Château Haut Breton Larigaudière, a beautiful Medoc-style domain surrounded by a shady park, is located in Soussans, one of the five communes with the right to the much-coveted Margaux controlled appellation. Separated from Margaux itself by a simple tarred road, this commune is home to a number of vineyard parcels belonging to 1855 “crus classés”, as well as a number of “crus bourgeois” such as Château Haut Breton Larigaudière. In other words, the land here is well-suited for grape growing.

At the beginning of the 20th century, this château was already classed as a cru bourgeois : thus it was that in 1886, in the fifth edition of “Bordeaux and its Wines” that Edouard Féret cited the 80 tonneaux of wine as a “Crû Bourgeois Supérieur”.
This renown remained unchanged, since in 1922 Charles Féret wrote of the château, whose owner at this time was M. A. Schars : “The domain of Haut Breton Larigaudière comprises a vineyard admirably situated on gravel outcrops, planted to choice grape varieties which produce one of the best wines of the commune. Both the wine and the vineyard are the object of the most exacting care”.

The vineyard has been reconstituted, enlarged and enriched by the unceasing efforts of the De Schepper-De Moor family, and today comprises 15 hectares in production, divided between the communes of Soussans and Arsac. The vat room, barrel cellar and bottle storage have also been the object of the owner’s particular care. This exceptionally well-tended vineyard is planted to traditional grape varieties, in the proportion of 63% cabernet-sauvignon, 31% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. A judicious choice, if ever there was one …

After a traditional Medoc-style vinification (3 to 5 weeks of fermentation and maceration), the wine is aged in oak barrels for 12 to 15 months, of which 50% to 70% of the barrels are renewed each year. The average production is 75 tonneaux, entirely bottled at the chateau and packaged in wooden cases. Here is a case where what’s bred in the vine will come out in the wine …

Size of the property: 18 hectares, of which 15 hectares are in production. Soil and subsoil: sandy gravel and sandstone, gravel and clay. Grape varieties: merlot 31%, cabernet-sauvignon 63%, cabernet franc 2%, petit verdot 4%. Density of the plantation: 10000 vines / hectare. Average age of the vineyard: 20 years. Total production: 675 hectolitres, or approximately 90000 bottles. Harvest: manual. Vinification: traditional Medoc-style : 3 to 5 weeks vatting, temperature control by watering down the vat’s exterior. Ageing: 12 to 15 months in oak barrels, of which 50% to 70% are renewed every year. Sales: by the property. Export: 50%, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Great-Britain. Owner: S.C.E.A. Château Haut Breton Larigaudière. Sales contact: Mr. Jean-Michel Garcion Château Haut Breton Larigaudière F–33460 Soussans / Margaux. T. +33 5 57 88 94 17 F. +33 5 57 88 39 14 E-mail : ch.larigaudiere@aol.com

Since the beginning of the nineties, when the vineyard had reached a surface of 13 hectares, it became possible to map each of the parcels of Château Haut Breton Larigaudière individually,  and this related to soil, sub-soil, the existing grape varieties, the age and evolution of the vines and the quality of the harvested grapes.  As a consequence, it appeared that year after year, some gravelly hills of Arsac and Soussans, with a total surface of 1 hectare planted with vines of more than 35 years old, produced extremely high-quality grapes.  These vineyards, with their soil consisting of clay (which provides our wine with vigour and texture) and grit, from the Garonne, which can be seen as “the salt of the earth” of the Médoc region, are extremely well oriented. These vineyards also have an exceptional soil hydrology which stimulates agood development of the vinegrape.    The aim for excellent quality determines all the activities in the vineyard (planting, pruning, removing of superfluous buds, defoliation, green harvest, hand-picking with selection in the vineyard). All our knowledge and efforts are deployed to harvest perfectly ripe grapes.  Of these grapes cabernet-sauvignon predominates with 85%, completed by 15% of merlot.  The cabernet-sauvignon, top grape of the Médoc, gives a strong, tannic and aromatic wine with a vivid colour; the merlot completes the wine’s structure and provides a more supple and more pleasant taste. To achieve this great wine, this is followed by an individualized winemaking which respects the individual character of the grapes and the soil and an ageing which is done exclusively in new oak barrels. These barrels, made of the finest oak wood, have been carefully selected, and have a degree of toast adapted to the wood and the wine. The ageing is meticulously controlled during 18 months, with regular tasting of each barrel to keep a close track of  the evolution of the wine before bottling.   Only the weather conditions make the difference  between an exceptional and a normal vintage.  We have decided to produce our cuvee “Le Créateur” only in exceptional years and only when we are certain to obtain a complex and harmonious structure which guarantees elegance, a broad taste and a lot of fruit. “Le Créateur”, the search for the pleasure of a magnificent wine.