France
Pauillac
Pauillac: A Médoc Wine Town on the Gironde Estuary
Pauillac is a small town on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, in the Médoc, and its vineyards hold three of the five first growths of Bordeaux. Large cruise ships berth outside the town, while river ships tie up in town, so check which one your ship uses before you plan the day.
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Good to know
Arriving in Pauillac
Ocean cruise ships berth at the Trompeloup terminal, about 1.6 km from the town center. Since 2024 it has been able to take ships up to 320 meters long. River cruise ships moor in the town itself, at the marina on the estuary.
- Pauillac lies about halfway between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, which marks the mouth of the estuary.
- The town's quays run for more than 1,300 meters, the longest river frontage on the estuary.
- Pauillac station has regional TER trains to Bordeaux and a ticket office open every day.
- Ask your ship how you get from the Trompeloup terminal into town.
Pauillac on Your Own
In town, Pauillac's sights are its quays, its church and the Maison du Tourisme et du Vin, while the châteaux stand in the vineyards around it. The tourist office can book a château visit for you.
- The quays: Walk along the estuary to the marina, where a bronze stele showing his ship, La Victoire, marks the spot where Lafayette set sail on 25 March 1777.
- Maison du Tourisme et du Vin: At La Verrerie, the town's tourist office has a free 12-minute film on Médoc wines and a large shop of wines from the Médoc's eight appellations. Check its opening hours before you go.
- Église Saint-Martin: The church, built between 1824 and 1829, has a Greek-inspired front and an octagonal tower. A model of the warship Saint Clément, given by the port's pilots in 1836, hangs in the nave.
- Out among the vines: Château Mouton Rothschild has a museum of wine in art. Next to Château Lynch-Bages, the renovated village of Bages has a bistro, a bakery, a grocery and shops around its square.
- From Trompeloup: If your ship is at the Trompeloup terminal, allow for the 1.6 km between the berth and the town on your way back.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
Wine and Lamb
Pauillac's wine is red and built mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon, and its classic partner at the table is roast lamb. Agneau de Pauillac is a protected name for milk-fed lamb, although the lambs are no longer raised in Pauillac itself.
- The Pauillac appellation covers about 1,200 hectares of vines between Saint-Julien to the south and Saint-Estèphe to the north.
- Blackcurrant is the fruit most often found in Pauillac wine, with notes often described as pencil shavings and cigar box.
- Agneau de Pauillac lambs stay with their mothers in the sheepfold and are fed on their milk for about 75 days.
- Since 1946, Château Mouton Rothschild has asked a different artist to design each year's label, among them Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and David Hockney.
Tipping in France
Tipping is neither required nor expected in France, because the cost of service is included in menu prices by law. The currency is the euro.
- Most French people who do leave something simply round the bill up.
- If you do tip, it is a thank-you for outstanding service.
Wine Festivals and the Marathon
The Marathon du Médoc, held each September, is a full-length race through the vineyards that starts and finishes in Pauillac. Smaller festivals celebrate the local lamb and the châteaux.
- The marathon was first run in 1985. About 8,500 runners from more than 50 countries take part, most of them in fancy dress, and the course has 23 wine-tasting stops.
- The Fête de l'agneau, the lamb festival, takes place over the Pentecost weekend.
- In April, the Printemps des Châteaux brings visits and tastings at the estates.
- Pauillac is the sponsor town of the Belle Poule, a schooner used to train French Navy cadets.
- The reed beds along the estuary are home to many plants and animals, some of them protected, and the area is covered by Natura 2000 protection.
A Brief History
Pauillac's history is bound up with the estuary: Lafayette sailed from here to America, liners left from its pier for South America, and its wines were ranked among Bordeaux's best in 1855.
- 1777: On 25 March, the Marquis de Lafayette sailed from Pauillac on La Victoire to join the American War of Independence.
- 1815: In April, the Duchess of Angoulême left from Pauillac for exile after trying to rally royalists against Napoleon.
- 1824 to 1829: The church of Saint-Martin was built, partly with materials from the old church it replaced.
- 1855: The Bordeaux classification ranked Lafite and Latour as first growths and Mouton as a second growth.
- 1870: The railway from Bordeaux reached Pauillac.
- 1896: The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique built a pier at Trompeloup where four large liners could berth at once, with a railway line running to the gangways. Ships for the Antilles and South America used it until the Second World War, and it later became an oil terminal.
- 1917: In December, the United States Navy set up a seaplane base here, which closed soon after the armistice.
- 1973: Château Mouton Rothschild was raised to first growth, one of only two changes ever made to the 1855 classification.
- 1977: The La Fayette marina was built for local boats and for yachts crossing between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
- To learn more ashore: The Maison du Tourisme et du Vin at La Verrerie shows a free film about the Médoc and its wines.
Pauillac with Children
Pauillac is a wine town, but children have things to do here too: a wine-aroma game at the tourist office, boats in the marina and a long walk along the estuary.
- Younger children: Watch the boats in the La Fayette marina, which also has a fishermen's pontoon and the town's sea-rescue lifeboat.
- School age: At the Maison du Tourisme et du Vin, children and adults can each try a free blind game of naming wine aromas, every day, no booking.
- Teenagers: Look up the Mouton Rothschild labels designed by artists such as Picasso, Dalí and Jeff Koons, then find Lafayette's stele by the marina and the story of La Victoire.
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