottish artist Peter Doig.

33250 Pauillac. Open Monday to Friday by appointment only. Tours must be pre-booked at least two months in advance and are limited to eight people per group.

With an 11th-century tower, a moat and a drawbridge, this winery is a true storybook castle. Even better, it produces delicious, fourth Grand Cru Classé wines (ranking it among the top 60 red wines in Médoc and Graves) and is one of the rare Bordeaux wineries that are open to the public on Sunday. The estate is owned by wine mogul Bernard Magrez, who modernised the cellars and expanded the vineyards when he bought it in 2000. If time permits, book yourself onto a winemaker’s workshop, where you get to taste and mix your own wine blend and take it home to impress family and friends.

Darrous, 33112 Saint-Laurent-Médoc. Tours and tastings start from €15 per adult and can be booked online. Children tour for free but aren’t allowed to taste the wines.

Northeast of Bordeaux, Pomerol is the smallest of the area’s subregions, and famed for its Merlots. This is where you’ll find the renowned Château Petrus, which is not open for visits – but nearby Château de Sales, with its elegant 17th-century mansion set in gorgeous English-style gardens, is. The estate has been run by the same family since 1578, with the latest generation taking a notably environmentally conscious approach to vine growing, including banning chemical weedkiller.

11 Chemin de Sales, 33500 Libourne. Tastings start at €8 per person, and tours and tastings at €13 per person. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 5pm.

While you’re likely to have a memorable time no matter which winery you choose to visit, these three are particularly noteworthy, so add them to your list.

This storied Bordeaux winery gets its name from the Carmelite nuns who managed the land from 1584 until the French Revolution in 1789. Today, it’s known for its gleaming Philippe Starck-designed winery, which resembles a ship’s bow rising loftily from the river. Inside, the mix of tradition and modernity continues, with wooden, stainless steel and concrete vats, some of which feature murals by contemporary artists.

Top tip: Can’t get enough of Philippe Starck? Check into this nearby hotel, also designed by the renowned architect.

20 Rue des Carmes, 33000 Bordeaux. Tours and tastings start at €55 per person. Book online or call +33 7 77 38 10 64. Open Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 6pm.

If dining on top-class cuisine while gazing out over panoramic views of Bordeaux’s endless vineyards is on your French holiday bucket list, this one’s for you. Château La Dominique sprawls northeast of Bordeaux in Saint-Émilion, and is one of the region’s celebrated 64 Grands Crus Classés. But what makes it really stand out is its restaurant: La Terrasse Rouge treats you to seasonal specialities from southwest France, paired with stunning countryside vistas.

1 La Dominique, 33330 Saint-Émilion. Tours and tastings start at €35 per person and can be booked online or by calling +33 5 57 55 20 73. Open daily 10am to 7pm from April to October, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm from November to March.

The Blaye region nestles on the eastern bank of the Gironde estuary, and traces its long winemaking history a few millennia back to the Romans. This particular estate takes its name from the Marquis de Vauban, a French engineer famed for designing the nearby Citadel of Blaye, among others. Visiting this winery is a great way to quaff some notable Merlots and sparkling crémants, plus discover the citadel, an impressive 17th-century fort with imposing ramparts and winding underground passages.

Route des Cônes, 33390 Blaye. Book online for winery tours and tastings, which start at €12 per adult. A full-day tour, which includes a winemaker’s lunch and a visit to the citadel, costs €53 per adult. Open daily 9am to 7pm.

While drifting from one winery to the next in a happy cloud of varietals and vintages may be enough for some, you may also want to pair your wine tasting with other activities. Luckily there’s plenty going on, from spa experiences to live music.

Smith? If you’re thinking that doesn’t sound very French, it’s because George Smith was a Scottish wine merchant who acquired this 14th-century vineyard in the mid-1700s. Fast forward to today, and it’s one of the Graves region’s 16 Cru Classés and as French as they come. The estate is owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard, whose daughter is the founder of beauty brand Caudalie. So not only do you get to taste some outstanding reds and whites, you can also surrender your wine-addled self to the rejuvenating bliss of a luxury spa in the middle of the vineyards.

