by Karen Taylor

When visiting France, you can be torn between the country’s hedonistic pleasures and its cultural riches. At many Bordeaux châteaux, you don’t have to choose. Several estates boast impressive permanent collections, from Mouton’s famous Paintings for the Labels to world-class outdoor sculpture at Arsac, Chasse-Spleen and Smith Haut Lafitte.

Every year, there are also temporary exhibitions, concerts and other events throughout the region. This summer, you can wander around amusing ephemeral sculptures in the gardens at Beychevelle, enjoy outdoor film screenings at La Garde or listen to a jazz quartet at Giscours. All while sipping their storied wines.

Below are highlights of the 2024 summer season.

FESTIVALS & REGIONAL EVENTS 

Estivales de Musique en Médoc (Médoc)
Classical music festival: July 1–July 11

Launched in 2003, the Estivales de Musiques en Médoc is unique in Europe, devoted exclusively to performances by young winners of international competitions. The concerts are hosted by some of Bordeaux’s most prestigious châteaux and are followed by wine tastings. Held every July, the festival has garnered a reputation for launching the careers of some of the most talented young classical musicians. This year’s host châteaux are:

July 1 – Château de Malleret (Haut-Médoc)

July 2 – Château d’Agassac (Haut-Médoc)

July 4 – Château Léoville Poyferré (Saint-Julien)

July 9 – Château Batailley (Pauillac)

July 10 – Château Gruaud-Larose (Saint-Julien)

July 11 – Château Branaire-Ducru (Saint-Julien)

Program details are available on the website; tickets are available here.

 

Festes Baroques (Graves, Sauternes)
Baroque music concerts: June 25–July 4

Launched in 2002, Festes Baroques presents concerts in historic venues throughout Graves and Sauternes. Expect a contemporary aesthetic from emerging early music artists who delight in crossing over to other genres (think opera, but also hip hop). Their often-surprising performances take to heart the origin of the word baroque: “barocco, a pearl of unexpected shape.” The following châteaux will host concerts followed by wine tastings:

June 25 – Château Carbonnieux

June 26 – Château Smith Haut Lafitte

July 3 – Château Latour Martillac

July 4 – Château Haut Selve

More information and tickets are available here.

Les Grandes Heures de Saint-Emilion (Saint-Emilion)
Classical music concerts: Through December

Founded in 1980, the association Les Grandes Heures de Saint-Emilion organizes prestigious concerts and exhibitions in historic venues throughout this UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year’s program began in April and will run through November, with classical music concerts held in the following châteaux during the remainder of the season:

June 13 – Château de Pressac

June 21 – Château Coutet

June 27 – Château Dassault

July 1 – Château Pavie-Macquin

July 18 – Château Soutard

July 25 – Château Grand Corbin-Despagne

September 5 – Château Angélus

October 3 – Château Figeac

October 17 – Château Haut-Sarpe

December 12 – Château Cheval Blanc

Additional details and tickets (€37 per person) are available here.

 

CHÂTEAUX EVENTS

Château Beychevelle (Saint-Julien)
Flâneries de Beychevelle (sculpture): All summer

 That Beychevelle’s gardens are known as “the little Versailles of Médoc” tells you all you need to know about this stately stretch of greenery that leads from the magnificent 18th-century château to the Garonne. Gravel paths, parterres, topiaries, balustrades and urns frame a magical expanse that disappears into the estuary’s mist.

The formal setting is the perfect backdrop for the amusing and thought-provoking Flâneries de Beychevelle, now in its second year. Artists are invited to create works using materials found on the estate such as dirt, vines and clay. This year, artists from the Collectif Prise de Terre have dreamed up “Igloo Iglou,” composed of 29 penguins contemplating a 20-foot-long bunch of grapes. Climate change is but one of the themes evoked by the arresting ensemble. The work was built on site in April and will be on view throughout the summer, with the sculptures changing with time until they eventually disappear.

Beychevelle has a long history of support for the arts (Molière and his troupe performed at the estate), and it has showcased nearly every art form, from jazz and classical music to painting, photography and film. When the château recently lost its beloved pecan tree, originally brought to the estate by Thomas Jefferson, it was only natural that they ask an artist to give it a new life. In May, the result was reverently installed in the barrel cellar: the 10-foot-high “Voyage Intérieur” by Vietnamese artist Duy Anh Nhan Duc, renowned for his botanical works. Carved from the tree’s massive trunk, the work is a majestic meditation on water and the role it plays in trees, vines, wine and life itself.

