Bordeaux & Aquitaine
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SAVE £200 PER PERSON SPLENDOURS OF PLUS NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT BORDEAUX & AQUITAINE A sumptuous wine tasting cruise along the Garonne and Gironde Rivers, from majestic Bordeaux to the Arcachon Basin aboard the MS Princesse d’Aquitaine 7th to 14th September 2018 • La Rochelle • Gironde Cognac G i ro Estuary n d e FRANCE Pauillac • •Blaye Bourg ATLANTIC • Saint-Emilion Libourne•• Dordog OCEAN ne Bordeaux • G ar Cadillac on Great Dune of Pilat ne • Arcachon •Arcachon Basin Sauternes• his lovely weeklong trip combines the glories Tof the French landscape with the famous wine region of Bordeaux which produces the world’s highest concentration of fine wines. Join us as we sail through charming scenery on a relaxing cruise through the region of France famous for its Wine chateau and vineyards in Bordeaux Oyster beds in the Arcachon Basin ‘Art de Vivre’. The Itinerary The success of wine production in the Bordeaux Day 1 London to Bordeaux. Fly by scheduled flight from London Gatwick area is attributed to its proximity to sea and rivers to Bordeaux with Easyjet, or travel by Eurostar & TGV (via Paris). On which give it a moderate climate with a low risk arrival transfer to the MS Princesse d’Aquitaine and embark. This evening meet your fellow travellers for a Welcome Cocktail Reception and Dinner of severe frosts. While the majority of attention is on board. focused on the top Bordeaux wines, 1855 Classified Growths and the best wines from the prestigious Day 2 Bordeaux to Pauillac. A relaxing morning cruise along the Garonne and Gironde Rivers to the town of Pauillac which is possibly Right Bank appellations, there are 54 different the most famous of all the Bordeaux wine producing appellations with Bordeaux appellations in total with a combined a total of 115 different chateaux producing wine. Pauillac wines are rich, acreage of more than 296,596 acres. Throughout full bodied and tannic. After lunch on board there is a choice of excursion to one of two fabulous wine estates. Visit Château Lanessan, an estate the entire Bordeaux region, close to 450 million which dates from 1793 and houses a famous cellar and a sophisticated bottles of wine are produced in most years. At its horse museum, with superb stables and a collection of horse-drawn carriages dating back to the “Belle Epoque”. Alternatively, visit Château heart, sitting alongside the Garonne River, the city Gruaud-Larose, an estate with a long history in the St Julien appellation of Bordeaux is surrounded in nearly all directions dating back to the days when the property was first owned by a knight by its world-famous vineyards. known as Joseph Stanislas Gruaud. Today the Château produces an average of 18,000 cases of wine each year, offering a powerful Bordeaux We visit this picturesque region during the late wine in a traditional style. Each visit will include the estate’s cellars, summer when temperatures are warm and tourist followed by a wine tasting. Afterwards travel along the route des Châteaux (Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rothschild, Cos d’estournel, Saint sites less crowded. Enjoy the variety of wine Estephe) with several photo opportunities en-route of these magnificent tasting opportunities during your visit and other Châteaux. Return to the ship in Pauillac and enjoy dinner on board this highlights include the remarkable Citadel at Blaye, evening and moor overnight. the Basin d’Arcachon and the Great Dune of Pilat, Day 3 Pauillac to Gironde Estuary to Blaye. We set sail early this the highest sand dune in Europe. Towards the morning, cruising along the Gironde to the estuary. We have lunch on board and arrive in Blaye in the early afternoon. The wine appellations end of our trip we take a tour of the grand city of in the Blaye area cover a total of 6,000 hectares, with no fewer than 700 Bordeaux, with its many magnificent 18th and 19th winegrowers. Red Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux are mainly Merlot based, century buildings which were in fact built from the deep-coloured wines with fruity aromas. Sauvignon Blanc, the star grape variety in White Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines, has lovely citrus acidity, wealth derived from the sugar trade. In the centre and a long aftertaste. We set off on our excursion along the Corniche, of town there are many beautiful or cliff route, stopping in the village of Bourg, a charming city built on a buildings, including the cathedrals rocky outcrop enclosed by Medieval ramparts. Here, we visit the superbly located Château Tayac, overlooking the river, for a wine tasting. We of Saint Andre and Saint Michel, continue on to visit the Citadel at Blaye before returning to our vessel. recently selected World Heritage listed monuments by Day 4 Blaye