Visiting Bordeaux and La Rioja

[yadegari6]

Taking my dad through France and Spain for his 60th birthday in September.   We have 3 night planned in Bordeaux and 2 nights in Logroño. I know there are plenty of members here who know way more about wine than me so I was hoping for some fellow members advice regarding which vineyards to stop at in either region.
 

Thank you in advance! 

-Alex 

[BrightonCorgi]

Bring some empty wine shippers with you so you can fly home with your wine purchases.  One product I really like is Wine Check - Wine Luggage.  I was one of their earliest adopters and have traveled far and wide with it.  Some airlines won't even charge you for luggage when it's empty as it weights nothing.  A little charm at the ticket desk can help.

[Ken Gargett]

good luck with the trip. been so long since i went to either region, i doubt anything relevant. one thing to do if you have a regular good retailer here is to try and get them to tap any contacts for a visit. 

[BrightonCorgi]

21 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

...one thing to do if you have a regular good retailer here is to try and get them to tap any contacts for a visit. 

I was going to mention having a retailer call ahead for you at a particular property.  Maybe you could bring something back to them as a thank you?  The wine industry treats VIP's much different than regular blokes walking in off the street.  Even better if there are importers or distributors in your locale than can call ahead.