Admission to the gardens is free of charge; “Voyage Intérieur” may be seen during winery tours. beychevelle.com

 

Château Chasse-Spleen (Moulis-en-Médoc)
Exhibition: May–October 15 

Since 2000, Céline and Jean-Pierre Foubet have installed major works of art throughout their estate—in the vineyards, cellars and other buildings. In 2018, they deepened their commitment to contemporary art when they had their chartreuse transformed into a Centre d’Art. This year’s exhibition inadvertently picks up on the leitmotif of the past two shows, which featured light-infused works by François Morellet and Michel Verjux.

It was in fact a chance conversation with a collector friend that led to this exhibition of sculptures by American artist Dan Flavin (1933–1996), whose neon sculptures and installations have been shown in galleries and major art museums throughout the world. Flavin’s lifelong exploration of light, color and space is represented here by eight works dating from 1969 to 1987, including the 32-foot-long “untitled (to Sonja)” (1969), composed of yellow and green fluorescent lights.

Admission is free. More information on the Centre d’Art is available here.

 

Château de Ferrand (Saint-Emilion)
Concert: June 23

When it comes to culture, Ferrand is known primarily for its collection of artwork that is a tribute to former owner Baron Bich, the founder of Bic pens. The château is now run by his daughter Pauline and her husband, Philippe Chandon-Moët, who display sculptures, drawings and other works made with or inspired by Bic pens.

Last year, they added music to their cultural quiver, hosting annual alfresco concerts on the gracious grounds of their 18th-century château. This summer, as part of Ferrand’s ongoing support for the Académie de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux, the château has invited the academy’s musicians to present a Bach-inspired concert with performances taking place in several venues. “La Source de la Musique: De Bach à Verdi” is designed to allow guests to wander from one performance to another, enjoying the music before attending a reception with the young artists.

More information and tickets are available here (main photo above also from this estate)

 

Château Giscours (Margaux)
Concerts: June 21, September 27

This year’s “Terrace de Giscours” series includes two concerts held in the historic great hall of the Ferme Suzanne, a working farm on the Giscours estate that reflects its commitment to conservation and biodiversity. Built in 1877, the great hall is a bucolic venue with exposed beams, blond stone walls and wood trim painted in the château’s emblematic Basque red.

The June 21 event, which coincides with the Fête de la Musique, features the Good Life 4tet with its distinctive blend of jazz and popular music. The €35 admission includes a glass of wine, a charcuterie and crudités plate, a grilled ribeye main course and mignardises. Reservations are recommended, online or by phone (33-5-57-97-09-20). Details of the September 27 luncheon concert TBA. giscours.com

 

Château La Garde (Pessac-Léognan)
Outdoor film screenings: June 6, July 18

La Garde, which belongs to the prestigious AOC Pessac Léognan, was chosen as the exclusive wine for the 49^th César Awards held this past February. In a nod to that distinction, the château will host two outdoor film screenings: Le Sens de la Fête, nominated for 11 Césars in 2018, on June 6; and the comedy Les Petits Mouchoirs (2010) with actress Marion Cotillard on July 18. To set the mood, a César statuette will be prominently displayed.

The €19 admission includes a cellar tour and a glass of the château’s red or white wine; guests are welcome to bring their own picnic. More information is available on Instagram and Facebook.

Château Gravas (Sauternes)
Exhibitions, lecture: July 6, July 21

 

This diminutive family-owned estate has long had an outsized devotion to culture. On July 6, the château will host an exhibition devoted to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and a conference led by historian Dominique Lormier, a leading specialist of World War II and author of more than a hundred books.

On July 21, guests are invited to attend the opening of Alsatian artist Paul Flickinger’s latest exhibition, “Art, Amour, et Amitié.” For nearly 20 years, Gravas has hosted annual shows by the painter, whose works may also be seen in the château’s cellar and on its wine labels. Details on both events will be posted on the website.

Château Palmer (Margaux)
Photography (off-site): June 3–September 22

Palmer is currently undergoing renovations and is not open to the public, but the estate has not missed a beat in its commitment to photography and jazz. In 2023, Palmer invited German photographer Henrike Stahl as part of its INSTANTS partnership with Leica to document the activities of 50 seasonal workers from Bordeaux’s Grand Parc, a working-class and immigrant neighborhood created in the 1960s. This is the fourth year that young people from Grand Parc are working at Palmer, mostly on canopy management.

Palmer’s temporary inaccessibility led to an innovative idea: Why not display the photos throughout Grand Parc itself rather than at the château or in a gallery? Billboard-size prints are now stretched across buildings, while others are attached like banners to lampposts. The exhibition is free to all, attracting even more attention to this neighborhood whose ongoing transformation includes the recent award-winning renovation of three social housing units.

