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History
First established in the 16th century by the des Bages family, this estate was taken over by the Croizet brothers at the end of the Frech Revolution. It later passed into the hands of Monsieur Julien Calve in the mid-nineteenth century. M. Paul Quie purchased the chateau after the Second World War and his son, Jean-Michel, currently manages the estate.This 27 hectare property located on the heart of the Bages plateau, whose gentle slopes ensure ideal natural drainage. It close to the great neighbour Lynch-Bages. The soil is fairly homogeneous, but quite complex. The first layer (1 metre thick ) is made up of large pebbles cemented with siliceous soil iron oxide. The third layer, several metres deep, is largely white gravelly sand. The vine roots thrive in this soil to produce wines of great quality. Grape varieties: Cabernet Franc 10%, and Merlot 35%. The fermenting vats are made of stainless steel. The wine is aged traditionally in oak barrels. Production varies from 115to 135,000 bottles.Château Croizet Bages has still not reached its full potential. However, recent vintages would seem to indicate that the Quié family is on the right track, although the wine is still somewhat lacking in complexity and concentration.
Nowadays’ Owner : SCI de Château Rauzan-Gassies
Administrator: Jean-Michel Quié
Technique Information
Location: This 27 hectare property located on the Bages plateau, close to its great neighbour Lynch-Bages.
Appellation: Pauillac
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Lynch-Bages(5th Growth of Pauillac in1855)
Acreage: 27 hectare
Soil: The soil is fairly homogeneous, but quite complex. The first layer (1 meter thick) is made up of large pebbles cemented with siliceous soil iron oxide. The third layer, several meters deep, is largely white gravelly sand.
Grape Varieties: 55%Cabernet Sauvignon, 10%Cabernet Franc, and35% Merlot
Average age of vines: 35 year
Cultivation Density: 8000 vines per hectare
Viticulture: In winter: subsoil work (improvement of drainage and root direction), natural improvements, pruning and double guyot training, protection of the feet of the vines (improves life expectancy of vine stock and controls yields).
In spring : Debudding (removal of secondary buds), removal of excess growth from around the feet of thevine, leaf thinning (by hand and machine), green harvesting, removal of unripe berries if needed before veraison (colour set), and finally berry sorting vine by vine before harvest begins.
Winemaking: Removal of any spilt juice, bleed of vats (between 5% and 10% of overall volume), pre-fermentation cold maceration for 48 hours (to extract aroma and colour), alcoholic fermentation in cement vats, separating press wine lot by lot, malolactic fermentation.
Yield: 55hl/ha
Brand: Château Croizet-Bages(First Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
La Tourelle de Croizet-Bages(Second Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Annually production: Château Croizet-Bages(First Label): varies from 115to 135,000 bottles
Character:
Best Vintages: Château Croizet-Bages(First Label): 2000, 2003, 2004
Awards: 5th Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Pauillac
Website: http://www.domaines-quie.com/HOME%20PAGE%20CB.htm
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/croizetbages.shtml
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimum drinking and ageing potential: 5-15 years
Food match:
Château Croizet-Bages(First Label):
Western Food: Beef, Lamb. Well cooked and strongly flavoured. Will also accompany a cheese platter quite well.
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