Saint-Émilion
A UNESCO-listed medieval hilltop town at the heart of Right Bank Bordeaux, ringed by its grand cru châteaux.
About Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion is the picture-book capital of Bordeaux's Right Bank, a tiny limestone town of steep cobbled lanes and honey-coloured stone perched above a sea of Merlot and Cabernet Franc vineyards. The Romans planted vines here as early as the 2nd century AD; the town took its name from an 8th-century Breton monk who lived as a hermit in a cave still visible today, and its extraordinary monolithic church was hewn directly from the rock beneath the town. Under Plantagenet rule it won charter rights in 1199. The vineyard landscape and the town together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its classified estates read like a roll call of Right Bank prestige — Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Figeac, Pavie and Canon — while the plateau of Pomerol lies just to the north. Wine merchants, tasting rooms and the town's famous macarons fill the medieval core.
Practical details
Wine tourism notes
A UNESCO World Heritage jurisdiction, Saint-Émilion is the walkable hub of Right Bank Bordeaux. Its steep limestone lanes look out over Merlot-dominated vineyards; the great classified châteaux — Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Figeac, Pavie, Canon — lie within a short drive, and neighbouring Pomerol adjoins to the north.
Regional cuisine
Bordelais fare made for red wine: entrecôte à la bordelaise grilled over vine cuttings, lamprey à la bordelaise, duck confit and magret, cèpes in season, and the town's own almond macarons de Saint-Émilion.
Canonical attractions
- Monolithic church carved into the rock
- Émilion's hermitage cave
- The Tour du Roy keep
- Cloître des Cordeliers
- Surrounding grand cru châteaux
Editorial notes
Park outside the walls and explore on foot; the underground monolithic church is by guided tour only, and top châteaux require advance appointments.