Chateau Belgrave (Haut Medoc)
 

Just west of Chateau Lagrange in Saint Julien, this fifth growth chateau is run and distributed by large negociant house CVBG. Serious investments in recent years, most importantly a new wine cellar since 2004, have finally seen this wine start to approach the level of its classification.
 
Since taking over in 1979, they have completed restructured the vineyard little by little each year, changing the planting of grapes depending on terroir, changing clones, rootstock and so on as necessary. In addition, there has been a completely new winery since 2004, with 35 small stainless steel vats they designed themselves, from 93 hectolitres upwards, relating to different plots in the vineyard, plus six wooden vats for vinification.

Reception of the grape harvest takes place in a specially constructed sheltered space in case of bad weather (either heat or rain) with very long sorting tables, and includes a Viniclean (a device that comes into use after the de-stemmer and gets rid of all the small particles of vegetal parts that are stuck to the berry. No pumps are used at any point- the grapes are carried in small containers by lifts from the sorting table into the vats, where they have a very gentle crushing, but are basicallly vinified as whole berries. Semi-underground barrel cellar, originally constructed in 1982, but updated and restored it more recently, improved humidity control etc, and a special room for malolactic fermenatation. In 2007 also completely restored the original barrel cellar.
 
There is a team of ten people at the property full time, with Frederic Bonnaffous as the director (as he is of all Dourthe estates in the northern Medoc), and Michel Rolland consults. The vines extend over 60 hectares., and are an average of 20 years old.

35 route de Bordeaux, Parempuyre, 33295 Blanquefort (this is the address for CVBG, the chateau itself is in Saint-Laurent-Médoc)

05 56 35 53 00

Internet: www.dourthe.com