to Libourne to Saint-Emilion. We set sail early this morning, enjoying breakfast as we cruise. We join the river Dordogne and head for UNESCO. Libourne where we arrive in the early afternoon. After lunch on board we set off on our excursion to Saint-Emilion which includes a guided visit of the underground monuments of Saint-Emilion village. We then visit an exceptional Troglodyte settlement – the cave of Emilion. Afterwards we www.noble-caledonia.co.uk Great Dune of Pilat Oyster beds in the Arcachon Basin Bordeaux at dusk Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Bordeaux continue to Château de la Dauphine at Fronsac for a tasting of their fabulous Day 8 Bordeaux to London. After breakfast on board disembark and transfer wines. Since the 18th century, the wines of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac to the airport or train station for your return journey to London. The train enjoyed the best of reputations in the Libourne region, and even rated from Bordeaux to Paris is with TGV, changing in the capital for the Eurostar higher than their neighbours in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. We also visit the to London St Pancras. first floor of the Château, which is truly majestic, built by 1750 in the classical style and set within beautiful gardens. We rejoin our vessel in Libourne and moor overnight. Day 5 Libourne to Cadillac. Enjoy breakfast as we cruise this morning towards Cadillac. After lunch on board we will depart for a tour of Château de Roquetaillade. The dungeon tower dates from the 11th century, and the quarters of the Seigneurs from the 12th century. The “new castle” was refurbished by Viollet le Duc, initiator of the Gothic Revival Movement in France 1840-1870, well known by the public for his interpretive restorations of Medieval buildings, such as Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and the ramparts of Carcassonne. We conclude with a visit to nearby Sauternes for a tasting of this delicious sweet wine. Château de Myrat is the property of family De Pontac, involved in Bordeaux vines since 1533. The castle itself was rebuilt by 1730 and since 1960 it has produced the famous sweet white wine of Sauternes, ranked as a Grand Cru of Second Growth (Deuxième Cru) class in the original Bordeaux Wine Official classification of 1855. We return to the vessel for dinner and remain moored overnight. Day 6 Cadillac to Bordeaux. We have breakfast and lunch on board today as we continue our cruise back to Bordeaux where we arrive in the early Chateau Cos d’Estournel afternoon. After lunch join a city tour which will include highlights such as the cathedrals of Saint Andre and Saint Michel, after which we visit the world- Prices per person class Cité du Vin with its imaginative and interactive approach to wine and its Based on double occupancy extraordinary wine shop offering over 800 wines. SPECIAL OFFER - SAVE £200 PER PERSON FOR A LIMITED Day 7 Bordeaux for the Arcachon Basin or Pessac-Leognan. After breakfast TIME ONLY PLUS NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT on board, we set off on our full day excursion to the centre of the Arcachon Cat Cabin Description Brochure Price Special Offer Price basin. We begin our tour by boarding local boats for a mini cruise of the B Main Deck Twin £2495 £2295 Basin d’Arcachon, touring around Bird Island and ending at Le Canon where A Upper Deck Twin £2695 £2495 we visit an oyster farm. Here we learn about the farming and history of the B Main Deck Twin for sole use £2495 £2295 oyster and enjoy a delicious tasting, with bread and butter and dry white A Upper Deck Twin for sole use £2695 £2495 wine. Cruise back to Arcachon and continue on to visit the Great Dune of Pilat which at 107 metres is the highest sand dune in Europe. Alternatively, Price Includes: Economy class scheduled air travel or train travel aboard Eurostar/ take a leisurely half day morning tour to the nearby Pessac-Leognan region TGV train travel in Standard Premier/First Class, seven nights aboard the MS Princesse d’Aquitaine on full board, all-inclusive drinks (alcoholic*, soft drinks, where we will visit the beautiful Château Carbonnieux. On arrival enjoy tea/coffee available all day from 10am to 11pm), shore excursions, wine tastings as some free time to explore the winery, which offers a permanent exhibition of described, Cruise Director, Tour Manager, Guest Speaker, gratuities, transfers, port classic cars, wine workers tools and a boutique selling the estate’s produce. taxes, airport taxes. Afterwards we will have a delicious cheese and wine pairing session before Not Included: Travel insurance. returning to the vessel for lunch on board and an afternoon at leisure. This NB. Ports subject to change, water levels and weather conditions may affect the itinerary. evening join your fellow travellers on board for a Farewell Gala Dinner.