Bordeaux taxi/driver

Old Aug 20th, 2016, 03:44 PM
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Bordeaux taxi/driver

We rented a car for a day in Pessac and a day in Medoc mid-Sept. I'm realizing we can probably bike around Pessac. So, wondering if we should scrap the rental and splurge on a driver. Have seen quotes for 400-600 euros but I do NOT want to splurge THAT much. We already have appointments so we don't need a tour guide. Driver doesn't even need to speak English.

About how much would we pay for a regular taxi driver for all day (like 0800-1800)? Or maybe we could take a train to Medoc and then a cab from their train station? About how much would that cost? Or should we just keep our rental (I got a good deal) and make sure to spit?
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 06:43 PM
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Why do you even want to do this? A rental car for a single day costs a small fortune (same as a rental for 3 days), and a visit to a Bordeaux wine château is nothing more than a notch in one's belt - it's just not that special unless it's for boasting to friends. You can drink wine of any kind anywhere near or in Bordeaux. You don't have to shell out hundreds of dollars to visit someone's house in a vineyard, which is all they're selling. What is it that is so attractive to you about this very pedestrian experience? You could do it in Bergerac or Montravel or Pécharmant or Montbazillac for next to nothing.

They are counting on you being American and having some sort of fantasy of this being an "experience" you're willing to pay big money for. Get over it. Visit the wonderful city of Bordeaux, have some great meals, drink some good wine, and ditch the idea of visiting a big, famous wine château. Go east and visit some small vintners.
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 12:29 AM
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There are a couple of wine tasting rooms near the Bordeaux opera house.
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 09:33 AM
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@StCirq - thanks for taking the time to respond, but that wasn't very helpful. We live near Napa and enjoy comparing wine regions. And we enjoy touring the countryside. Our rental car is only about 30 euros a day, thus why it's hard to justify paying so much for a driver (or even for multiple cabs).

@Michael - We will also have time to see the city of Bordeaux itself, including some wine tasting rooms since it sounds like we'll actually get better wine there vs immature wine tastings at the wineries
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 12:02 PM
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The wineries might also have mature wines, but only from a single winery, whereas the tasting rooms carry a larger variety of wines.
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 02:44 PM
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Why not keep your rental and drive there? We were parked within the Golden Triangle and it was not difficult. While you can find tons of good wine in Bordeaux and its environs, it was a thrill to be at Lafite Rothschild and at Margaux last Fall. Yes, the wine is young, but I'm not tasting it when it's for sale our shops and probably neither are you. The NY Times had run a detailed article about Latour in the months before, and to see the dovecote on the property (no tours there except for buyers and that means wholesale) was very memorable to us. The process at Lafite is quite different than we'd heard/seen before in Spain, France, US. My husband makes wine and found the tour (which also was only about 45E pp, not hundreds) pretty fabulous. Adjoining Lafite winery is their museum which we also loved. Some of our better shops here in US have wine tastings regularly -- do they compare w the few we stopped at in Paulliac/Medoc -- NO WAY. Right in the center of Bordeaux is La Vinotheque, which has "invite only" tastings -- hah, anyone can go. And yes we had a tasting there. Memorable it wasnt, it was a store. Dont be discouraged and/or insulted about being boastful and pedestrian. We considered bus or train but driving our own was so much fun. Traffic returning into the center of Bordeaux was not, however. But is it anywhere?
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 02:57 PM
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Clarification: The article on Chateau Latour was in the Wall Street Journal 5/27/15, not the NY Times. Just another one of the "pedestrian" publications I read every day........
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 05:36 PM
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@aliced - thank you! We'll be visiting Lafite. The fact that you were thrilled to be there has me more excited to go

We'll also be visiting Chateau Pichon Baron, Château Lynch-Bages and Pontet-canet. And in Pessac: Pape Clement and Chateau Haut Bailly

Would love any suggestions you have on non-wine things while driving around Medoc. e.g., views or snacks. We are hoping to be able to squeeze in a visit to Nadalie Cooperage another day.
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