Château
Innocent and carefree
The lovely babbling Artolie stream that winds its way along the bottom of the narrow Paillet valley is reminiscent of Ancient Greece and has the atmosphere of Arcadia, the innocent, carefree land of shepherds.
The priory of Sainte-Catherine of Artolie used to lie upstream to the north-west. Since the 12th century, the door of the Sainte-Catherine chapel benevolently overlooks this plot of Gironde land that looks out over the River Garonne.
The 56-hectare (138-acre) Sainte-Catherine vineyard flourishes before a panorama that takes in the Garonne valley and the Landes forests beyond.
JEAN MERLAUT, THE HAPPY OWNER
The chateau has been owned by Jean Merlaut since 2013. He is a winegrower and passionate visionary, who seeks out, enhances and optimises high-potential terroirs. More specifically, he manages Chateaus Dudon, Malagar (the former property of François Mauriac) and Gruaud Larose, a Saint-Julien 2nd Grand Cru Classé.
AROUND HIM
A team of committed and enthusiastic women and men strive to achieve excellence in their work on the land, thereby contributing to the reputation for quality and enjoyment of our complete range of wines: whites, reds, and rosés.
How WE MAKE OUR WINES
Red wines are made from white juice! It is in fact the grapes’ black skin that gives Bordeaux red wines their colour and tannin as the fruit soaks in its own juice. This maceration contributes to our wines’ tannic and aromatic structure. Our cellar master has the skilled task of achieving the balance necessary to extract quality tannins, which will make our wines tasty and evenly balanced.
The harvest
The fruit is picked between mid-September and mid-October, depending on the year, and then carried to the cellar where wine making begins.
Pressing
After sorting, the grapes are sent to the press to extract their juice, which is then placed in tanks.
Ageing
Once the wine has been blended, some tanks are aged in oak barrels, which makes the wine big and long.
Bottling
After more than eighteen months in the aging cellars, the wine is bottled on the estate.
All you wanted to know about grape varieties and never dared ask
75% of Sainte-Catherine red wines are made with the Merlot variety, which produces characteristically supple, round, generous wines, the latter feature being inherited from the men and women who look after them. Merlot is the majority variety used in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux and Cadillac appellation areas, because it is perfectly adapted to our clayey limestone soils. Furthermore, it blends very well with our Cabernet grapes.
The Merlot variety has been shown to result from a cross between the Magdeleine Noire des Charentes grape and Cabernet Franc. When it is blended with other varieties, such as Cabernet, it makes the wine lighter and gives it more intense colour.
Aromas of black fruits, liquorice, jam, leather and sometimes truffles.
Cabernet Franc
The Cabernet Franc grape variety originated in the Pyrenees and has been cultivated in the Gironde region since the first century AD. It has less color than Cabernet Sauvignon and displays great structure on the palate.
Aromas of cocoa, red and black fruits, pepper, red capsicum, and even violets.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety is iconic in the Bordeaux area. It arose as a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It displays deep colour and imparts tannins to wines that makes them very suited to barrel-ageing. Aromas of blackcurrant, black chocolate, mild spice and cherries in kirsch.
Sauvignon
On the estate we grow both Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, with which we make fragrant dry white wines that are subtle and well-balanced.
Aromas of yellow fruit, citrus, white flowers, and sometimes exotic fruit.
Sémillon
The Semillon grape variety also originated in the Bordeaux area. It produces wines that age well. Semillon is very frequently combined with Sauvignon.
Aromas of almonds and dry fruits, cinnamon, honey, white flowers, butter, apricot and apples.
