Ludon-Médoc is a town in the Gironde, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, 20 km north of Bordeaux. Its territory of 18.6 km² borders the Garonne on the left bank, a few kilometers upstream from its confluence with the Dordogne to form the Gironde estuary.
On some 300 hectares, the banks are made up of marshes and wetlands crossed by drainage canals to make the land partly cultivable and preserve the Bordeaux urban area in the event of flooding.
The village developed after the year 1000, the banks of the Garonne then being dotted with strongholds to prevent possible maritime incursions.
It was from the 17th century that Ludon-Médoc acquired, like neighboring localities, a reputation linked to its vineyards but also its horse farms.
Nowadays, with nearly 5,000 inhabitants (a development linked to the proximity of Bordeaux), the town has 175 hectares of vines (10% of the territory) within the Haut-Médoc appellation and several famous estates there are based.
Wine tourism enthusiasts will enjoy stopping off at Ludon-Médoc whose historical heritage, the preserved environment and the leisure offer are also prominent.
In terms of built and historical heritage, the oldest element of the town is its Saint-Martin church, erected from the 11th and 12th centuries on Romanesque foundations. During the Wars of Religion, the building was fortified (arrangement of machicolations, transformation of the bell tower into a tower). We can also still observe sarcophagi which housed the graves of notables (north facade).
Still in the village, to see next, the town hall installed since 2015 in the castle of Arches (18th and 19th century). The freestone building with terrelles (one of which has a roof terrace) is due to the noble family of Arches, originally from Corrèze and established in Gironde after the Middle Ages. Information on +33 5 57 88 44 09.
Then head to the estates established in the surrounding countryside. The circuit can begin with the castle of Agassac, a stronghold dependent on the châtellenie of Blanquefort, and therefore on the kings of England even before the Hundred Years War. Built on a motte, the castle in its current form has retained medieval elements but it was altered in the 17th and 19th centuries. A style generally reminiscent of the Renaissance, the presence of a dovecote, moats, wooded areas add to the charm of the estate which has 40 hectares of vines and produces wines of "cru bourgeois supérieur". Visit and tasting possible. Information on +33 5 57 88 15 47.
Château Bacalan dates from the 18th century, rebuilt by Joseph de Bacalan, knight and adviser to the Parliament of Bordeaux. The building is an example of a Bordeaux Charterhouse, raised on one level, with small apartments at the ends of the main building. Protected as historical monuments, it is now the heart of an 8 hectare estate. Visit and tasting possible. Contact +33 5 57 24 51 23.
We continue with another charterhouse, the Château La Lagune, built in 1730 and famous for its remarkable stone staircase decorated with wrought iron and overlooking the park. In terms of wine, the estate now includes 70 hectares and it produces in particular "third grand cru Classé" wines. For more information, call +33 5 57 88 82 77.
The Lemoyne-Nexon estate includes a 17th century fortified house with arcades and mullioned windows. A more elegant and more comfortable Charterhouse was built during the following century, consisting of a level surmounting the cellar, endowed on the garden side with a front section with sculpted pediment, the building partly hiding the previous frame.
Extending in part over the neighboring town of Macau, let us point out finally the castle of Cantemerle, seat of a powerful seigneury from 1147: all that remains are the ruins of the original castle, and a new building has been built. in the 18th century in the territory of Macau. According to legend, a cannon named the Merle gave it its name. The vast vineyard of the domain produces a fifth classified grand cru. Information on 05 57 02 82.
We will also mention La Providence, a beautiful bourgeois residence which has housed since 2015 the library and the music school (contact on +33 5 56 00 65 15) and the Chicken Mill, mentioned on 14th century, formerly attached to the seigneury of Agassac. This water mill for flour milling functioned until the 1960s.
Also part of the rich heritage of the town, the Nadalié cooperage, installed for five generations in Ludon (visit possible, call +33 5 57 10 02 02) and the The former stud farm of the Phalot are also worth a detour…
On another level, athletes have tennis courts available in the locality (reservation at +33 6 85 84 25 62), bowling alleys, a skate park.
Hiking enthusiasts, for their part, benefit from themed marked circuits. One is centered on the vineyard, the other on the natural heritage. The latter includes the Paloumey lake, a former gravel pit located in a green setting now dedicated to walking and fishing, the Rigaud marshes on the edge of the Garonne (360 hectares) and "le communal": an area wet meadow-shaped over 150 hectares. Dedicated to animal grazing, it is also an ecological reserve. The jalles (canals) and watercourses also contribute to the charm of these bucolic landscapes. Route maps and information on +33 5 56 58 76 19 or +33 5 57 88 44 09.
