Grape to Glass: Bordeaux Grand Cru
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Bordeaux, France – September 26 – October 2, 2027
Bienvenue à Bordeaux!
Yes, Bordeaux, France is beautiful in summer. The vineyard rows are full and green, as the grapes all around you bask and lazily grow in the hot summer sun with crowds of tourists bustling about.
But, Autumn is when this region feels especially alive. Crisp, clear mornings give way to warm afternoons as family Domaines and Châteaux move through the focused work of harvest.
Grape clusters are picked, stems sorted, berries crushed, casks filled, fermentations begin. Expectations soar about the upcoming vintage just beginning its life. A meandering drive along the Grand Crus trail becomes more than a scenic visit, it becomes a living lesson in why Bordeaux blends are so honored.
La Rive Gauche et La Rive Droite
This journey is specifically designed to focus on the annual harvest festivities including a deep dive into the structured, powerful red blends dominated by the Cabernet Sauvingnon of the Left Bank of the Garrone river in the Medoc Region.
We will have a day in Graves for a sampling of the famous Bordeaux Blank Sec, produced from the gravel, sand and clay, which gived the region its name – Graves.
We will also explore the Right Bank of the Dordogne river focusing on the softer, plush red blends dominated by the Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown in clay and limestone soils.
Château ou Châteaux?
We will visit not just one Château but many Châteaux on our journey where we will discover the history and culture of Aquitaine, a region deeply connected to winemaking, where all the right elements – terroir and climate – meet to create some of the world’s finest wines from some of the most famous multi-generational family estates and Châteaux.
Our private tastings will feel especially meaningful because the conversations will be rooted in what is happening all around us – the harvest, vintage, slope, soil, cellar style and the quiet decisions being made that shape the wines of the famous Bordeaux blend.
Saint-Émilion
…colline aux mille châteaux
We will spend three days of our journey in Saint-Émilion, a charming UNESCO world heritage medieval village located in the heart of the wine vineyards, where fine wine, beautiful architecture and great monuments are a perfect match…it is a hill with a thousand châteaux. And! We’ve carved out time to stroll, shop, and maybe have a café au lait ou deux in this quaint village!
Bon Appetit, Ya’ll!
Wine yes, and Bordeaux’s culinary scene is an equally vibrant celebration of the Southwest French terroir.
Rooted in the region’s rich agricultural bounty, it seamlessly blends centuriesold bistro traditions with an influx of modern, vegetable-led and international fine dining – Duck and Foie, Bazas Beef, delicious Arcachon Bay Oysters, harvested from the Gironde Estuary where the Garrone and Dordogne rivers merge.
And super special are the Cépes (Yes! Yay! and Oui! Autumn is Cépes season!)
Autumn in Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion! It is a powerful season with lots of reasons to be there!
PROGRAM DETAILS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2027*
Arrive in Bordeaux and check into our hotel for three nights, the Hotel Burdigala. Bordeaux was called Burdigala by the Romans until the 5th century.
For our welcome party, step into the secreted Billy Bar where the private bar and terrace have been exclusively reserved for us. We will enjoy a selection of handcrafted cocktails, wines and fine food in a beautifully designed setting, right at our doorstep. We’ll have a warm, convivial welcome and catch up with our friends, meet some new ones and set the tone for the week ahead.
*note – rooms will be available to book in advance for Saturday, September 25 for early arrivals. We will offer an optional afternoon walking tour of Bordeaux with a group reservation for dinner for those interested. Sunday morning the group will be offered a visit to Bordeaux’s Cité Musée du Vin before the official program begins at 6 PM. More details closer to the program dates.
Introduction
Yes, Bordeaux, France, is beautiful in summer. The vineyard rows are full and green as the grapes all around you bask and lazily grow in the hot summer sun as crowds of tourists are bustling about. But Autumn is when this region feels especially alive. Crisp, clear mornings give way to warm afternoons as family Domaines and Châteaux along the Left Bank and Right Bank of the Garrone River move through the focused work of harvest. Grape clusters picked, stems sorted, berries crushed, casks filled, fermentations begin. Expectations soar about the upcoming vintage just beginning its life. A meandering drive along the Grands Crus trail becomes more than a scenic visit, it becomes a living lesson in why Bordeaux Blends are so honored.
This journey is specifically designed to focus on the annual harvest festivities including a deep-dive into the cabernets of the Left Bank and the merlots of the Right Bank, with a dip into Entre-Deux-Mers for a sampling of Bordeaux Blanc Sec. We will discover the history and cultural of Aquitaine, a region deeply connected to winemaking, where all the right elements – terroir and climate – meet to create some of the world’s finest wines from some of the most famous multi-generational family estates and Châteaux – Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, and Smith Haut Lafitte, to name but a few. Our private tastings will feel especially meaningful because the conversations are rooted in what is happening all around us — the harvest, vintage, slope, soil, cellar style, and the quiet decisions being made that shape the wines of the famous Bordeaux Blend.
