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Pauillac
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PAUILLAC
is the largest town in the MA©doc region and central to the most important vineyards of Bordeaux: no fewer than three of the top five
Grands Crus
come from around here. It has grown rapidly in recent years and, while its little harbour and riverfront are pretty enough, they can't counteract the presence of the nuclear power plant across the Gironde.
Pauillac has a huge Maison du Tourisme et du Vin along the waterfront (June & mid-Sept to Oct daily 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-6.30pm; July & Aug daily 9am-7pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm, Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm; tel 05.56.59.03.08, fax 05.56.59.23.38, www.pauillac-medoc.com ). It can provide you with a list of gA®tes , rent out bikes and make appointments for you to visit the surrounding chA?teaux (25F/a?¬3.81 per chA?teau). Pauillac itself is not a great place to stay , but should you wish to, try the HA?tel de France et d'Angleterre , opposite the little harbour (tel 05.56.59.06.43, fax 05.56.59.02.31, www.hotelfranceangleterre.com ; 300-400F/a?¬46-61; closed Christmas & New Year), with a good restaurant serving menus from 75F/a?¬11.43 (closed Sun & Mon off season), or the welcoming riverfront campsite further south on route de la RiviA?re (tel 05.56.59.10.03; closed mid-Sept to March). Campsites are rare in the MA©doc: the only other alternative is the two-star Camping Le Bled at Bernos (tel 05.56.59.41.33; closed mid-Sept to mid-June), 8km southwest near St-Laurent-de-MA©doc, a peaceful, shady and clean option. Alternatively, there's an excellent chambres d'hA?te about 8km northwest near the village of CISSAC : ChA?teau GugA?s (tel 05.56.59.58.04, fax 05.56.59.56.19; 300-400F/a?¬46-61), in a large eighteenth-century house attached to a vineyard on the road to Gunes.
The most famous of the
MA©doc chA?teaux
- ChA?teau Lafite-Rothschild (tel 05.56.73.18.18), ChA?teau Latour (tel 05.56.73.19.80) and ChA?teau Mouton-Rothschild (tel 05.56.73.21.29) - can be visited by appointment only, either direct (all have English- speaking staff) or through the Maison du Vin. Their vineyards occupy larger single tracts of land than elsewhere in the MA©doc, and consequently neighbouring wines can differ markedly: a good vintage Lafite is perfumed and refined, whereas a Mouton-Rothschild is strong and dark and should be kept for at least ten years.
ChA?teau Mouton-Rothschild
and its wine
museum
(April-Oct daily 9.30-11am & 2-4pm; rest of year closed Sat & Sun; 30F/a?¬4.57, or 80F/a?¬12.20 including one tasting) is the most absorbing of the big houses: as well as the viticultural stuff, you also get to see the Rothschilds' amazing collection of art treasures, all loosely connected with wine. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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