Palmer is continuing INSTANTS this year (publishing a book and sponsoring exhibitions) and is also partnering with the German record label ACT Music to record a jazz album at the château. chateau-palmer.com

Château Pédesclaux (Pauillac)
Contemporary art: Permanent display

Visitors to Pédesclaux this summer will want to allow themselves extra time to linger in the château’s entrance hall, which now boasts four outsized canvases by internationally acclaimed artist Fabrice Hyber. Designed specifically for that space, these new additions complement eight other large-scale Hybers that hang in the estate’s reception rooms.

The artist’s colorful and amusing tributes to various aspects of wine and winemaking combine drawing, painting, text and collage, and viewers can spend enjoyable moments “reading” them. A huge cluster of grapes made out of painted rugby balls, for example, emerges from one canvas, alluding to the team spirit that is so important to the entire winemaking process.

Hyber’s prolific oeuvre brings together science, art and a lifelong commitment to nature (he was named the first ambassador of the National Office of Forests, which has a special endowment to fight climate change and loss of biodiversity). The artist says that he has “always considered my canvases to be like classroom blackboards, like those where we learn to dissect knowledge through teachers and researchers.” The new canvases at Pédesclaux offer his provocative lessons on “Wine of the Past” and “Wine of the Future,” as well as his vision of vineyards during winter nights and summer days. chateau-pedesclaux.com

Château Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan)
Sculpture: Permanent display
Concerts: June 26, July 10 & 11

Owners Daniel and Florence Cathiard are as passionate about culture as they are about wine, which is likely one of the reasons their vineyard was chosen to welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their state visit to France last September.

For nearly 30 years, they have celebrated every harvest by commissioning a monumental sculpture—works by Jim Dine, Julien Schnabel, Zhan Wang, César, Mimmo Paladino and other international heavyweights now tower over their vineyards. The newest addition is “Les Ancêtres du Futur” by German artist and environmentalist Gloria Friedmann. Two tortoises, symbols of perseverance and wisdom, hold up a giant head; the space normally occupied by the brain is instead a majestic stag—Friedmann’s way of emphasizing man’s animal nature “to keep us in touch with other living beings.” She also notes that she positioned the King of the Forest “to keep watch over the vineyards.”

The estate also welcomed a young artist-in-residence this year, sculptress Lélia Demoisy, who similarly stresses man’s relationship with the natural world by using materials such as wood, skin or teeth. At Smith Haut Lafitte, she gathered wood and barrel staves on the property to create “Peau de raisin,” currently on view in the Grand Hall before being moved to a permanent location.

Finally, Smith Haut Lafitte will host a concert as part of Festes Baroques on June 26. See “Festivals & Regional Events” above for more information and tickets. smith-haut-lafitte.com

Château Toulouse Lautrec (Entre Deux Mers)
Concerts: July 12 & 19; August 9 & 23; September 28

Since purchasing Château Malromé in 2013, the Huynh family has gone all-in on its most famous legacy: Artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). The painter’s mother purchased Malromé in 1883, and although Toulouse-Lautrec lived in Paris, he frequently made long visits to Malromé and eventually died there. The château now owns 30 original paintings by the artist, and its décor and activities—from guided tours to drawing classes to treasure hunts for children—all center around this heritage. Last year, Malromé was even re-christened Château Toulouse-Lautrec.

This summer, the château’s other cultural offerings include the concert series “Afterworks Concerts & Tapas,” with music ranging from pop to jazz to chamber music (July 12 & 19, August 9& 23). Admission is free, tapas and drinks sold on-site. And to kick off the fall, Toulouse-Lautrec will host a chamber music concert on September 28 featuring Solistes de l’Orchestre de Chambre français. Founded in Paris in 1989 and now based in Bordeaux, it is one of the most renowned string quartets in France, performing throughout the country and abroad. The €30 admission includes a glass of wine or other beverage.

More information on concerts and other château activities is available here.

Château Siran (Margaux)
Label painting: Permanent collection

Siran’s provocative yet delightfully charming 2023 label perfectly captures the current zeitgeist: a robotic figure representing AI is surrounded by a grape vine, cradling its leaves with tenderness and fascination. Created by the Italian artist Pietro Gallo, the delicate watercolor is entitled “Learning the Language of Gaia.”

Gallo is the latest in a series of prominent artists commissioned by the Miailhe family since 1980 to illustrate Siran labels. Themes typically illustrate major cultural, technological or historical events—the 2022 label, for example, was an homage to Queen Elizabeth of England. The original artwork for each label is displayed in the château and may be viewed during winery tours. Visitors may also take in the 300 objects on display in the “Chai des Collections,” which includes wine-related ceramics—amphoras, plates, barrels—from the 3rd century B.C. to the 19th century.
chateausiran.com