Chateau Dauzac

(1685−1841) The Drouillard and Lynch families, founders of the Dauzac estate...
A prominent and wealthy citizen, Pierre Drouillard, merchant, hailed from the parish of Saint Michel in Bordeaux. Thanks to years of investment and hard work, he transformed the ailing estate into a flourishing vineyard. He also rebuilt the house, "one of the finest and largest of the Médoc". Pierre Drouillard died in 1708, leaving an estate "whose wines were excellent and of considerably cost".After a few difficult years marred by wrangles over the succession, in 1740 the estate passed to Elizabeth Drouillard, wife of Thomas−Michel Lynch. A descendant of Irish merchants who had emigrated to Bordeaux, Lynch quickly grew very fond of the estate, and made it one of his principal residences. On his death in 1783, the estate passed to his son, Jean-Baptiste Lynch, a lawyer. Intelligent and go-ahead in temperament, he devoted a good part of his time to running the family vineyards, rising some decades later to pre-eminence as Mayor of Bordeaux, holding the office from 1809 to 1815. He died at Dauzac in the summer of 1836.Five years after his death, in 1841, to pay off heavy death duties, his heirs sold the estate to Thomas Diedrich Wiebroock, a former legal counsel. The quality of Dauzac's wines had long been recognized both among local merchants and abroad. The 1855 Classification, placing Dauzac among the ranks of the Fifth Growths, was therefore a just reward for centuries of effort.

(1863 −1920) The Johnston era or the Golden Age of Dauzac…
In 1863, Wiebroock's heirs sold the estate to Nathaniel Johnston III for the sum of 240 000 francs. Scion of a large family of merchants of Scottish origin, settled in Bordeaux around 1760, Nathaniel Johnston III was then the head of a flourishing business, selling not only illustrious wines, the famous "claret", whose recipe was jealously guarded, contributing to the firm's renown, but also exporting plums, cognac, turpentine and even corks.On his death in 1870 three of his sons together took over the Bordeaux firm. The fourth son, Nathaniel IV, parliamentarian and member of the Gironde Regional Council, inherited Dauzac. A former student of Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines in Paris, Nathaniel IV already owned Château Ducru Beaucaillou in Saint Julien and Phélan Ségur in Saint Estèphe. An ardent winegrower, he brought his considerable intelligence and progressive ideas to the service of his new estate. His close acquaintance with the major economic and political figures of the day made him a peerless ambassador for the wines of Château Dauzac. Taking responsibility for the sales of his wines, he delegated the management of the estate to a trusted employee, Ernest David, with whom he worked closely for many years. By the end of the 19 century, Dauzac had also become a laboratory for winegrowing experimentation. For example, in the 1880s, the entire Bordeaux wine fraternity was engaged in an ongoing experimental battle to fight mildew – and it was at Dauzac, thanks to Ernest David, advised by Alexis Millardet and the Faculty of Science at Bordeaux university, that the first results were noted, culminating in the famous "Bordeaux Mixture". With the help of the faithful David, Nathaniel IV also constructed one of the very first mechanical sprayers.As the century drew to a close, Dauzac was a truly a model estate, its vat cellar an object of general admiration. But the adventure came to an abrupt halt in 1914, with the death of Nathaniel Johnston IV, and hard on its heels the Great War, in which the Johnston family suffered heavy losses. In the 1930s, unable to overcome the economic hardships and falling exports of the post−war depression, his heirs finally decided to sell Dauzac.

(1978 – 1989) Renaissance and modernization of Château Dauzac.
In September 1978, the estate was purchased by Félix Chatellier & Sons, who immediately undertook substantial investments to renovate the estate, restructuring the vineyard and improving its quality. Stainless steel vats replaced the old concrete; the 19 century buildings gave way to air−conditioned cellars. The winemaking was carried out under the supervision of Professor Emile Peynaud, and, little by little, Dauzac took on a new lease of life.In 1988, an insurance company, the MAIF, acquired the interest in the estate from the Chatellier family firm.
Dauzac today: a management model…
Unfortunately, on acquiring the estate the MAIF did not also acquire staff sufficiently competent to guarantee their investment, and the banker who had brokered the deal began to search for a reputable wine grower. The choice devolved upon André Lurton, who, after much deliberation, agreed to take over a 42% share in the operating company. An old hand at the winemaking business, he instigated a prudent management approach, assisted by the Boissoneaus, a father and son team of oenologists, which rapidly led to improvements in the quality of the wine and the reputation of the estate. After twelve years as Chairman of the Board of Directors, André Lurton stepped down in favour of his daughter, Christine Lurton de Caix, who today runs the estate with Barthélèmy Simonetti, Finance Director of Vignobles André Lurton.
Nowadays’ Owner: André Lurton
Technique Information
Location: Château Dauzac 100km long and 50km wide, the vast triangular Médoc peninsula lies east of the Gulf of Gascony and west of the Gironde estuary.
Appellation: Appellation Margaux Controlee
Neighboring Château: Château Kirwan(3rd Growth of Margaux in1855)
Château Giscours(3rd Growth of Margaux in1855)
Acreage: 120 hectares in all ，including 45 hectares under vine, 40 ha AOC Margaux, 5 hectares Haut-Médoc for Château de Labarde.
Soil: surface gravel, clay or calcareous subsoil, and "alios", iron hardpan.
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 37%, Cabernet Franc 5%.
Wine Grape Varieties: Château Dauzac(First Label): Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 48%.
La Bastide Dauzac (Second Label): Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 37%, Cabernet Franc 5%.
Château de Labarde: Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 37%, Cabernet Franc 5%.
Average age of vines: 18 to 20 years
Cultivation Density: 10,000 vines per hectare
Viticulture: Double guyot with debudding. Harvest By hand with table sorting before and after destemming.
Winemaking:
Château Dauzac(First Label): Fermented in stainless-steel temperature-controlled tanks with patented cap-breaking system, approximately 3 weeks (subject to vintage), with a temperature of 28℃ to 30℃. Then age in oak barrels (50-80% new, subject to vintage) with racking each trimester for 12 months, and then fining with egg whites.
La Bastide Dauzac (Second Label): Almost the same as the first label except that using 50% new oak barrels, subject to vintage.

Château de Labarde: Almost the same as the first label except that using 50% new oak barrels, subject to vintage.
Yield: 50hl/ha
Brand: Château Dauzac(First Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
La Bastide Dauzac(Second Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Château de Labarde(A.O.C. Haut-Médoc)
Annually production: Château Dauzac(First Label): 23,000 cases
Character:
Château Dauzac(First Label): It is a red wine with dark and intense robe. Complex aromas, with notes of grid, smokes, boisee. In the mouth there is an attack elegance, round and supple tannins which melted and refined over time.
Best Vintages: Château Dauzac(First Label): 2000, 2001, 2005
Award: 5th Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux.
Sources: http://www.chateaudauzac.com/
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/dauzac.shtml
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 70-95%, 14-18 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimal Drinking and Ageing Potential:
Château Dauzac(First Label): Expressive between 5-10 years, can age 15- 20 years.
La Bastide Dauzac(Second Label): Expressive between 4-7 years, can age up to 15 years.
Château de Labarde: Expressive between 4-7 years, can age up to 15 years.
Food match:
Château Dauzac(First Label):
Western Food: Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game.

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