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A drive along the celebrated Médoc Peninsula's Route des Chateaux" is a traveler's dream. It takes you past dazzling views of vineyards, chateaux and the Gironde River Estuary, the largest in Western Europe. This exciting wine tasting and lunch tour at the resplendent Chateau Rousseau de Sipian is tailor-made for nature lovers and wine connoisseurs alike.

Leave the pier in Le Verdon and enter the fairy-tale world of the French wine country. The Chateau Rousseau de Sipian dominates the Gironde, soaring to an imposing height in a Renaissance phantasy of turrets and towers. The property came into being in 1850 following the marriage of Guillaume Rousseau, owner of Domaine Frêche and Marie Bert, owner of the Domaine de Sipian. In the 20th Century, the Chateau was successively owned by the French Railway Company, by Marcel Dassault, a French entrepreneur in aircraft manufacturing.

The owners are passionate about French wine. Their home is surrounded by acres of vineyards planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot grapes. The care and attention given to the vine have but one objective: to produce a wine that is the expression of the Médoc terroir through the grapes that go into the wine of Château Rousseau de Sipian. Limited yield, emphasis on the work of the vines and grapes picked by hand are the ingredients for making a Grand Vin du Médoc.

Experience the results of this passionate pursuit during your guided tour. The Château de Rousseau team will guide you to the vat room and aging cellar before offering you a tasting of two vintages of their production. The Grand Vin of Château Rousseau de Sipian is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot hand-picked and vinified in accordance with the quality potential of each vintage. Afterwards the blended wines are aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. Les Tourelles de Sipian is another wine made on the property. Conceived to give pleasure whilst young, this supple wine, attractive on the palate and endowed with a delightful aromatic complexity can be appreciated very soon after it is made.

Following your cellar tour, you'll adjourn to the convivial and elegant setting of the Château dining room where you will continue tasting over a delightful lunch of exquisite French cuisine. If time allows, take a stroll amongst the collection of aquatic plants, shrubs, creepers, roses and other flowers that adorn the beautifully landscaped grounds. To complete this wine country life moment, enjoy the scenic drive back through the Medoc countryside to Le Verdon and your ship.