The vineyards by bike – the Saint-Estèphe loop

Park in the square and take the opportunity to visit the Saint-Étienne church, built from 1764 on the walls of a Romanesque church and whose interior is one of the most baroque groups in the Médoc. Before starting your journey, do not hesitate to take a tour of the Maison du Vin to seek advice from the reception team. Leave the village square and go left for 100 meters then, at the crow's feet, turn right "route des Anguileys" which runs along the wall of the castle Calon Ségur

You are at Château Calon Ségur, a classified grand cru whose ancient history is closely linked to that of the village. Site occupied since Gallo-Roman times, important stronghold in the Middle Ages, bought in the 17th century by the Ségur family, the old building and its gravel vineyard surrounded by walls housed in the 18th century Alexandre de Ségur nicknamed the prince of the vines ( because he was also the owner of the Lafite and Latour châteaux).

Walk along the cemetery on your left, continue straight until the Saint-Corbian crossroads. Opposite you have the Tour des Termes castle. Turn left towards Pez, one of the oldest hamlets in the appellation, on the Route des Ormes. Be careful. On arrival in Pez, notice the fountain on your left, continue on the main road which turns left at the level of the castle of Pez.

In the hamlet of Pez there are also the Petit-Bocq and Tour de Pez châteaux. Continue to the stop sign and turn right on the D2 towards Pauillac. Walk past one of the oldest calvaries in Saint-Estèphe. You join the road which goes from Saint-Estèphe to Leyssac. On this road, be careful. You arrive in front of the cooperative cellar "Marquis de Saint-Estèphe"

After passing in front of the cooperative cellar, you enter the hamlet of Leyssac, in the bend on your left you pass in front of the Château Clauzet

From Château Clauzet, continue to the crossroads marked by a Calvary, a few meters to the right is Château La Haye

According to legend, the castle La Haye was the rendezvous of Diane de Poitiers and Henri II as suggested by the letters DH intertwined and carved in stone at the entrance of the castle. In this hamlet you will also find the castles of La Peyre, La Rose Brana, La Commanderie, Saint-Estèphe, Plantier Rose and the Argilus du Roi. At the roundabout, turn left and make a small detour to admire the facade of the Maison d'Estournel.

La Maison d'Estournel, formerly Château Pomys, a building with Italian architecture, is now a hotel-restaurant. This castle was the property of Louis d'Estournel, the founder of Cos d'Estournel who died there in 1853. Come back to the roundabout and continue straight ahead, in the direction of Pauillac. After the level crossing you enter the hamlet of Blanquet, pass in front of the Linot and Andron-Blanquet castles.

After passing the Castles Linot and Andron-Blanquet, continue straight until the stop sign.

Opposite you will see the beautiful ocher yellow facade of Château Lafon-Rochet.

On your right admire that of the castle Lilian Ladouys. Be careful. Turn left towards Pauillac.

Enter the hamlet of Cos by turning left between the Grands Crus Classés Cos Labory

and Cos d'Estournel with exotic architecture. It was built in 1830 by Louis d'Estournel who, following the sale of his wines in India, had the idea of ​​building a temple of wine. Note in passing the depression at the bottom of the croup of Cos which marks the southern limit of the Saint-Estèphe vineyard with that of the Pauillac appellation and of which we can see on its other side the Château Lafite-Rothschild.

Go down this road, after the level crossing, you will see the large park of Château Le Crock on your right and turn right towards the hamlet of Marbuzet. Take a right at the stop sign (rue du 8 mai 1945), continue to the Marbuzet fountain which is one of the most beautiful in the region with its two wash houses.

Turn left (rue de la fontaine), go up to the Haut-Marbuzet castle.

Continue to the right to pass the Château Marbuzet with its terrace and rotunda resembling the White House. Continue on this small main street (rue de Saint-Vincent) until the first crossroads then turn left and at the stop sign to the right in the direction of the Calvary and the village of Saint-Estèphe, of which you can see the church tower in the distance. Be careful.

On your right you walk along the vineyard of Château Montrose. This classified grand cru belongs to Martin and Olivier Bouygues who have undertaken construction and restructuring work which today make it one of the most beautiful cellars in the world.

Continue straight ahead, pass in front of the Château Tronquoy-Lalande, also owned by the Bouygues Brothers.

On your left in the distance, the Château Laffitte-Carcasset and on your right you will see the Château Meyney which was probably the cradle of the Saint-Etienne vineyard since Gallo-Roman times. In the 13th century a priory which lived in autarky took place there and from the 17th, under the impetus of the monks, the vineyard developed and was one of the pioneers of modern viticulture. You arrive at the hamlet of Canteloup (which means "the place where the wolf sings in Occitan" and recalls the time when wolves came to the heart of the villages). At the roundabout, turn right into rue des Ecoles (the Town Hall in your back).

Continue straight on taking the small road (the gates of the entrance to the castle on your left) which runs along the wall of the Phélan-Ségur castle. At the crossroads turn left towards the river, don't forget to turn around to admire the park and the facade of the castle as well as the overview of the village of Saint-Estèphe on its hill.

At the next crossroads, turn right then left, along one end of the estuary road where the typical fishing huts called “carrelets” line up on the site of the port of Saint-Estèphe.

Follow the road bending to the left at the level of the Château Ségur de Cabanac which faces the port then go up towards the village. In the village you will find the castles Domeyne, Haut-Beauséjour, Picard and Capbern-Gasqueton, Graves de Pez and Marceline.