Why visit
Sauternes is a sweet wine village in Bordeaux, and the Sauternes AOC covers five communes: Sauternes, Bommes, Barsac, Preignac and Fargues.
Château Guiraud has 128 hectares of vines, all in the commune of Sauternes.
For other Bordeaux stops, see Saint-Émilion and Pauillac.
Visiting the estates
Visit rules differ from one château to the next: some take walk-ins, some need an appointment, and one asks you to book on its website.
Sauternes estates: how to visit and what a tasting costs| Estate | Visits | Tasting from |
|---|
| Château Guiraud | Walk-in, daily in season | €25 ($27) |
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| Château Suduiraut | Appointment required | — |
|---|
| Château Doisy-Daëne | Walk-in, Monday–Friday | — |
|---|
| Château Climens | Book on the estate website | — |
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| Château Roumieu | Appointment only | — |
|---|
Château Guiraud runs visits and tastings every day, with or without an appointment. Its Essentials tour costs €25 ($27), and other formats go up to €85 ($92). Group tours run €25–35 ($27–38) per person and private tours €34–85 ($37–92). Book ahead for the pricier formats.
Château Suduiraut, in Preignac, offers visits and tastings of its 1er Cru and its second wine, by appointment. The phone number is 05 56 63 61 92.
Château Doisy-Daëne needs no appointment, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The visit includes a cellar and garden tour and a tasting.
Château Climens, biodynamic since 2010, takes bookings through the wine tourism page of its website. Château Roumieu, whose cellar dates from 1896, receives visitors for visits and tastings by appointment only. Ask the estates about fees when you book.
Spit as you taste, and choose a designated driver if you are driving.
When to go
Château Guiraud is open daily from April 1 to November 15, and Monday to Saturday from November 16 to March 31. It closes on December 24, 25 and 31 and on January 1.
Château Doisy-Daëne receives visitors Monday to Friday.
In November, Sauternes and Barsac estates hold an open-house weekend, when more than 50 estates welcome the public.
The Sauternes tourist office information point is open June to September, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. In July and August the afternoon hours are 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Before you go
- Sauternes has no railway station. The nearest are Preignac, 7 km away, and Langon, 11 km away.
- The regional Cars Nouvelle-Aquitaine network serves communes without a train.
- By car from Bordeaux, take the A62 and leave at exit 3 (Langon) or exit 2. Exit 3 is 10 km from the village and exit 2 is 7 km.
From Bordeaux, the TER to Langon takes 35 minutes at the fastest, with trains from about 6:30 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. From Langon, the last leg to the village needs a taxi or a tour.
