Chateau Serilhan, Saint Estephe
 

 
Didier Marcellis, ex-Cisco Systems, now runs this Saint Estephe property, and has done a great deal in just a few years to turn it into one of the rising stars of the appellation.

Technical Director Bernard Franc at Serilhan comes from previous stints at two of the best known local properties - Pontet Canet and Lafon Rochet, and his wine consultant has recently changed from Olivier Dauga to Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus.

Saint Estephe is home to many 'newcomers', and is the only large Medoc communal appellation (compared with Margaux, Saint Julien and Pauillac), where parcel consolidation and sales have been so intense over the past five years. This is mainly due to the fact that the local cooperative owned large amounts of land that have now been sold off following the retirement of its members. This enabled first Lilian Ladouys then Tour de Pez and Petit Bocq, finally Clauzet and Serilhan to move rapidly from 3 to 5 hectares to 15 to 45 hectares each – today with a combined total of 150 hectares and a potential production of one million bottles, a significant number even by Médoc standards.

In spite of this ongoing land offer, demand continues to be strong so that price per hectare has reached 650 000 euros at cru bourgeois level and 2 million euros at cru classé level – with many properties such as Chateau Serilhan continuing to expand with the purchase of land in neighbouring Saint Seurin de Cadourne in Haut Medoc, where Sociando Mallet is located.
 
Chateau Serilhan makes a wine in a fresh, modern and approachable style - with the hallmarks of Saint Estephe but without fuss. I have recently re-tasted the 2005 alongside other Saint Estephe's of the same vintage, and found it utterly delicious and very approachable already. Fantastic value also at around £12 a bottle.
 
Since de Bouard has come onboard as consultant, the style is evolving into something a little more 'serious', more fleshy and perhaps more typical of the Saint Estephe appellation.

Château Serilhan
5 rue Edouard Herriot
33180 Saint-Estèphe - France

Tel. : (33) (0) 5 56 59 38 83

Website : www.chateau-serilhan.com