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Join us for a Château Latour and Le Meurice five-star gastronomic cruise including a tasting of wines from Château Latour, Premier Cru Grand Classé, undisputed in its pre-eminence in the Bordeaux wine hierarchy. The grand finale will be a Gala Dinner at which Château Latour wine will be served: The dates are from April 29 to May 8, 2025
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Experience 10 wonderful days cruising between the world’s finest Grands Crus vineyards and the ocean from Porto to Bordeaux, wine capital of the world, with the multi-award-winning luxury French specialists, Ponant. In partnership with Château Latour and the famous Parisian luxury hotel Le Meurice, and with the exceptional presence of Amaury Bouhours, Executive Chef at Le Meurice, and Jérôme Lacressonnière, Michelin Star chef and head of chefs at Ducasse Paris, we shall savour a unique gastronomic journey ideal for culinary and oenological exploration, and discovering historic sites with a noble heritage.
There will be unique opportunity to explore the exceptional wines and estates of Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Emilion and more, and to enjoy haute cuisine dining along with all the many pleasures of natural beauty, landscape, history, architecture, art and rich cultural heritage in Portugal, Spain and France. Our Members are invited to take part in this fabulous event at exclusive Club rates with free flights, free transfers, and savings up to £2,000 per person. The dates are from April 29 to May 8, 2025. This cruise is unique and it will soon be sold out—so if you wish to join us, please don’t delay!
Dear Member,
We are thrilled to open our new World Travel and Gastronomy Events by inviting you to join master sommeliers and chefs on a 10-day luxury cruise to taste some of the world’s great Grands and Premier Crus wines, dine on gourmet cuisine, and explore old world châteaux, historic wine towns and villages, World Heritage Sites including the historic centre of Porto from Leixões; Santiago de Compostela from Vigo; and the Port of the Moon in Bordeaux. We shall travel into the heart of the most beautiful French wine-making regions, Saint-Emilion, Margaux and Pauillac—and culminating in a Gala Dinner at which will be served the wines of Château Latour, undisputed king in the Bordeaux wine hierarchy, after an onboard tasting of Château Latour wines.
Over 10 days, along the coasts of Portugal, Spain and France in Springtime, we shall cruise with the multi-award-winning luxury cruise line Ponant—awarded the ‘Best Cruise Ships in the World’ title by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine in its Gold List 2023, among many more accolades. This is French luxury personified—as you would expect from this unique cruise company owned by the proprietors of Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent, Gucci and Alexander McQueen—not to mention Château Latour. If you have never cruised with Ponant before, now is the time!
We shall awaken our senses and emotions during haute cuisine culinary demonstrations, wine tastings, unforgettable dinners and discussions with the renowned professionals joining us aboard. We shall enjoy unique moments off the coast of emblematic cities where the gastronomic heritage is still very much alive. And we shall start our tastings at Porto with the fine vintage ports produced by Taylor’s, moving on to the heart of Bordeaux wine country aboard the French specialists Compagnie du Ponant’s five-star cruise yacht Le Lyrial. For all who enjoy fine wines and gourmet food, history, culture, contemplation, landscape and French savoir faire, this will be an unmissable event.
We shall fly from London to Lisbon to join Le Lyrial. And along our voyage we shall be whisked to the different châteaux and to view interesting aspects of each wine region as we pass. For this new cruise, a unique itinerary has been developed to discover wines that are among the finest in the world, including of course the very finest, Château Latour itself. And because of the very nature of this cruise, particular attention will be paid to the choice of wines on board ship: an exclusive wine list, dinners at which the wines and dishes are carefully chosen to complement one another, with the focus on showcasing fine wines.
Renowned guests will share their passion for gastronomy and wine. Our all-important Chef will be the celebrated Amaury Bouhours, Executive Chef at the historic Parisian hotel Le Meurice. This world-leading chef will be joined by another renowned Michelin Star chef, Jérôme Lacressonnière, head of chefs at Ducasse Paris. Together, they and a phalanx of chefs and sommeliers will create gourmet cuisine paired with wines especially for this cruise. There will also be unforgettable culinary demonstrations and discussions which will lift the veil on the creation of French haute cuisine.
