Libourne

Libourne is an English bastide harbour town founded in 1270 and the rail stop for Saint-Émilion, 7 km away. Wine travelers stop here for Pomerol, a Sunday estate programme and tastings priced from free.

Why visit

Libourne is a practical base for Right Bank wine in Bordeaux. It is an English bastide harbour town founded in 1270, and its station is the stop for Saint-Émilion, 7 km away.

Pomerol lies on the outskirts of town, and Saint-Émilion is 5 km from Pomerol. That puts two appellations within reach of one town.

Saint-Émilion's Cité Médiévale and its "jurisdiction" have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999. Libourne's own estate listings reach beyond those two names: the tourist office's winter list covers Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fronsac, Graves-de-Vayres and Bordeaux appellations.

Visiting the estates

Every estate below takes visits by booking. Tasting fees run from free to "from €25 ($27)," so the cost depends on how much of a tour comes with the glass.

Château Cruzeau is in Libourne itself, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estate of about 12 ha. The tasting covers 2 wines for groups of 2 to 15 people, with a tour in English if you request it when booking. You can reach it on foot or by bicycle from the station and the town center.

Château Vilatte is free and organic. You walk a self-guided 5 km trail through the estate and taste 2 wines, and a tour in French and English is also available. Château de la Vieille Chapelle is organic and biodynamic, pours 1 wine and is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Château de la Rivière, in La Rivière, has more than 20 km of underground quarries. Its Sunday-programme tasting is 2 wines from €15 ($16) per adult, and English tours must be requested when booking. Château de Ferrand in Saint-Émilion runs tours in French and English.

Two more options: Château Coupelle d'Ertan in Saint-Émilion charges €10 ($11), with free entry for children under 12. Château Haut Beynat Vignobles Cardoso charges €12 ($13) and requires reservations.

At any tasting, spit if you are visiting several estates, and pick a designated driver before you set out.

When to go

April to September is the main season. In those months the Libourne tourist office runs visits to 4 to 5 estates across different Libournais appellations every Sunday and public holiday.

Some estates also open in winter. Château de la Rivière, for example, takes winter visits on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, at €12 ($13) for 3 wines. Château Saint-Georges in Montagne, at €10 ($11) in winter, opens on certain weekdays and weekends.

In Saint-Émilion, 2 to 4 wine estates are open to the public each day. A Transports en Nouvelle-Aquitaine bus runs year-round and stops at Libourne, 7 km from Saint-Émilion, so it is an option outside the Sunday programme too.

Before you go

• Book estate visits in advance. Reservations with the wineries are currently compulsory in Saint-Émilion, and the Libourne tourist office recommends booking for its Sunday visits.
• Opening days differ by estate and season. Château de la Rivière takes winter visits only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, so check each estate's schedule.
• If you day-trip to Saint-Émilion with luggage, leave it behind. There is no luggage storage at Saint-Émilion railway station or at its tourist office.

For getting around, Libourne station is the stop for Saint-Émilion, 7 km away. By car, take the A89, exit at Libourne and drive 12 km to Saint-Émilion.