9 Day French Wine Tour

Upon your arrival at Paris CDG airport, your driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel, Hotel Le Cep. Your drive to your hotel will include a drive along the Grands Crus Wine Road, around Pommard and the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Burgundy’s Great White Wines: see the estates of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.

Hotel Le Cep in located in the historic heart of Beaune, Burgundy’s wine capital. It is an ancient walled town that dates to pre-Roman times. About half of the battlements, ramparts and moat are in good condition. The hotel is near important landmarks including the famous Hospices, Notre-Dame, the wine museum, art museum and the medieval ramparts. Enjoy the lively shopping area around the central square. Select from a large array of excellent cafés and restaurants.

The hotel consists of a number of historic buildings that surround a courtyard.

Antiques and period touches decorate the comfortable guest rooms and public spaces. Take the elevator to the fitness center and the magnificent views of Beaune. Relax and enjoy the wines of Burgundy in the sunny courtyards or comfortable armchairs by the fire. Be pampered by the excellent staff.

Start the day with a breakfast buffet in the hotel’s 16th-century courtyard or the Cave in cooler weather. For lunch or dinner, make reservations at Restaurant Loiseau des Vignes right next to the hotel. Dominique Loiseau opened her restaurant in 2007. It was the first restaurant in Europe to offer almost 70 different wines by the glass. At the end of the day, unwind in the hotel’s piano bar as you sip another wonderful glass of outstanding Burgundy.

Beaune, a historic town is Burgundy’s wine capital. You may wish to visit the Hospices de Beaune, a must-see in the region. Stroll aroung the old town and its traditional shops, taste the blackcurrant liquor, Dijon mustard, honey spice cake, “Flavigny” aniseed sweets and much more.

10.30am – 11.30am
Stroll through the pretty village of Vézelay. Enjoy an amazing view on the region from the top of its hill. Visit the Basilica Sainte Madeleine listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

12.30am – 2.00pm
Lunch at L’Espérance (out of pocket)

2.00pm – 5.00 pm Discover the beauty of Chablis vineyard. Stop off on the Chablis Grand Cru hillside

and stroll through the best Chablis appellations. Learn about the specific cultivation methods and ‘terroir’ (soil) of this area. Enjoy a private tasting, a selection of fine Chardonnays through different appellation from Petit Chablis to Chablis Grand Cru.

Or You may wish to visit the Chateau Ancy le Franc.

5.00pm – 7.00pm Drive back to your hotel in Beaune (2 hours drive along the highway).

Today enjoy a choice of 1 to 2 tasting(s) of between 5 to 15 wines including Premier Cru and Grand Cru.

The highlights today include

Walk in Dijon into the heart of the historical city, from the Palace of the Dukes and States-General of Burgundy to the Parliament district, via the area around Notre-Dame and through the medieval streets. This is a great opportunity to admire the rich and elegant town houses, bearing testimony to the town’s illustrious heritage.

Please Note : Food market with local producers only on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

You will have free time after the visit to enjoy the lively shopping area and choose from a large array of excellent cafés and terraces. At this time you can visit the Fine Arts Museum in Dijon.

Please Note : Fine arts Museum is closed on Tuesdays. Length of the walk: about 1h45min

After lunch you will head to the Burgundy “Champs-Elysées” along the Grands Crus Wine Road: Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, … Stop off at Romanée Conti.

Choices for lunch include a wine tasting lunch at a family estate. Choose wines from the estate to accompany a set menu of regional flavours or lunch at a traditional restaurant in the heart of the vineyards (out of pocket).

Stroll in the charming town of Nuits Saint George

Follow the trail of the Cistercian monks at the Château du Clos de Vougeot. Discover the ancient winemaking facilities and the monk’s cellar, constructed between the 12th and 16th centuries.

Enjoy a prestige tasting in a private wine cellar with food and wine pairing suggestions, according to French traditions.

Travel through the South of Burgundy: Côte Chalonnaise, Maconnais (Pouilly-Fuissé) and Beaujolais vineyards.

On the way discover the wine growing of Côte Chalonnaise, wine tasting in a family estate.

Or You may prefer to visit the town of Chalon sur Saône.

Delicious lunch in a traditional restaurant (out of pocket)

Drive past the Roche de Solutré for a glimpse of this site of outstanding natural beauty

Visit the ancient town of Cluny.

Discover the 18th century Burgundy canal, picture postcard landscapes along the waterfront.

Walk through Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, listed as one of “the most beautiful villages in France”. This is where the film

“Chocolat” was made. Visit the factory and boutique producing the famous “Flavigny aniseed” sweets (depending on opening times).

Lunch in a Bistrot at Chateauneuf en Auxois (out of pocket)

Drive through Alésia, the famous battleground where Julius Cesar beat Vercingétorix’s gaulois army in the year 52BC.

The day will end with a visit to the Fontenay Abbey, one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Europe. Founded in 1118 by St. Bernard in a marshy Burgundy valley, the abbey has not change its magnificient Romanesque style. Except for the refectory which was destroyed, all the rooms have been perfectly conserved : church, dormitory, cloister, council room, heating room, lodging for the abbots and the forge.

Today you will be introduced to one of French Gastronomy’s jewels : the truffle ! You will first travel across the hilly landscapes of the HautesCôtes de Nuits towards the Burgundian countryside between forests and blackcurrant fields.

Then you will enjoy a demonstration on how to hunt for truffles in an oak forest accompanied by a trained dog. An experienced truffle hunter will reveal to you the secrets behind the Burgundy truffle. Participate in a simple truffle-based product tasting at the producer’s.

