How Bordeaux became famous

On the banks of the River Dordogne, a beautiful estate is for sale. The merlot and cabernet franc varieties thrive on the fertile soil of the world's most famous wine region of origin. Next to the vines is a restored medieval chapel. It reveals the long history of this chateau, and at the same time of the Bordeaux region. Do you like stories, wine and is the Netherlands getting too wet under your feet? Then read on to find out what you could expect here as a future lord or lady of the castle.
Text: Marjolein Schuman | Image: supplied

WHAT: CHÂTEAU WITH 9.36 HECTARES OF VINEYARD 

WHERE: AOP BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR 

HOW MUCH: €2,800,000 

International

The estate has an area of 14.5 hectares, including 9.36 hectares of vineyards, 2 hectares of unplanted AOP land and 3.2 hectares of parkland, forest and grassland. It used to have its own port for river transport. Now, around the corner is Libourne, where international trains arrive and depart. The picturesque medieval wine village of Saint-Émilion is 15 minutes' drive and Bordeaux International Airport 40 minutes. Convenient for you, but also for your guests. They can stay in the guesthouse of over 100 square metres. This annex dates back to 1612, but was renovated in 2016.

Wine shop

Most of the château's wines leave for northern Europe, especially the Norwegian market, yep. Vinification and sales are currently done through a cooperative in which several families from Bordeaux work together. Details on production, such as how many litres en vrac (in bulk) is sold and how much is returned and bottled, you can ask the broker. The business plan is designed to minimise distribution problems. It just so happens that currently Bordeaux wines are less eagerly sought after than they used to be. 

Eco-friendly viticulture has the nice side effect of allowing the wines to become even purer: the estate is both HVE3- and Terra Vitis-certified. This includes organic growing methods with minimal use of chemicals, and weeds are often removed manually.

Want to read more? You can do so in WINELIFE Magazine edition 89. You can order this here. 

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