Winery tours to St. Emilion from Bordeaux city

Hi jmurman,
For private tours with 4 adults, I'd check out Merlot et Moi. Kim offers great tours throughout the greater Bordeaux wine region and is very knowledge about the area. She has lived in this region for decades and married in to a French winemaking family in St. Émilion. You could also check out Rustic Vines. We have done private and group tours with Rustic Vines, which have been great but they are typically 8 to 10 people so perhaps bigger than you want.

You could also hire a private driver (or taxi) and visit 2 to 3 wineries on your own (though you might miss out on some of the history and stories of the area.) As for wineries, there are so many. Personally, I prefer choosing one, small family run winery, one bigger, more well-known winery and one that is creating unique wines (ie: using one of the new varietals added to the regulated Bordeaux varietals, using grapes from Côte de Bordeaux-Castillon--or other Côtes, new vinification processes, etc.) When picking your wineries (if doing on your own) stick to known resources for researching which wineries you'd most like to visit: Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, known wine critics (Jane Anson and James Suckling are my personal goto's). And, talk to the visitor centres in Bordeaux and St. Émilion (and the Médoc) as the are a wealth of info on their wine regions.

If it were me, I would stick to one area or the other. Visiting both the Médoc (St. Julien, St. Estèphe, Margaux, etc.) and St. Émilion would be a very rushed and long day. It is definitely doable but these areas are not close to each other and the traffic between can be gridlocked (on the rocade by Bordeaux.) Though if you do decide to go with a private tour, they will be able to sensibly guide you on your visit.

Hope this is helpful! Enjoy your visit to this wonderful corner of the world!

As I'm no longer giving tours, I'll tell you how I've visited Saint-Emilion myself: head there on the train, walk up the hill to the village and go visit châteaux where you will have previously booked visits via their websites. Château Soutard is an easy walk from the center of town, and it's lovely. Across the road is Château Balestard La Tonnelle, which has an observation deck that provides scenic views that need to be seen. Clos Fourtet and Château Villemaurine are right in town and both are Grands Crus Classés.

If you're interested in more prestigious properties, I'd recommend Châteaux Pavie, Pavie-Macquin and Troplong Mondot. Lunch at Troplong Mondot will be costly but the food and the views are tremendous.

Properties in the Médoc are harder to visit without a car or driver, though several châteaux in both Margaux and Pauillac are easily walkable from the corresponding train stations. Train schedules aren't always conducive to a pleasant day of winery visits, though.

Well I will disagree with KimberleySEA here.

We were in Bordeaux a couple of years ago and did two half day small group winery tours with O La La Bordeaux.

We walked to their office in the centre of town and were driven to Le Medoc where we toured and tasted at a couple of wineries and also got to see the incredible Chateaux Margaux.

We then returned to town and had an included lunch and a glass of wine in O La La's office. The food was excellent.

Our second tour then started to St. Emilion where we had free time to wander the very cute town as well as yet more wine tasting.

We only had the one day free and couldn't decide which area we wanted to visit, so this worked perfectly.

I would highly recommend this company. We had eight people for the morning tour and only six for the afternoon.

Here is a link to my trip report of that day if you are interested.

https://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/djh1959/15/1713069936

For a group of four, I’d definitely consider a small-group tour focused on Saint-Émilion rather than trying to fit in too much. The village itself is beautiful, and visiting 2–3 smaller wineries makes for a much more relaxed day. Médoc is also worth considering if you’re especially interested in larger estates and famous châteaux.

Thank you for all the comments. Very helpful. We have decided to take the train from Bordeaux to Saint Emilion and walk or taxi to the nearby wineries. What are your favorites for tasting room only? Is that a thing in Bordeaux?

Hello again,
The train is super easy to do. If you are there during tourist season, there is a Tuk Tuk you can take from the station to the town. Taxi's are hit and miss at the station. If you are there during tourist season, I've seen taxis but if it's in November through March, rarely see them waiting. However, I find the walk an easy 20 min, flat walk to the bottom of town.
For tastings in town, you have some options:
1) The tourist office (St. Émilion) keeps a list of those wineries offering "drop in" tastings.
2) Schedule tastings/tours with wineries in walking distance (some favorites include: Château Guadet, which is right in town; Château Cadet-Bon, a 10 min walk from Guadet; Château la Gaffelière, which you will pass on walk from train station)
3) For tasting only, there are a bevy of wine shops in town that offer "tasting only." I prefer the Vignobles et Château Wine Bar (they also have a shop down the way). They do tastings, are knowlegeable and offer planches if you'd like a bite while you taste.

Wine is super subjective so one person's preference may not be yours. We live just outside St. Émilion so have formed lots of opinions over the years about the area. :-) Happy to answer any other questions you may have.

Thank you, Kimberly. This is super helpful.

What are your favorites for tasting room only? Is that a thing in Bordeaux?

Many of the cavistes (wine stores) in the village offer tastings. Direct Château is one, ETS Martin another. And Wine Bar, operated by the négociant Vignobles et Châteaux, offers some spectacular wines by the glass that aren't available anywhere else. For €1,000 they'll even serve you a full pour of Château Petrus.

very few wineries in Bordeaux take walk-ins

This isn't entirely true, and I've been able to walk into La Gaffeliere and Balestard La Tonnelle as well as a couple of tiny châteaux in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, along with a bunch of châteaux in the Médoc. But it's a very hit-and-miss thing, especially at the more prestigious properties. You're more likely to be able to visit in February or March as a walk-in. Much better to schedule your visit.