For the lunch you will stop at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Choose between a bistro or gourmet menu. Lunch out of pocket.

Then you will stroll through the vineyards and stop to taste different appellation wines in a cellar.

Your last Gourmet stop will be at a Mustard factory founded in 1840. You will taste Dijon and Burgundy mustards on site: strong mustard, whole-grain mustard, with saffron, with blackcurrant, with Chablis wine, with truffles…

Visit the charming town of Beaune and its famous Hospices, founded in 1443 as a hospital for the poor and needy.

The Hôtel-Dieu Is one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture.

An important wine auction is held here in November each year and proceeds are given to Charity.

Discover and experience the country of possibly the most prestigious white wines in the world, passing through the vineyards of Corton-Charlemagne, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne- Montrachet, Santenay.

Taste some of the best crus during stops in the vineyards and at a wine estate.

Reims

Your driver will meet you in the lobby of your Paris hotel and transfer you to Reims. Stay overnight at the beautiful Château des Crayères.

Château des Crayères

Domaine Les Crayères – a Relais & Châteaux association member and the Gardinier family’s property – has repeatedly elicited praise from world- class newspapers and magazines. The 20 rooms and en-suites are tastefully decorated and radiate France’s hallmark brand of classical style.

This house, which was once the Polignac family’s home, has been likened to a treasure chest, and has been a tribute to comfort and class, since 1904. Interior architect Pierre-Yves Rochon has entirely restored it, reviving and modernising its distinctive ‘Château’ class from every perspective, and steeped it in sophisticated, subtly tantalising, elegance.

Genuine classical French style radiates from every detail of the decoration in each of the

20 rooms and suites in the Château and Cottage. They are all generously sized and in prime locations. They are luxurious, distinctly elegant and intimate: le Château treats guests to the quintessence of France’s art de vivre nestled in greenery in the heart of Reims.

Reims, the city of Coronations and Champagne!

Visit one of Reims’ Grandes Maisons de Champagne – there are many familiar names here, including: Veuve Cliquot, Ruinart, Taittinger, Mumm, Pommery…

Listed in the Unesco World Heritage, the 13th century Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral is one of Europe’s most important Gothic structures. Be mesmerized by the unique stained glasses and the exceptionally rich statuary – there are over 2,300 statues, among which the famous Smiling Angel. It is here that King Clovis was baptized around year 498 giving birth to the Kingdom of the Franks (modern-day France) and starting a long lasting tradition: all but two of the country’s kings were crowned here!

After lunch, you’ll head to the Montagne de Reims vineyards. 9 of the 17 grand cru villages in the Champagne region are on and around the Montagne de Reims. Here, the special “terroir” gives Champagne much of its character.

This afternoon, you’ll stop for a tour and tasting at a family estate near Reims, dedicated to the true expression of Champagne.

Bordeaux, hub of the famed wine-growing region, is a port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France. It’s known for its Gothic Cathédrale Saint-André, 18th- to 19th-century mansions and notable art museums such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux and Cité du Vin. The grand Place de la Bourse, centered on the Three Graces fountain, overlooks the Miroir d’Eau reflecting pool, is unique and so beautiful.

The city is nestled in verdant wine country and on the edge of leading oyster-producing areas, with the TGV (the high-speed rail service), it is only 2 hours from Paris.

09:00am
Meet your driver/guide in the lobby of your hotel for your full day tour.

Enjoy the storybook castles, breathtaking châteaux and lovely villages of rural France on your way to Saint-Émilion. Only 25 miles from Bordeaux, this medieval village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the ancient ruins, stunning Romanesque churches, an underground labyrinth and a church built into a cliff. The cobblestone streets are lined with wine shops, cafés and restaurants.

Winemaking has a long and proud history in this region. The Romans planted the first vineyards in the 2nd century. An itinerant monk named Émilion settled in the area in the 8th century. His followers, also monks, began commercial wine production. You will visit world-famous châteaux and enjoy the robust and elegant red wines of the area.

10.00am
Enjoy your first visit and tasting at a Grand Cru Chateau Classé des Laudes

11.30am
Second visit and tasting at Grand Cru Chateau Fonplégade.

Each visit is for 1 hour.

Lunch reservations will be made at the Gastronomique restaurant of Le Clos due Roy (out of pocket).

2.30pm
The final tasting of the day will be at the Château 1er Grand Cru Classé Figeac.

Lastly for the day, your guide will take you on a walking tour of the medieval village of St Emilion.

09:30am Meet your driver/guide in the lobby of your hotel for your full day tour.

The soil and climate of the Garonne River lowlands of the Médoc create the perfect environment for the important cabernet grape. Generations of careful cultivation and winemaking expertise transform the region’s grapes into the most famous red wines in the world. Travel through the rolling and beautiful countryside to famous chateaux that have been producing grands crus classés, great growths, for more than 100 years.

During your private chateaux visits, you will taste legendary and elegant wines from houses such as Margaux and Saint-Estephe. Your guides will share their passion and knowledge about wine and winemaking.

10:00am Your first visit today will be at 3rd Chateau Grand Cru Classé Kirwan

11.30am The 2nd Chateau Grand Cru Classé Gruaud Larose.

Each visit is for 1 hour.

Lunch reservations will be made today at the gastronomique restaurant of Cordeillan Bages at Pauillac (lunch out of pocket).

After lunch, for your last visit today will be at the 1st Chateau Grand Cru Classé Mouton Rothschild. This visit will last for 2.5 hours. Return to your hotel for the evening.