Château Belgrave

The History of Belgrave Castle

The property became a wine estate and underwent strong development in the 19th century. It was Bruno Devès, a Bordeaux merchant, who first gave it the name Bellegrave in 1845, in connection with its "beautiful gravel" terroir. He restructured the vineyard and developed the vines on the best terroirs. In 1855, he obtained the fifth Grand Cru classification in the Haut-Médoc appellation. The estate prospered thereafter, until its sale in 1924.

Several owners succeeded one another and the quality of the wine gradually declined. Neglected for a while, it was taken over and restored in 1979 by the Dourthe trading house, one of the first houses in Bordeaux. Important investments have been made since then. Château Belgrave was the first vineyard to be taken over by Dourthe, and eight others were acquired in the following 25 years.

The vineyard

An exceptional terroir

The 59 hectares of the vineyard benefit from a clay subsoil and land in a single block. Its deep gravel terroir is in the Haut Médoc appellation, bordering the Saint Julien appellation.

Reasoned farming practices

The producer has applied to Château Belgrave methods that have made the Dourthe estates successful: each terroir is carefully studied, the vines are meticulously pruned, yields are limited, and the grapes are harvested entirely by hand with systematic double sorting.

The grape varieties are carefully selected, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon are largely in the majority and represent 92% of the grape varieties. The rest is divided equally between Petit-Verdot and Cabernet Franc

The wines

-Chateau Belgrave, Haut Médoc - Grand Cru classé 1855 is the signature wine of Chateau Belgrave, achieved through the vineyard teams' perfect knowledge of the water needs of the vines. They thus precisely adapt the viticultural work, the care of the crops and the harvest to the particularities of its subsoil.

The cuvée expresses great finesse and this dense, deep wine with the unique personality of this exceptional terroir. It also has a beautiful aromatic complexity and excellent aging potential.

The 2019 vintage is a blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot with 3% Petit Verdot. This great wine has a deep purple color. The nose is floral with notes of violets, blackberries and black cherry.

-Diane de Belgrave, AOC Haut Médoc The Second wine of Château Belgrave is a supple and fruity wine. With its fine tannins, it can be enjoyed young. It is produced with the same care as the first wine. However, it is mainly made from younger vines.

-Couronne de Belgrave, Haut-Médoc is a ruby-colored wine with aromas of ripe red fruits. It is made from 85% Merlot, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.