Top tip: From May to October, take a stroll in their Forest of the Senses, where trails lace past playful sculptures by Bordeaux artists, tree houses and a fragrant herb garden.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, 33650 Martillac. Tours and workshops start from €43 per person, with children under 12 free. Book online or call +33 5 57 83 11 22. Open 7 days a week by appointment.

Unlike most of its Saint-Émilion peers, this winery is known for its sparkling whites and rosés, offering an effervescent alternative to Bordeaux’s robust reds. The building, a 13th-century convent with charming cloisters skirting a tranquil courtyard, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a tour of its underground tunnels, and one of the many fascinating facts you learn is that the excavated stone went into building Saint-Émilion and parts of Bordeaux.

Top tip: Make the most of your summer evenings by dropping in for a weekend music event. Every Friday and Saturday between May and September, DJs or live bands provide the soundtrack as you relax, flute of crémant in hand, to a mellow Bordeaux sunset.

2 bis Rue de la Porte Brunet, 33330 Saint-Émilion. Book online for walking tours and tastings, which are €12.50 per adult and free for children under 10. Open daily 10:30am to 7pm.

“Château” does, after all, mean “castle”, and sometimes only a fairytale castle will do. That’s what you get at this 13th-century Haut-Médoc winery – round, crenelated turrets, pointy roofs and a satisfyingly wide moat. Their tastings are equally fun, ranging from horizontal tastings, where you sip wines from the same vintage and compare them, to a chocolate-and-wine experience. The site also hosts open-air cinema evenings and summer music festivals, so keep an eye on their social media channels.

15 Rue du Château d’Agassac, 33290 Ludon-Médoc. Visits and tastings start at €12 per adult and can be booked online. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 5:30pm.

Good news if you’re a parent counting down the hours to wine o’clock. There’s an increasing number of kid-friendly Bordeaux wineries to choose from, so you can combine wine tasting with keeping little ones and teens actively occupied and happily screen-free.

Dating back to 1762, this Médoc vineyard near the village of Margaux is another fourth Grand Cru Classé, famed for its elegant, polished wines. Family tours comprise 90 minutes of hands-on vineyard exploration, followed by wine tasting for adults and juice for the younger ones. If you have older children, opt for a guided bike tour, which includes tastings, or go free and easy with an eight-hour bike rental and explore the estate at your own pace.

3 Route de Rauzan, 33460 Margaux. Book online for family tours, which are €20 per person (same rate for adults and children). Open daily 10am to 6pm from April to November, Monday to Friday 10am to 5:30pm from December to March.

Although most Bordeaux wineries are very welcoming of children, some are just so genteel that you can’t help but worry about your little angel leaving chocolate-smeared fingerprints all over the polished steel vats. This family-run winery in Entre-Deux-Mers, southeast of Bordeaux on the Garonne river, offers a winning combo of sophisticated Merlot blends and a warm, down-to-earth hospitality that allows you to fully relax. (Best leave the chocolate at home, though.)

19 La Ruasse, 33550 Langoiran. Email info@chateaubiac.com or call +33 5 56 67 61 54 for tours.

There are two things that make this charming boutique Médoc winery ideal for families: first, it’s close to Bordeaux city centre – under half an hour by car, or a short train ride. Even better, once there, a well-signposted trail (in English and French) around the vineyard and woods allows the kids to run freely, perhaps even learning a thing or two about the local nature. The route is stroller-accessible and dogs on leads are welcome. Once the kids have burnt off some excess energy, you can get down to the enjoyable business of tasting some of this château’s sustainably produced wines.

57 Rue de Saint Ahon, 33290 Blanquefort. Family walks in Les Jardins de Mirabel are €5 per adult, €3 per child aged 3 to 16 and €14.50 per family of four. No booking required. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.

You may be wondering when is the best time to visit Bordeaux’s wineries. That depends on what you want to see and do. Late spring and summer (May to September) are ideal for walking and cycling around the vineyards. The harvest season, typically from mid-September to mid-October, is frenetic but fascinating. And while the winter months are quieter, that means fewer visitors and possibly the chance to meet and chat with the winemakers. Whenever you choose to go, your visit to this celebrated region is sure to be as rich and fulfilling as the wine it produces. Santé!