A Trip to Bordeaux

A Trip to Bordeaux | March 30th - April 5th, 2025

Regular price$500.00
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Ticket

We have travelled the world - bringing amazing guests to the most iconic regions of the world.

March / April of 2025 - we go to Bordeaux!

Built for 8-14 guests - we travel with these guilding principles.

a.  Small groups to see the best in wine, local restaurants and hotels.

b.  We avoid overly touristic restaurants 

c.  We stay in better hotels that provide value to our guests.

d.  To keep the price of the trip very reasonable - $1000 a day we provide hotel, guide, car and driver, and pay for all tastings, breakfasts, lunches… and a welcome and finale dinner - wine included.

Core Trip [Sunday, March 30th to Saturday, April 5th]:  
Core Trip Deposit $500 to secure your price based on the date. We are required to have 8 minimum and sells out at 14.

Deposit on after Nov 1 $7,495.00 per person based on double occupancy - single supplement is $1200
Deposit on or after Dec 1: $7,900.00 per person based on double occupancy - single supplement is $1200 (if rooms are available)
Price will continue to increase as date of trip approaches and we start to loose our reservations.
Trip is valued over $10,000 per person
Note*: "single supplement" is necessary as it covers the other 1/2 of the room cost as we stay in top quality hotels.

VIP EARLY BIRD (OPTIONAL) EXTENSION:  (we extend your stay at the amazing Smith Haut Laffite - Hotel les Sources de Caudalie (PRE-TRIP EARLY ARRIVAL ADD ON)
Arrive Thursday (27th) or Friday (28th) of March in AM and join us for a special visit to Chateau Margaux 
Arrive Friday (28th) Night or Saturday (29th) of March in AM and enjoy Cheval Blanc and Château d'Yquem 
Package prices will be presented in the registration packet, each night includes an additional evening at Smith Haut Laffite - Hotel les Sources de Caudalie.  Details of pricing available to those that inquire.

DAY ONE:  Sunday, March 30th,  Pessac 

  • Visit and tasting at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 

  • WELCOME DINNER Dinner (1) at Le Lavoir on Sunday (#1 rated restaurant) 

    • evening including aperitif and 2 glasses wine   

  • Accommodation: 5-star Source de Caudalie

DAY TWO:  Monday, March 31st, Saint Emilion & Pomerol

  • Visit and tasting at Chateau Figeac in St. Emilion.

  • Walk on the cobblestones of St. Emilion and have a casual lunch (not included)          

  • Visit the amazing Chateau Angelus                        

  • Visit and tasting at Vieux Chateau Certain 

  • Dinner TBA 

  • Accommodation: 5-star Source de Caudalie

DAY THREE:  Tuesday, April 1st, Pessac-Léognan

  • Visit and tasting Chateau Pape Clement    

  • Lunch TBA (1)                    

  • Visit and tasting Haut-Brion 

  • Visit La Mission Haut-Brion

  • La Tupina Restaurant - Dinner is at your leisure;  Ian and Alice will schedule this dinner location - all participants have the option to join or make plans of your own. Dinner is not included but you can decide your menu items and pay only for what you order and share. Wine Participation - pay for wines you choose to partake, participation is optional and additional.

  • Accommodation: 5-star Hotel Burdigala

DAY FOUR:   Wednesday, April 2nd  – A day in the City Center Bordeaux & Entre Deux Mers

  • By our third day we have visited a large number of Chateau - we will not put our walking shoes on for a number of special visits in the City Center - 

  • Visit Bordeaux Bassin des Lumieres – a beautiful adaptation of the Nazi U-boat pens with son et lumiere display of Art 

  • Place de la bourse *photo op"

  • Visit Cite du Vin with sensory wine tasting to see Bordeaux’s new architectural masterpiece dedicated to wine

  • Cheese affineur with a tasting lunch (2)  

  • Famous Duclot Wine Bar / Wine Store visit 

  • Bordeaux center walking tour     

  • Dinner is at your leisure;  Ian and Alice will schedule this dinner location - all participants have the option to join or make plans of your own. Dinner is not included but you can decide your menu items and pay only for what you order and share. Wine Participation - pay for wines you choose to partake, participation is optional and additional.

