I recently asked Jean-Michel Cazes who has retired from directing AXA’s wine interests and has handed over everyday charge of his family’s Ch Lyinch Bages to his son Jean-Charles Cazes, about the extent to which the Médoc capital of Pauillac is animated. Here’s his response:
When it comes to wine tourism, of course, many wine fans coming to Pauillac want to have a tour of at least one of the First Growths of the commune, Lafite, Latour or Mouton. Although they can’t obviously handle more than a certain number of visitors, all three are open to the public on appointment. Preferably with reservation in advance, most Pauillac properties now believe in opening their doors and offer well organized tours and tastings, including on week-ends : the two Pichons, Lynch-Bages, Pontet-Canet are the most successful. Lynch-Bages, for instance, received 20 000 visitors last year and employs up to 8 tour guides or instructors for its Wine School “Ecole du Bordeaux”.
Cordeillan-Bages [Michelin-starred hotel-restaurant owned by the Cazes family], where Chef Thierry Marx’s reputation has been growing steadily, has become a very popular destination for the gourmets of the world. Using a special new installation in Bages, the village we are renovating, we offer cooking demonstrations or cuisine courses at various levels (“Cuisine de Cordeillan-Bages” every Friday for instance is proposed, starting end of March, as well as “à la carte” sessions).
In Bages, we are putting together a serious animation programme. We have identified a few events, practically once a month all year round, like, to mention a few examples, an Easter Festival coupled with “open doors” in the local wine cellars, an art exhibition through the summer with “vernissage” in May, a Vendanges Festival in September, St Antoine on June 13th, Ste Barbe (patron of the firefighters) in December, “Fete de l’agneau” etc…. Using Café Lavinal, the bakery “Baba d’Andrea”, our new shop “Bages’Bazaar”, the “Ateliers de Bages” that will open this Spring and the wide space of the central village square, in conjunction with our neighbours of Croizet-Bages, where a new generation has just taken things over, we want to build a concept of the “Fete au Village” that will be the basis of various events that we will organize ourselves or propose as a “package” to outside users (companies, groups..).
We are also working on some other ideas and new facilities in the village, that we plan to implement in 2008.
I must also mention the “Maison du Tourisme et du Vin” in Pauillac which does a lot to welcome visitors (100 000/year) and offer various possibilities : wine tastings of course, but also river cruises or fishing parties…. Have look at http://www.tourisme.fr/office-de-tourisme/pauillac.htm
For sure, Pauillac has not become Las Vegas or Monte Carlo. And never will. But we are making some progress to better receive an ever growing number of wine lovers and offer them a lively and interesting view of our region.…