Bordeaux’s culinary scene is an equally vibrant celebration of the Southwest French terroir. Rooted in the region’s rich agricultural bounty, it seamlessly blends centuries-old bistro traditions with an influx of modern, vegetable-led and international fine dining – Duck and Foie, Bazas Beef, Cèpes (Porcini), and the delicious Arachon Bay Oysters, harvested from the Gironde Estuary, where the Garrone and the Dordogne merge.
Saint-Émilion a UNESCO world heritage village will be our home base.
Autumn in Bordeaux – It is a powerful season to be there! Join us!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2027
Copain comme Canard – My Pal the Duck!
We begin the program with exploring the vineyards of the Médoc region, beginning with Château Braniare Ducru (Saint-Julien appellation, Grand Cru Classé – rare older vintages) where we will receive a masterclass in how great Bordeaux evolves over time including the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 ordered by Napoleon III.
We will proceed on to Château Kirwan for a private estate tour of vineyards and cellars and treated to a gourmet picnic lunch on the grounds, followed by a tasting of local sweet specialties paired with two Kirwan vintages.
The dinner this evening will be at Copain comme Canard, a beloved local institution celebrating the finest French duck – rustic, indulgent and deeply Bordelaise!
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2027
À la santé de la haute cuisine!
Begin the day visiting and tasting at Château Giscours (Margaux appellation, Grand Cru Classé) – this magnificent 19th century estate has championed wine tourism for over thirty years.
Lunch will be an experience produced by Chef Benjamin Laurent, whose career spans the legendary three-Michelin-starred kitchen, Les Prés d’Eugénie, where healthy haute cuisine was pioneered . The lunch will be produced straight from the estate’s kitchen gardens, paired with the château’s finest wines.
In the afternoon we visit and taste the wines of Château Lascombes (Margaux appellation, Grand Cru Classé).
Later in the evening, a light dinner will be at Vivants, celebrating the best of seasonal, natural cuisine.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2027
…des paysages urbains à la campagne
This morning, we will leave the cityscapes behind and venture in the countryside to the medieval town of Saint-Émilion, set among the rolling vineyards, at the Grand Barrail Hotel estate.
While we wait for our rooms, we will join in a private harvest experience at Château Rol Valentin (Grand cru Classé) to pick grapes alongside the team and witness the winery in full swing at its most electric moment of the year.
Here we will have lunch with the owners as they cook on the open wood fire, offer estate wines at the kind of table you find when someone opens their home to you.
After lunch it is back to the village for an afternoon walking tour ending with a couple of hours for shopping or a spa appointment at the hotel.
Dinner will be private dining at our hotel, Grand Barrail.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30,2027
À la santé des vins blancs!
Enough of red wines! We are off to explore the Graves region and its famous Bordeaux Blanc Sec!
We begin at Château Haut-Bailly (PessacLéognan appellation, Grand Cru Classé de Graves), with a stunning new winery and fermentation cellar that has become a benchmark of modern Bordeaux winemaking.
Lunch will be at La Table du Lavoir, a 3- course menu paired with a welcome Champagne and wine, in an intimate and elegant setting in the heart of the Graves.
Then off to Château Carbonnieux (PessacLéognan appellation, Grand Cru Classé), one of the oldest estates in Bordeaux, with a remarkable history tied to Thomas Jefferson and a magnificent collection of vintage cars.
Ending a beautiful day with a beautiful Dinner in the Vines, an outdoor dining experience set among the Saint-Émilion vineyards, with a seasonal menu crafted from local produce.
La Fin!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2027
Our final day we will embark on a half-day journey into the legendary sweet wine appellation of Sauternes, where a unique microclimate (morning mists from the Ciron river meets the warm afternoon sun) allows noble rot to develop on the grapes, concentrating their sugars and aromas into one of the world’ most celebrated dessert wines.
Our day revolves around the Château de Malle, a classified historic monument in the town of Sauternes with Italianinspired gardens, 17th century architecture, and an intimate guided tour of one of the region’s most beautiful estates. We will have lunch in the gardens paired with wine from the château. Then we will return to our hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for spa, pool and well-earned rest before our final dinner.
Our farewell gala dinner will be held at La Table de Pavie, Yannic Alléno’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant set in a former convent in the heart of Saint-Émilion – a refined tribute to Bordelaise cuisine and the perfect finale to our CLJ!
Your CLJ Host for Bordeaux, France:
Kendall Collier is President of the fictitious Wanderlust Society, having retired from a 38-year illustrious career in catering and special events. Her love of travel began at an early age with memorable family vacations camping around the country and doing fun activities like riding a donkey over the Rio Grande at age 6. She began traveling internationally in 1993 and has visited 68 countries to date, many she has visited dozens of times.
When she’s not presiding over Society daydream meetings about distant and mysterious places, she is owner of Cloverleaf Farms in Athens, Georgia, which plays host to many wedding and cultural events. She has a spouse, two children and three grandchildren that she drags around the world to demonstrate to them that all who wander are not lost…
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