Bordeaux- Château Paloumey, Le Saint Julien & Château Mouton Rothschild
To get the full Bordeaux experience we booked a two day wine tour through Bordeaux with Elodie. Our fantastic guide Lea picked us up at our place each morning, then drove us to various wineries beginning with Château Paloumey on the Left Bank.
We had a chance to tour both the vineyard and the barrel room, then finish with a tasting of wine from their vineyard and a few others in the area.
We all loved Château Paloumey's cozy location and wonderful wine. We ended up purchasing a case to send back to NYC before heading out the door.
After Paloumey is was time for lunch at Le Saint Julian, a countryside restaurant with a beautiful outdoor area overlooking some large vegetable gardens. Chef Claude Broussard greeted us at the entrance; his warm smile and boisterous energy was reason enough to visit. Of course his food was also amazing.
Sea Bass Ravioli in a saffron cream sauce, absolutely my favorite course of the day.
Roasted Lamb Lion with sweet garlic and a side of creamy gratin potatoes.
The wine kept flowing between stops and the list at Le Saint Julian was filled with some spectacular bottles.
Mouton Rothschild began back in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild and was classified as a Second Growth wine during the 1855 Bordeaux Official Wine Classification. It wasn't until Baron Phillipe Rothschild took control of the winery in 1922 and made it his mission to have Rothschild classified as a First Growth wine that the winery really started to gain world wide attention. Then in 1973 Mouton Rothschild was finally elevated to First Growth Wine status, the one and only change to the original 1855 Bordeaux Wine Classification.
Mouton Rothschild is another Left Bank winery with 222 acres of gravel soil planted with 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
We were lucky enough to visit at the start of harvest season as the barrels were getting filled.
It was amazing to see how many grapes were hand picked each day and loaded into the tanks.
This was one of the original wine storage units in Bordeaux as Baron Phillipe was the first to insist that his wine be bottled at the château, a practice widely used across all of Bordeaux today.
Onto the tasting room for a sample of three incredible wines.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild
33250 Pauillac
This small winery has a long history in the Médoc region however it wasn't all wonderful. In the 1950's the original owners abandoned the vineyard, due to rising costs and it wasn't until 1990 when it was purchased by the Cazeneuve family, that it became a fully functioning winery once again.
Château Paloumey's location has a warm climate with gravel soil perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard has 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and all of the wines are aged in 30% new French oak barrels for 12 months before bottling.
We all loved Château Paloumey's cozy location and wonderful wine. We ended up purchasing a case to send back to NYC before heading out the door.
After Paloumey is was time for lunch at Le Saint Julian, a countryside restaurant with a beautiful outdoor area overlooking some large vegetable gardens. Chef Claude Broussard greeted us at the entrance; his warm smile and boisterous energy was reason enough to visit. Of course his food was also amazing.
Sea Bass Ravioli in a saffron cream sauce, absolutely my favorite course of the day.
Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad in a toasted sesame dressing.
The wine kept flowing between stops and the list at Le Saint Julian was filled with some spectacular bottles.
Then it was off to our second winery of the day, Château Mouton Rothschild, one of the most famous family names in all of Bordeaux.
Mouton Rothschild began back in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild and was classified as a Second Growth wine during the 1855 Bordeaux Official Wine Classification. It wasn't until Baron Phillipe Rothschild took control of the winery in 1922 and made it his mission to have Rothschild classified as a First Growth wine that the winery really started to gain world wide attention. Then in 1973 Mouton Rothschild was finally elevated to First Growth Wine status, the one and only change to the original 1855 Bordeaux Wine Classification.
Mouton Rothschild is another Left Bank winery with 222 acres of gravel soil planted with 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
We were lucky enough to visit at the start of harvest season as the barrels were getting filled.
It was amazing to see how many grapes were hand picked each day and loaded into the tanks.
We toured the downstairs cellar, along with the The Great Barrel Hall, an impressive building that can hold up to 1,000 oak casks on a single level.
This was one of the original wine storage units in Bordeaux as Baron Phillipe was the first to insist that his wine be bottled at the château, a practice widely used across all of Bordeaux today.
Onto the tasting room for a sample of three incredible wines.
Château Clerc Milon Pauillac 2003
Château d'Armailhac Pauillac 2011
Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2012
All of these wines were gorgeous. I truly enjoyed each one a bit more, having seen the history unfold before us.
The tour at Mouton Rothschild lasted two hours, so once it was finished we headed back into Bordeaux for the evening. For the full history on Château Mouton Rothschild check out their website.
50 Rue Pogue de Beau 33290
Ludon Medoc France
11 Rue Saint Juilen 33250
Saint- Julien- Beychevelle
Château Mouton Rothschild
33250 Pauillac
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