This is one of my fav hobbies and the family has follow along throughtout the years. Do not want to make it long but all is in my blog, my wine history goes back to been a boy of grandma and the rest has been a wonderful history enjoying these fruits of our Earth, I will update this wonderful story of some of my trails in the Médoc, Haut-Médoc of the area of Bordeaux, There are plenty of wine posts in my blog fyi ! The whole of the Médoc is a peninsula between the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers and the Atlantic ocean. You just go up from the rocade of Bordeaux up road D2 !
Let me tell you about some of my all time favorite properties as I have found some pictures from my vault and even if personal are dated and will complement rather nicely this post. But first , a bit about the Médoc.
The Médoc is in the Gironde department 33 of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. There are three parts to it: Bas-Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Landes, and two terroirs, the famous Médoc vineyard along the estuary, and Landes du Médoc towards the ocean. The coast is dotted with small seaside resorts: Soulac, Montalivet, Carcans, Hourtin or Lacanau, which is wonderful and many times with the family here (see posts). The wine part of the Médoc is a condense piece of land with some of the world’s greatest wines if not the very best. The Médoc vineyard includes the following appellations: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint -Julien, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc and Margaux. After been around, these for me are the best in the world!!!
Here is a sampler of properties of various social levels, hope you enjoy them all as we do!
The Château Lanessan, located in Cussac Fort-Médoc , Haut Médoc ,has already had the distinction of belonging to one and the same family since 1793. For eight generations, the Bouteiller family has exploited this 80 ha vineyard in one piece, rather rare in the region, surrounded by a 145 ha of forest lands. The wine is 70% sold abroad and available in France among wine merchants and in large retailers: Some of the other properties are Château Sainte-Gemme and Château Lachesnaye, neighboring properties acquired in the 20C by the Bouteiller family. Les Calèches de Lanessan , the second wine named in honor of the Belle Epoque collection of vehicles from the Horse Carriage Museum located in the heart of the estate. And of course Château Lanessan, the flagship of the group, a highly rated Haut Médoc which is not, however, part of the official classification of Bordeaux wines of 1855. You will find 3 grape varieties: 60% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 4% petit verdot. Thus was born a wine with a complex and elegant nose, a well structured mouth, with fleshy tannins and a persistent finish. Good vintages can be kept for more than 10 years. Here the curiosity is we came for the horse carriage museum when the boys were little and we love the place as well as the wines. It has been a favorite of the family for about 18 yrs already. Webpage: https://www.lanessan.com/en/home/
The Château Palmer is a wine estate located in Cantenac. In AOC Margaux, it is classified third grand cru in the official classification of Bordeaux wines of 1855. In the 18C, the castle was already a wine estate recognized for its wines, which were tasted at the court of Versailles. This property belonged to Madame de Gasq and was then called Domaine de Gasq. It was sold in 1814 to British lieutenant-colonel Charles Palmer, who gave it its current name. It has been one of my house favorite over the years and still do drink it. Margaux is good! Webpage: https://www.chateau-palmer.com/
The Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is an 85 hectare wine estate located in Pauillac. Located in AOC Pauillac, it is classified second grand cru in the official classification of Bordeaux wines of 1855. In 1850 after the owner’s death, Baron Joseph de Pichon-Longueville, Virginie, one of his daughters, took over the management of the estate and commissioned a castle inspired by the Hôtel de Lalande located in Bordeaux where her husband Henri-Charles Raymond, Count of Lalande had spent his childhood. In 1978, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing in turn received this beautiful estate and devoted herself entirely to it. She gave it an international reputation due to a constant quality and an undeniable dynamic. The Maison de Champagne Louis Roederer, became its owner in 2007, It is an exception within the Pauillac appellation because 11 hectares are located in the town of Saint-Julien. Its grape varieties are composed of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. One of the classics of Bordeaux and we love the story of Elaine and have followed it ever since! Webpage: https://www.pichon-comtesse.com/fr