France’s premier winemaking tradition will be discovered on select visits, starting with Pauillac itself as our port of call. From here we can travel the world’s most celebrated wine route, the Medoc Châteaux Road between the Gironde Estuary and the Landes Forest, seeing magnificent views of the vineyards and some of the most famous châteaux in the world. Medoc vineyards are orderly and well-kept almost to the point of fanaticism, and the region’s emblematic châteaux produce wines that are nothing short of sublime . . . think of Moulis, Listrac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Médoc, Haut Médoc—and Margaux.
If we choose we may take the Châteaux Road to enjoy a short interlude at one of the grandest, most imposing among the Médoc châteaux, iconic Chateau Margaux itself. Often called the ‘Versailles of the Médoc’, the château is a rare example of the neo-palladian style in France: it is iconic for another reason of course, simply being the producer of one of the world’s greatest wines. Next stop will be historic Château Gruaud Larose, a 2ème Cru Classé estate which produces one of Saint-Julien’s most full-bodied and long-lived wines. The Gruaud Larose motto is ‘The King of Wines and the Wine of Kings’, and after viewing the estate we shall proceed to the cellars to be introduced to the secrets of wine-making-techniques. As the fitting finale, a special tasting of two wines from the estate will be paired with French cheeses.
So many chateaux, so much history . . . along a different route we can visit more of the most famous estates, such as Château La Tour Carnet, with a history dating back almost 1,000 years. Its famous tower was built in the 11th century as a fortress, used by the English to battle the French nobility. When Bordeaux capitulated to the King of France in 1451, Carnet, a devoted squire who stood by his lord, Count Jean de Foix, remained loyal to the King of England and refused to submit. Although Count de Foix died and Carnet and the English were finally defeated, the partially damaged castle retained its name ‘La Tour Carnet’.
If the thick castle walls could talk they would tell the tales of centuries of fighting followed by flourishing wine production from the 15th century on, recognised when the estate was awarded the distinguished title of ‘Grand Cru Classé’ in 1855. The current owner, Bernard Magrez, has undertaken a massive restoration, increasing the vineyards and bringing the wine back to the excellence and indisputable quality for which it was known. Travel back in time and imagine life as it was almost 1,000 years ago while sampling the fruits of the labour of so many devoted generations in a special tasting of three wines from the estate.
As our Châteaux Road experience ends we shall return to Le Lyrial to receive an ambassador for the epitome of wine—Château Latour. Classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855, Latour is the greatest wine estate in the Médoc—which means the greatest in the world. A Latour expert will join us to share his passion and reveal some of the secrets of this legendary estate.
Vines have been grown here since the 14th century, when the original tower from which Latour takes its name—and which appears on the famous label—was built by Gaucelme de Castillon during the Hundred Years War. Latour history includes English ownership—latterly by Pearson of the Financial Times.
And in 1993 Latour was bought for a small fortune by the French billionaire industrialist François Pinault. He put day-to-day control in the hands of his dynamic Président, Frédéric Engerer. Under this stewardship, major investment and a ruthless pursuit of quality have taken Latour to a new level of excellence, and to its undisputed pre-eminent position in the Bordeaux wine hierarchy. ‘We’re obsessed,’ says Engerer, ‘by purity, by precision.’
Château Latour makes amazing wine—exuberant, rich, powerful, structured and compelling—and Latour has for many been the most consistent performer among the First Growth Wines over the past century, acquiring an enviable reputation for excellence even in the more challenging vintages. So it is truly an experience to treasure when we shall have an opportunity to taste some of the estate’s exceptional, world-renowned wines—and to discover for ourselves what the fuss of these Grands Vins is all about.
The day will finally come to a close with a luxurious evening of wining and dining on board Le Lyrial as she sails on to the port of Bordeaux itself. Here we can explore what is perhaps the most beautiful city in France. Known as ‘La Perle d’Aquitaine’ and sometimes ‘La Belle Endormie’ (Sleeping Beauty), the city of Bordeaux has a reputation for wealth and Parisian-style glamour. We can explore the city—the 18th century Palais de Rohan, the fabulous Bordeaux opera house, Saint Andre Cathedral, La Place de la Bourse and the quays of Chartrons where the wine trade began—after which, the choice visit here is to the beautiful and historic Château de La Dauphine, second largest estate in Fronsac with some 130 acres, and a renowned producer of Grand Vins.
