L'Atelier Dégustation — Attraction in Bordeaux

Book now! Exactly what we have been looking for! We have been to a lot of tastings and this is by far our favorite! Why?

The fun of visiting a wine region is getting to understand elements such as the types of grapes, how they are used, how the region is organized, and the history that shaped the region. The first hour Francois walked us through all of these elements. He also walked us through the history of the grapes and new scientific developments in response to climate change. It was fascinating!

He then walked us though a tasting helping us better understand how to taste wine and the language to describe it. He has his own method based on a real scientific understanding of wine and decades of experience as a wine maker and major taster for the region. (He helps designate grand cru classés, for example.)

My husband and I were just delighted by this tasting. We’ve been to private tasting (independent of a specific domain/ wine maker) including a few times in Beaune/ Burgundy and this was by far the best experience we’ve had!

It’s an intense, awesome two hours. Can’t...

Francois offers a very informative and enjoyable experience that includes a great overview of the Bordeaux region, the different appellations, and how to taste and assess the qualities of wine. I've never had such a formal and efficient lesson on how to assess a wine - the aromas, the taste, the age, etc. The five wines we tasted were all very good. They ranged in style and price but all good examples of the various areas and typical blends of Bordeaux. He also shared a lot of insights and tidbits into the challenges of Bordeaux and the wine industry due to changes in climate and consumer preferences. This was a great precursor to our visits to St. Emillion and Medoc. Francois suggested wineries for us to visit as well. I would highly recommend if you are passionate about wine or aspire to learn more. Francois is a true professional and very passionate about wines. He has written various books and is eager to share his...

What an amazing experience we had with François during our short visit to Bordeaux! He was able to accommodate us for a private lesson and tasting on very short notice (appointment was very easy to make via email). He is a wealth of information about wine growing, tasting in general and the Bordeaux wine regions in particular. Our session with him was educational but also fun, with discussion around wine terroir, wine tasting notes and the future of wine growing. We also had a “practical” session with a tasting of 5 wines. I highly recommend an appointment with Francois to anyone who is visiting Bordeaux and has any interest in wine. Do it before you visit the wineries or go to taste / buy wine and you will be armed with a wealth of information to help you in...