  • Accommodation: 5-star Hotel Burdigala

DAY FIVE:  Thursday, April 3th – Visit Margaux & Pauillac  

  • Visit to Chateau Palmer, Margaux 

  • Visit Lynch Bages, Pauillac with Lunch (3) at Café Lavinal, Lynch-Bages     

  • Visit and tasting Château Grand Puy Lacoste 

  • Dinner is at your leisure;  Ian and Alice will schedule this dinner location - all participants have the option to join or make plans of your own. Dinner is not included but you can decide your menu items and pay only for what you order and share. Wine Participation - pay for wines you choose to partake, participation is optional and additional. 

  • Accommodation: 5-star Hotel Burdigala

DAY SIX:   Friday, April 4th – Saint Estephe & Pauillac

  • Visit and tasting Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pauillac               

  • Lunch at Chez Driss, Pauillac Tajine place (4)

  • Visit and tasting Chateau Calon Segur or Chateau Montrose - St. Estephe            

  • Farewell dinner: Maison Nouvelle* (michelin star, semi-traditional

  • Accommodation: 5-star Hotel Burdigala

DAY SEVEN:  Saturday, April 5th - Departure 

CURRENT TRIP INCLUDES

Accommodation in Pessac and Bordeaux City Center for 6 nights 

  • 2 nights 5-star Source de Caudalie from Sunday March 30th – Tuesday April 1st 2025  

  • Breakfast daily included in La Grande Vigne

  • City tax daily

  • 4 nights 5-star Burdigala from Tuesday April 1st – Saturday April 5th 2025   

  • Breakfast daily

  • City tax daily

  • All chartered ground transportation for activities and drivers meals 

    • Transportation in midi-coach (8-20 pax) or minivan (5-7 persons) 

  • Visits, tastings and Four Lunches

  • All breakfasts are included

  • Four lunches are included

  • Two Dinners are included

    • (1) Welcome Dinner with aperitif and two glasses of wine

    • (2) Farewell Dinner 

  • English speaking guided Bordeaux City Center Tour 

  • Admission/Entrance Fees into establishments being visited on DAY FOUR

All Wineries are tentative but quality will be high. Trip is not priced based on any one experience, visit, tasting or meal.

As we are still far out - we can change the order of events significantly to accommodate hotels and winery partner needs.  Dates will not change. 

Hotels are considered very good - some of the better accommodations - upgrades to better room types will also be offered inside the travel agreement.

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Steps

-Make a non-refundable deposit.
-Should you be offered a spot on this trip and decide not to attend - you will lose your deposit.
-Should you make a deposit and we could not meet the minimum to operate - you will be able to apply your deposit to a future trip.
-Deposits cover our time to build the trip, manage the limited space, and to create the contracts and agreements. 
-Our trips are one of a kind, built for intimate groups, and lean into the luxury category that fine wine demands (a value at the top tier of travel) 

Our deposits for the trips are non-refundable as stated above. Once deposits come in, we continue to invest more and more hours into each trip. Should the trip cancel, deposits are refunded. If Trip goes forward and you do not sign the final payment paperwork - the deposit is not refunded and surrendered. This is our policy and is necessary to keep our workers dedicated and employeed and to keep our product unique and not "canned" - each of our trips is unique, special, and highly procured just for the participants. We aim for 10 guests (as small as 8 and and large as 14)

*Note this is a sample itinerary, confirmed itinerary details available via Registration Packet after a deposit for trip commitment has been received. 

Core Trip [Sunday, March 30th to Saturday, April 5th]:  
Core Trip Deposit $500 to secure your price based on the date. We are required to have 8 minimum and sells out at 14.
Deposit before Nov 1 $6,995.00 per person based on double occupancy - single supplement is $1200
Deposit on after Nov 1 $7,495.00 per person based on double occupancy - single supplement is $1200
Deposit on or after Dec 1: $7,900.00 per person based on double occupancy - single supplement is $1200 (if rooms are available)
Price will continue to increase as date of trip approaches and we start to loose our reservations.
Trip is valued over $10,000 per person
Note*: "single supplement" is necessary as it covers the other 1/2 of the room cost as we stay in top quality hotels.

About

IAN BLACKBURN

I discovered the wine industry while working with Chef’s Thomas Keller and Joachim Splichal in the top dining rooms of Los Angeles. My passion redirected my career from restaurants/hotels to vineyards and wine-education. Now with over 25-years of experience hosting events; leading trips around the wine world; I published a wine book; produced my own wine called Beekeeper Cellars and sat for the difficult Master of Wine Exam! Today, I am considered one of the region's best wine educators and work for my 20,000 followers (follow me), visiting vineyards and wine regions and produce over 100 wine classes and events a year for my businesses and my team. 

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