MUST-VISIT CHATEAUX: THE BEST OF BORDEAUX
Bordeaux remains a favourite destination for wine-touring holidays. But with 6,500 estates here, where do you start? Selecting châteaux that are near to each other but show differing approaches can be a fun and rewarding way to plan your trip, as with every visit you put a new piece of the puzzle into place. Each pair of châteaux described here can be visited in one day, allowing for a long, slow lunch in between, or a walk through the nearby countryside.
White vs red
CARBONNIEUX & HAUT-BAILLY
Although Bordeaux is 90% red wine, there are many brilliant white wines to discover in the region, and splitting your day between both is a fascinating reminder that for much of the 20th century, Bordeaux made more white than red. You will find examples of white wines all over Bordeaux, and you could easily do this pairing in several appellations (try Château Thieuley/Château de Reignac in Entre-Deux-Mers, or Château Chantegrive/Château de Portets in Graves) – but for Bordeaux’s best-known whites, head to Pessac-Léognan.
MORNING
Château Carbonnieux
Pessac-Léognan CCG
Owned by brothers Eric and Philibert Perrin (no relation to the Château de Beaucastel Perrins in the Rhône), this wonderful estate is pretty much split down the middle into the production of red and white wine, with 50ha of red and 42ha of white – more of the latter than any other Pessac-Léognan estate. The resulting white is a brilliant
