48 hours in Sauternes and around

The Sauternes appellation is concentrated in just five communes, all located around the village of Sauternes, just a few kilometersfrom each other. For the taster, this is a godsend, especially as the Maison du Sauternes has all the great châteaux in one place. But the touristic and gastronomic interest doesn't stop there. Widen the perimeter a little, and even cross the river, and you'll discover the vineyard landscapes, with their flamboyant colors depending on the season, as well as villages remarkable for their history and architecture: Saint-Macaire, Cadillac and the sous-préfecture, Langon, which is also a major road junction .

While tourists love to visit the Médoc, with its string of wine-producing villages and prestigious appellations, they are often less familiar with this part of the department, which offers some very fine trails to explore. To the north, the Graves and Pessac-Léognan vineyards; to the south, Bazas and its renowned beef; to the west, the Arcachon Basin, the ocean and the dunes .

The region also boasts a remarkable range of hotels, with wine châteaux transformed into luxury resorts and top chefs such as Nicolas Masse at Sources de Caudalies - Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Jérôme Schilling at Domaine Sauternes deLafaurie-Peyraguey. From small inns to grand estates, chefs are immersed in a highly favorable terroir, rich in quality market gardeners and farm produce around the vine .

Cadillac: A superb 13th-century bastide that has preserved numerous medieval vestiges, fortifications and gates, and whose sweet white wines are classified as AOC. Antoine de Lamothe, Sieur de Cadillac, created a colony in Detroit at the very beginning of the 18th century, which contributed to the development of the city and its industry. The Cadillac Automobile company was created as a tribute to the village, with the first Cadillac leaving the Detroit factories in 1903 .

Saint-Macaire: Another plunge into the Middle Ages, another wine-growing village with its Côtes-de-Bordeaux Saint-Macaireappellation . Once you've passed the central gate, you'll discover charming little streets and boutiques, the Place du Mercadiou with its beautiful arcaded houses and the Church of Saint-Sauveur .

Sauternes: Although its name is known the world over, the little village of Sauternes is quite peaceful: around the main street and the little church, the bustle is concentrated in the wine houses, a few craft stores and restaurants showcasing the vineyards. Saturday morning market

Thewine tourist ingeneral will enjoy visiting the wine estates and their beautiful seigneurial residences, but there are other châteaux steeped in art and history that are also a must-see: the Château de Malrom é, where Toulouse-Lautrec lived; the Château de la Brède, magnificent with its pointed towers, once the home of the Montesquieu family; the Château de Budos, a veritable fortified castle ; and the Château de la Bresse, the home of the de Montesquieu family.villandraut, a superb listed building where the future Pope Clement V was born, the first pope to live in Avignon.