It was in 1300, at the initiative of the Commanderie des Templiers, that this vineyard was born. The Château d’Arcins is a rectangular dwelling surrounded by two lateral, square and projecting pavilions. The main elevations, on the road, form a courtyard closed by a portal and a low wall supporting a metal grid. The house is framed by two wings in return, built in the extension of the pavilions. The upper window, preceded by a metal railing bearing the initials C and A for Château d´Arcins, is crowned with a circular pediment. The buildings have 7 spans for the one h ousing the offices and 9 for the other, corresponding to the old vat room. It is own since 1971 by the Castel group of wineries. It is one of my favorites since 1990 and we enjoy at home a lot . The Castel group is one of the biggest distributors of wine in the world and are base in Provence. Webpage: https://www.chateaux-castel.com/fr/chateaux/chateau-d-arcins.php
The Château Cantenac Brown, is a 48 hectare wine estate located in Cantenac In AOC Margaux, it is classified third grand cru in the official classification of Bordeaux wines of 1855. Jacques Boyd, squire of the King, bought in 1754 some land in the parish of Cantenac, thus creating a wine estate which gave birth to two properties: Boyd-Cantenac and Cantenac Brown. In 1806, John Lewis Brown, a Frenchman of Scottish origin, bought vines which took the name of Cantenac-Brown. It was there that John-Lewis Brown, future animal painter and grandson of the founder of the property, spent his childhood. The castle was sold in 1843 to a banker named Gromard. The latter was at the head of the estate in 1855, when the property was classified as the third Grand Cru Classé under the name of Boyd. In 1860, the vineyard was sold to Louis Armand Lalande who gave it the final name of Cantenac Brown. At the end of 2019, Cantenac Brown changed hands and came under the control of the Le Lous brothers, a family of French medical entrepreneurs (Urgo group ). Excellent wines and a house favorite of ours. Webpage: https://www.cantenacbrown.com/
The Château Cos d’Estournel, is a wine estate spanning 91 hectares, located in Saint-Estèphe. Cos d’Estournel produces wine under the appellation Saint-Estèphe, classified among the second grands crus in the 1855 classification. The estate was founded by Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel , who inherited vines near the village from Cos in 1811. He travelled a lot and this allows him distant exports, in particular to India attracting him the nickname of Maharajah. In 1830, to celebrate this, he surmounted his cellars of Chinese pagodas, which would then be the exotic image of Cos, and brought a door from the 17C from Zanzibar. In 1917, Fernand Ginestet, a famous Bordeaux wine merchant and also co-owner of Château Margaux, bought the estate. His grandchildren Yves, Jean-Marie and Bruno Prats inherited the estate in 1970. The estate was sold in 2000 to the passionate industrialist, Michel Reybier. In 2006, a restoration of the buildings allowed the pagodas to regain their original appearance. One of the curiosity wine castles and very much matching quality, again one of my house favorite for years ! Webpage: https://www.estournel.com/en/
Located in the town of Parempuyre near Bordeaux, the Château Clément-Pichon estate bore the name of “La Motte Caupène” in the 14C. Durand-Dassier will rebuild the castle with an original architecture of the Renaissance type following a fire in 1881. It is finally Clément Fayat, entrepreneur in construction and already owner of the Château La Dominique in Saint Emilion, which acquires it in 1976. He recreates there from the ground up on 25 hectares of a Haut-Médoc vineyard, established on a coarse gravel terroir on the surface, the basement consisting of iron grime. The vines are 25 years old on average with the grape varieties distributed between 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. A simple property we came upon looong ago and has been our house favorite for years still do. Webpage: https://www.chateau-clementpichon.com/
The Château de Lescombes is located at 198 avenue du Taillan ,Eysines and was called under the Old Regime (monarchy) , the Château de la Plane, name of the rural lordship which surrounded it. The rectangular building is flanked by 4 towers covered in a pepper shaker. It is marked by classic fashion, sobriety of architecture and symmetry. Nearby, the dovecote-well is a cylindrical tower covered with a stone dome where a collection of market gardening tools from the eco-museum are on display. The castle was bought in 1989 by the city of Eysines and has become the Contemporary Art center of Château Lescombes. It is 7 km from Bordeaux. The property has long stop producing wines at least since the 1980’s but was a regular of mine long ago in my beginnings so still have a picture of it, and here for the memories. Webpage:https://www.eysines.fr/culture/infos-pratiques-et-acces/centre-dart-contemporain-du-chateau-lescombes/
For general info the Médoc tourist office on the wines : http://medoc-tourisme.com/en/mondes/close-to-vineyards/
The Bordeaux wines CIVB organisation on the Médoc : https://www.bordeaux.com/fr/Notre-Terroir/The-Medoc
There you go folks, a dandy region of my belle France, Hope you enjoy it like us and do come to visit on site these properties are awesome as it is the whole Médoc peninsula , and what is commonly call Bordeaux!
And remember, happy travel, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 