Wine tour · Bordeaux
Pessac-Léognan wine tour with a private chauffeur
The vineyard at the gates of Bordeaux: fifteen minutes away, with classified reds and whites. Ideal for a half-day or a morning of tasting.
Terroir
The terroir
Pessac-Léognan is the vineyard closest to Bordeaux: the first vines begin in the suburbs, a quarter of an hour from the centre. Created in 1987, the appellation was carved out of the Graves region, occupying its northern, most qualitative part. The name Graves itself comes from its gravel and pebble soils, inherited from the old terraces of the Garonne.
It is the only Bordeaux appellation to produce both classified reds and whites. The reds blend Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; the rarer dry whites marry Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The Graves classification, established in the 1950s, recognises growths in both colours.
Château Haut-Brion stands as a historical exception: it is the only estate outside the Médoc to appear among the first growths of the 1855 classification. The city's proximity, long a threat to the vines, is today the appellation's distinctive trait — an urban vineyard, reachable in a few minutes.
Estates
Emblematic châteaux
A few names that give the measure of the appellation. Visits are booked in advance, to suit your interests and budget.
Itinerary
A day in Pessac-Léognan
09:30
Departure from Bordeaux, fifteen minutes by road.
10:00
Visit of a classified growth: cellars and tasting of reds and whites.
12:00
Lunch on site, or an optional return to Bordeaux.
14:00
Second estate, to compare styles.
15:30
Comparative tasting in the cellar: reds and great dry whites.
16:30
Return to Bordeaux.
Access
From Bordeaux
Pessac-Léognan is about fifteen kilometres from central Bordeaux, roughly 20 minutes by road. Its proximity makes it the natural choice for a half-day or a morning of tasting.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Bordeaux's proximity allows a morning or an afternoon, with one or two estates.
Both. The appellation is one of the few to produce classified reds and whites; a tasting often covers both colours.
It is the closest appellation to the city: the first estates are a quarter of an hour from central Bordeaux.
Easily. We can plan a visit in the morning and drop you in town for the afternoon.