Bordeaux → Médoc

Explore the wine Médoc with Ben Driver, your private VTC chauffeur between Bordeaux and the world's most renowned châteaux. Less than 45 minutes from Bordeaux, the Route des Châteaux du Médoc reveals a landscape of vineyards stretching to the horizon, dotted with prestigious estates classified in 1855: Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe. Our Bordeaux–Médoc transfer service lets you live the wine experience to the fullest without ever taking the wheel. Whether you are a wine professional visiting a château for a business appointment, an oenophile in search of memorable tastings or a group of friends planning an unforgettable wine tour day, Ben Driver provides a premium air-conditioned vehicle and a discreet chauffeur. While you savour the vintages of Bordeaux's greatest terroirs, your chauffeur waits nearby, ready to take you from one estate to the next according to your programme. The route takes the Boulevard du Médoc leaving Bordeaux to the north, then the D2 — the Route des Châteaux — which runs along the Gironde estuary through successive appellations. You pass through Margaux, Moulis, Saint-Julien, before reaching Pauillac with its three first grands crus classés. The road is flat and straight through the vines: on certain spring or autumn days, the raking light on the vine stocks is almost otherworldly. Our chauffeur is happy to share anecdotes and the history of these places. WiFi, mineral water, USB chargers available on board. Fixed guaranteed price.

The Médoc is the quintessential wine peninsula, stretching 80 kilometres north-west of Bordeaux between the Gironde estuary to the east and the Atlantic to the west. The Route des Châteaux follows the D2 along its entire length, offering a continuous panorama over the vineyards of the world's most prestigious appellations: Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. In Pauillac, three châteaux classified as first growths in 1855 and still at the summit of the world hierarchy can be found: Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild. The latter also houses a remarkable museum of wine and the vine. Margaux is home to the celebrated Château Margaux, a premier grand cru classé whose neo-Palladian building is one of the most photographed in the region. In Saint-Estèphe, Cos d'Estournel with its towers inspired by Indian architecture strikes by its architectural eccentricity. Médoc villages such as Saint-Laurent, Cissac, Vertheuil and Lesparre-Médoc have retained their rural character and authentic village life far from mass tourism. Many châteaux open their doors to visitors for tours and tastings, sometimes by advance appointment. In September and October, the harvest animates the entire vineyard with unique energy: teams of pickers, tractors loaded with grapes and the scent of must compose a living spectacle you will find nowhere else. The Printemps des Châteaux open days in spring offer facilitated access to dozens of properties normally closed to the public.