Bordeaux, France - May 18-19, 2025

Our ship navigated up the La Garonne river and docked in the city of Bordeaux.  This was quite convenient, as you could step off the ship and walk along the waterfront of the city.

On the way up the river, we passed under the Pont Jacques-Chaban-Delmas Vertical Lift Bridge over the Garonne River.

We arrived around noon and after lunch we joined our tour through Bordeaux and its surrounding vineyards.  

Our tour began with a scenic 40-minute bus ride from Bordeaux to Château du Taillan in the Médoc region, about 100 kilometers (80 miles) from the ocean. During the drive, Our guide Brigitte provided fascinating insights into Bordeaux's wine culture, explaining how the region faces challenges with declining global wine consumption while maintaining its deep connection to civilization and culture.

Château du Taillan has remarkable historical significance.  

The main building dates to the late 18th century, with cellars dating back to the 16th century - making them the oldest in the Médoc area.  It has been owned by the German Kresse family since the late 19th century, who originally came to Bordeaux as wine merchants before purchasing the estate.  It is still family-owned, with five sisters as the current owners and Armel as the manager living in the château.

The estate spans 100 hectares with 30 hectares dedicated to vineyards:

• White wine grapes: 2 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc (uncommon for the region)
• Red wine grapes: 28 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc
• Annual production: About 10,000 bottles total
• Classification: Recently achieved "Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel" status in 2020, placing them in the top 14 out of 214 wineries examined.

Our guide Joanna provided an excellent technical explanation of their winemaking process:

Red Wine Production:

• Harvest in late September using machines
• Manual sorting to remove leaves and bad grapes
• Crushing to release juice while keeping skins for color and tannins
• Fermentation at 26°C (79°F) for about one week
• Twice-daily "pumping over" to mix wine with grape skins
• Secondary malolactic fermentation to reduce acidity
• 12 months aging in French oak barrels

White and Rosé Wine:

• White wines aged in stainless steel vats, not barrels
• Rosé made by bleeding off pink juice early in red wine process
• Lower fermentation temperatures (16°C) to preserve freshness

The underground aging cellars were particularly impressive:

• French oak barrels used for exactly three years
• 30% new barrels purchased annually for varied flavor profiles
• Two different barrel makers used to create complexity
• Monthly "topping up" to replace evaporated wine
• Twice-yearly "racking" to remove sediments

After our tour of the cellar, we enjoyed tastings a couple of their wines:

• White wine: 2023 Sauvignon Blanc - described as dry, fruity, and aromatic, perfect with oysters or scallops
• Red wine: 2016 vintage (70% Merlot blend) - noted as one of their best vintages, perfect for current drinking, excellent with duck or cheese

Both Fran and I enjoyed especially enjoyed the white wine.

Our return trip included a panoramic tour of Bordeaux city, where Brigitte shared the city's rich history. 

We returned to the ship late afternoon.

The next morning we decided to walk around the city, mostly following the path the bus had taken yesterday.  We wanted to get a closer look at some the city highlights we had just drive by.

Bordeaux has ancient origins as it was founded in the 6th century BC by the Celts, originally called something other than "Bordeaux".  It became a flourishing port from its founding until the end of the 3rd century AD.  The first fortified walls, towers, and gates were built during early invasions.

Medieval Period saw the city rebuilt from the 11th century onward during the "golden centuries" (11th, 12th, and 13th centuries).  During this period saw the creation of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles in France, which then spread throughout Europe.  The Gothic style lasted until the end of the 15th century (1400s).

The city was then transformed during the 18th Century with an urban planning revolution. The medieval fortified walls were demolished in the 18th century as they became obsolete militarily and hindered urban growth as the population had outgrown the medieval constraints. Two famous Parisian architects, Ja.cques Gabriel and his son, were brought in to redesign the city.  The Gabriels introduced two distinct periods:

• Louis XV style (mid-18th century)
• Louis XVI style (later 18th century)

This created Bordeaux's distinctive "half and half" architectural character.

Porte de Bourgogne

There are four 18th-Century Gates (symbolic rather than defensive).  These gates replaced the medieval defensive gates but served ceremonial purposes.  It is made party of wrought iron, representing the transition from medieval to classical architecture.

Porte Cailhau

Grosse Cloche

We also saw the Grosse Cloche which is the remains of a major medieval gate.  It is one of the few surviving elements from the original double-walled medieval fortifications.  It features a distinctive bell that gives it its name.

Saint-André Cathedral (the photo on the right) is a Gothic cathedral with origins in the medieval rebuilding period.  It has lost much of its original interior furnishings over the centuries and represents the ecclesiastical power that helped shape medieval Bordeaux.

The Fontaine des Trois Grâces is a magnificent bronze fountain installed in 1869 at the center of Bordeaux's Place de la Bourse, designed by architect Louis Visconti and sculpted by Charles Gumery. The statue represents the three Graces from Greek mythology - Aglaé (beauty), Euphrosyne (joy), and Thalie (abundance) - daughters of Zeus who symbolize the prosperity and elegance befitting Bordeaux's most beautiful. It replaced earlier statues of Napoleon and Louis XV, marking a shift to more contemporary artistic expression for its era.

During our walk around the city we had been looking for a restaurant that served Moules-frites and finally found a waterfront restaurant that specialized in them.  

Thus ended our very happy time in Bordeaux.