La Dauphine has links to Royalty and Versailles dating from the 18th century when King Louis XVI’s mother, then Dauphine of France, stayed at the Château. She enjoyed the experience so much that she bestowed on it her title, La Dauphine. Now it is a gem of antiquity and modernity, owned by the Labrune family and dedicated to eco-friendly production of great wines. We shall see at first hand the work in the vineyard—plus the beehives and scented gardens. Then we shall taste three of the estate’s superb wines—and such delicacies as their honey and Merlot jelly.
During our two days in Bordeaux this unique cruise event will close with a suitably fitting finale on board luxurious Le Lyrial: a Gala Dinner, a veritable feast of French haute cuisine, matched with exquisite wines which include those of Château Latour.
April 30: Leixões to Porto on the Douro River. Visit to the Taylor’s vintage port cellars and port tasting.
May 1: Vigo for visit to Santiago De Compostella, the world’s third most important site for Christian pilgrimage.
May 2: At sea, sailing from Portugal to the French coast.
May 3: Arrive Bilbao, capital of Spain’s Basque country, with potential to visit the Guggenheim Museum.
May 4: Saint-Jean-De-Luz, renowned seaside resort, with potential to take La Rhune Mountain Train
May 5: Talmont-Sur-Gironde, see the Meschers Caves over the Gironde Estuary.
May 6, Pauillac: The Famous Medoc Chateaux Road prior to the arrival of Château Latour ambassador on board ship.
May 7 to May 8: Arrive Bordeaux and enjoy the delights of this port city, continuing our Grands Vins exploration and tastings at Le Château de La Dauphine. The cruise culminates with a Gala Dinner including the serving of Château Latour wines.
May 8: Transfer to Bordeaux airport for return flight to London.
This fabulous, luxurious nine-night, 10-day Vintage and Grands Crus cruise event, ‘Gastronomic Delights with Le Meurice and Château Latour’ (April 29 to May 8, 2025), includes full board, wines, an excursion at each port of call, tax and port fees.
PLEASE BOOK NOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACES AT COUNTRYCLUBUK RATES SAVING UP TO £2,000 PER PERSON
Rates are per person for two sharing and all the staterooms and suites listed below have their own individual private balconies. Ponant’s public rates (RR) are for the cruise only. Our Club rates also include free economy return flights from London to Lisbon and Bordeaux to London with free airport-ship transfers. Different UK airports and flight upgrades can all be arranged at cost, subject to availability on booking. Please choose your suite or stateroom at your exclusive Club Members’ rates below:
Deluxe Stateroom Deck 3, 193 ft²: RR, cruise only, from £4,430 per person, two sharing. CCUK from £3,769 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Click to register interest.
Prestige Stateroom Deck 5, 193 ft²: RR from £5,150 per person, two sharing, cruise only. CCUK from £4,539 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Click to register interest.
Deluxe Suite Deck 6, 290 ft²: RR from £7,434 per person, two sharing, cruise only. CCUK from £6,079 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Fully booked.
Prestige Suite Deck 5, 398 ft²: RR from £10,210 per person, two sharing, cruise only. CCUK from £8,817 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Click to register interest.
Privilège Suite Deck 6, 398 ft²: RR from £10,730 per person, two sharing, cruise only. CCUK from £9,029 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Click to register interest.
Grand Deluxe Suite Deck 6, 484 ft²: RR from £15,674 per person, two sharing, cruise only. CCUK from £9,919 per person, two sharing, including flights and transfers. Fully booked.
Places are limited, and this unique cruise is extremely popular. Rates may change due to current pressure of bookings. To secure your suite or stateroom, please don’t delay—click the links above to register interest as soon as possible, or call us on 020 7399 2960.
Economy flights to and from London are included for CCUK Members; these can be upgraded, and different airports chosen, all at cost, subject to availability when booking.
Check best rates and availability: inquire below
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