History
The estate was first classified a 5th Cru Classé in 1855 under the name of Chateau Coutenceau. Contrary to what one might think, Chateau Belgrave does not take its name from the superb gravel in the soil of the vineyard but from the attachment of one of its British owners to Belgravia, in London, where he lived. That is how Chateau Coutenceau became Chateau Belgrave. It’s a small but pretty wine chateau. The building itself was constructed in the 18th century. It is managed by the Dourthe company who has recently invested substantial sums in the wine making facitlites in order to bring the wines up one more notch in quality.Dourthe has leased Chateau Belgrave since 1979. In the first instance, this involved giving this prestigious classified growth back its style and its status and making the wine worthy of its name. Now that Dourthe has confirmed its commitment for another 25 years, the next stage has begun with significant investments and the optimistic aim of making Chateau Belgrave a reference point for the region, expressing more conclusively the exceptional potential of its terroir.It is precisely this – the terroir- that motivates the choice of the Dourthe estates or the choice of Dourthe’s vine-growing partners, in Bordeaux as well as in the Languedoc region. However, these great terroirs can only reveal their potential through the determination and effort of the people who work on them. At Dourthe, these determination and effort can be seen at every stage of the winemaking process. Thus, over the years, Dourthe has developed its own particular culture a culture intimately linked with the soil, with a taste for all that is good, the quest for perfection, team spirit and the desire to surpass our limits. Step by step, this culture has given rise to a style- the Dourthe Style- which, with the greatest respect to the terroir, characterises and marks our wines. The estate was renowned not only for its wines but also for the abundant game in its woods and for the receptions held in the chateau during the hunting season. This link between the estate and hunting explains why there is a ferret on the labels of the wines, as well as the name of the second wine, created in the 1987 vintage: Diane de Belgrave. About CVBG-DOURTHE
160 years of history from a family wine business to a leading independent wine group
1840: DOURTHE Freres is founded
1871: Creation of Edouard KRESSMANN and Cie
1966: Creation of CVBG and the merger between Dourthe Freres and Edouard Kressmann and Cie
1981: The Dutch-American group Sara Lee-Douwe Egberts takes over CVBG
1989: The Dutch group BOLS buys CVBG from Sara Lee
1998: Acquisition of C.V.B.G.. by its leaders: J.M. CHADRONNIER CEO
X.GOURS General Manager(finance and operations)
P.JESTIN General Manager(marketing and sales)
Nowadays’ Owner: GFA du Chateau Belgrave
Director: Dourthe Vineyards
/Estate Manager: Frédéric Bonnaffous
Technique Information
Location: Chateau Belgrave is situated in Saint-Laurent, bordering the Saint-Julien appellation, with just a stream separating the two.
Appellation: Haut Medoc
Neighboring Chateau: Château Lagrange(3rd Growth of Haut-Medoc in 1855)
Acreage: 60 ha.
Soil: Chateau Belgrave has remarkable diversity in its soil. At higher land were made up of gravel and pebbles, which lie on a bed of clay; At the foot of the hillocks, the base soil is a mixture of gravel, sand, an efficient and some clay.
Grape Varietals: 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 8%Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot
Average age of vines:
Cultivation Density: 10,000 VINES/Ha for 34 Ha; 6,500 pieds/Ha for 23 Ha, with mid-row grass planted between vines.
Viticulture: Manual de-budding; Training; Thinning of all the vines. 2nd green harvesting operation halfway through the grape colour-change to eliminate bunches of unevenly ripened grapes. On the sunrise side in June and on the sunset side in August have manual leaf-stripping operation.
Winemaking: Sorting before and after de-stemming on two vibrating sorting tables. Transfer of grapes without pumps. Traditional in stainless steel vats with temperature control. Part of the wine matured in barrel on lees to preserve the aromas; In oak barrels for 12 to 15 months.
Yield: 45hl/ha
Brands: Chateau Belgrave(First Label)(A.O.C. Haut Medoc)
Diane de Belgrave(Second Label)(A.O.C. Haut Medoc)
Annually production: Chateau Belgrave(First Label): 255,000 bottles
Diane de Belgrave(Second Label): 105,000 bottles
Character:
Diane de Belgrave(Second Label): Diane de Belgrave is made from the younger vines of the estate. It is distinguished by its brilliant colour that is lighter than the Grand Vin. It is fruity, supple and elegantly tannic. The finish is marked by a fine woody note.
Best vintages: 2000, 2005
Award: 5th Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Haut Medoc.
Diane de Belgrave(Second Label): Silver Medal at Concours de Bordeaux Vins d'Aquitaine 2004
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 16℃– 22℃
Optimum Drinking and Aging potential: 10-15 years
Food match:
Best food matches beef and roast lamb.
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