Bordeaux area: Worth it?
 

We're planning a tour de france for ourselves (Paris, Dordogne/Provence, Burgundy, maybe Alsace). I'm seeking input re Bordeaux area, St.Emilion in particular.

Reasons to go: 1)my dad was stationed at Paulliac in WW1, it'd be interesting to see where; 2)it'd be our only chance ever to taste Grand Crus wine for a merely expensive price.
Reasons not to go: 1)we're happy with $8 wine; bought a $20 wine once, it was nowhere near as good as $4.99 merlot from Aldi's 2)I wouldn't mind drinking an excellent wine, but I suspect saying, "It's good" would be an insult in an environment where the rest are extolling the "nose", "the hint of cinammon", the "body", etc of the same wine.3)I don't seem to see any other redeeming merits of the area.
Maybe we should skip Aquitaine and spend more days on the rest. What do you think?

<2)it'd be our only chance ever to taste Grand Crus wine for a merely expensive price.>

best chance for best price is probably at Cotsco in U.S.

Just read that they were the largest buyer of vintage 2005 Bordeaux wines and as usual will be at a cost-cutting price.

Everyone is raving about 2005 as being one of the best vintages in history for Bordeaux or any region. Not ready till next spring though.

Bordeaux area save wine never inspired me either but a city like Saint-Emilion i found really neat - old old town surrounded by swirl of vineyards.

The general Bordeaux area certainly has much more to offer than St. Emilion IMO.

We just came back from staying in Mirambeau about 45 miles northeast and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

From your proposed "iti8nerary" above you may be trying to cover too much ground although it is hard to know without a stated timeframe.

Buet perhaps you should go with your gut on this one and skip the area.

<The general Bordeaux area certainly has much more to offer than St. Emilion IMO.>

such as? and not being negative - though i've driven thru the area a few times i never saw many captivating cities or landscapes except vineyards. But i don't know - which ones do you find nice? Did you go to a wine house? Experience there?

Welcome back from your trip!

In googling Paulliac and St Emilion, I came across the Costco wine website; its price for Chateau Margaux 1999 was $330+ for a 750 ml bottle. I'm not too proud to say that, for me, it's too much money.

I'd be interested what that wine would cost at a Bordeau wine house, straight from the vintner?

Pal,
I guess we just have different tastes and that's perfectly OK with me. Obviously, the things I found "captivating" you perhaps did not.

The OP asked for an opinion and we have both rendered ours.

Château Margaux > Homepage, Official website of Château MargauxChâteau Margaux > Official website of Château Margaux. ... wijnjaar, weine bordeaux, margaux france, bordeaux margaux, chateau margaux wine, châteaumargaux, ...
www.chateau-margaux.com/en/Home.aspx

can't get site to work i'd like to compare price

Dukey: i am not really familiar with Bordeaux area and was genuinely asking what you liked - cities, villages and not contradicting you at all - you obviously know much more about Bordeaux than i - i just drove thru it twice to get somewhere else and never had time to explore. I probably would like much of what you like it seems.

Anyway no offense in my post.

Bordeaux is a horrible bore. But the region is nice.

jack - what are some nicer towns or wine houses to tour? This has perked my interest to go back and take a better look. I love seas of vineyards so a few nice towns? merci

tomboy - You can buy cheap wine just as easily in Bordeaux as anywhere else in France so the fact that the area grows some of the most expensive wine in the world and that you (by your own admission) don't appreciate it, that is hardly a reason not to go.
It comes down to how compelling your reasons TO go are.
However by rereading your OP I think you will admit that you already have made up your mind.

What happens to bored people who go to a nice region?

Hi T,

>..it'd be our only chance ever to taste Grand Crus wine for a merely expensive price.<

Not really. You are also going to Burgundy and Alsace.

In 2005 we very much enjoyed our stay at the Chateau de Roques in Puisseguin on our way to the Dordogne.

It is not far from Pauillac (1:30 hr), St. Emilion (0:10 hr) and Bordeaux. (We frove to Libourne and took the train.)

You can also visit the beach at Arcachon (1:30 hr).

((I))

robjame-I realize I was quite explicit about my reasons not to go. My post was really seeking input on reasons TO go to Bordeaux/Aquitaine. Given the attractions of other regions of France, I assumed that it had attractions that I was not being exposed to. So my question remains, what towns and sites (other than vineyards) in the region have interested other Fodorites?

Are you travelling with children? If so, the beaches at Arcachon are nice, though the town is a bit Daytona Beach-y. Also, the Dune de Pyla is fabulous. St. Emilion (IMHO) is a bit too Disney-ish. It is incredibly touristy and done up. We did do a wine tasting class and that was fun. I discovered that I much prefer the Paulliac to St. Emilion. St. Julian's came in 2nd. :)

If you do go to Bordeaux (the city) and the Medoc (the wine region) don't expect to find better deals at the vineyards. Good Bordeaux needs to age before being drunk, and usually gets sold to commercants well before that. If you manage to taste, the wine won't be any cheaper, and may be more expensive than Costco (since I live in France, I dont know US prices, but I do know that we've not found any bargains on site)

Carlux-thanks for your reply. Not looking for bargains; our low level of gourmandness can probably be satisfied at Tesco or the like. Re wine, it'd be our one chance to see if we could even discern what others deem excellent.

We greatly enjoyed the Sarlat area 3 years ago, and are planning a return. I don't know if there are non-wine-ish sights between, say, Les Ezyies and the Medoc. Any to recommend? Our interests lie in places like Sarlat, Domme, St.Remy as contrasted to more urban areas.

Hi T,

>Re wine, it'd be our one chance to see if we could even discern what others deem excellent.<

Considering what you have told us about your wine palate, I suggest not paying more than 8E/bottle.

You will find a 20E bottle good, but not that good, and a Chateau Margaux will leave you cold.

>... non-wine-ish sights between, say, Les Ezyies and the Medoc.

St. Emilion.

Chateau Monbazillac has beautiful views, an interesting chateau and some truly terrific white wines available for tasting at low cost.

((I))

My husband and I generally drink relatively inexpensive wines, but we enjoy learning about wine. We had a great time in the past few years (when we lived in Paris) visiting wineries as part of holiday weekends: we toured Champagne, Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, for example. If you are curious about wine, even if you don't want to spend buckets of money on it, Bordeaux is a great place to learn about the winemaking process, about the history of the families involved in wine-making and about the land. Take an introductory winetasting class at the Maison du Vin in the city of Bordeaux and then book a tour to some vineyards. (We organised our own, but it took some effort and I think you might want something simpler.)

In Bordeaux we tasted some very good wines, but we bought some of the less expensive wines from good chateaux - some were as little as 7 euros and I think we spent about 22 euros on something we really enjoyed.

If your destinations aren't carved in stone yet, you could incorporate a few days in Bordeaux in a way that made it less out of your way. For example, you mentioned wanting to go to Provence (which is more toward the southeast in France) - and that fits with Burgundy and Alsace (at least in the sense that they're all east of Paris and amount to a triangle). Alternatively, you could head west from Paris and visit Bordeaux, Languedoc and then perhaps head north up the west coast to take in La Rochelle (one of my favourite places) and Brittany or Normandy.

Kate - great post

ytomboy - I know you are questionning travel but if you do want to taste those Bordeaux, you can do it far more cheaply than buying a bottle at the wineries.
When in Paris go to one of the many wine bars (Taverne Henri IV located on the Pont Neuf is our favorite). He always has a couple of vintage wines open and for a relatively small price (maybe €4-6) you can try a glass or two of different regions and years.