Château Rauzan-Gassies

The History of Château Rauzan-Gassies

The estate was originally, in the 14th century, the house of the nobleman of Gassies, a rear-fiefdom of the lordship of Margaux. Its viticultural history began in the 17th century, with the knight Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan.

The knight proved to be a talented winemaker and shone with his ability to judge the quality of the terroirs. While the Domaine de Rauzan was already substantial, a violent hailstorm devastated a large part of the Margalais vineyard. However, the Chevalier's vines were spared and it was rumoured that birds had protected the grapes with their wings in the Gassies area. This is how the estate took its definitive name, Château Rauzan-Gassies, and how the wine labels have since been adorned with a winged coat of arms.

In the 18th century, the wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies were first considered as the first of the second growths of the parishes of Margaux and Cantenac. In 1855, the Château was elevated to the rank of Second Grand Cru Classé during the imperial classification.

In 1946, Château Rauzan-Gassies was bought by a Parisian wine merchant, Paul Quié. His son Jean-Michel inherited the estate on his death in 1968 and undertook an ambitious programme to both restructure the vineyard and modernise the facilities.

Since 2000, Jean-Michel's children have been managing Château Rauzan-Gassies: Anne-Françoise and Jean-Philippe. The vineyard has since been enriched with several new plots.

The vineyard of Château Rauzan-Gassies

Located in the heart of the Médoc Regional Nature Park, the vineyard of Château Rauzan-Gassies covers 30 hectares in the Haut-Médoc appellation and 30 hectares in the Margaux appellation, and each of the vines has been planted by one of the generations of the Quié family.

Château Rauzan-Gassies benefits from an exceptional terroir in Margaux for its quality, as much as for the beauty of the landscape composed of vines, but also forests and meadows. Part of the land is a Natura 2000 site. The objective is to preserve natural areas, habitat of the local fauna and endemic plant species. The Blonde d'Aquitaine cows take care of the meadows.

The soil of the vineyards is made up of gravelly sand and deep gravel, whose natural drainage is perfectly suited to the vines. The grape varieties are 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot.

The wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies

The wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies are typical of the great wines of Margaux. They are elegant and subtle. Their colour is sumptuous, dark garnet, with purple reflections. The nose is fine and complex. When the wine is young, redcurrant and cherry dominate. As it ages, subtle aromas of cedar and sweet spices such as cinnamon appear.

The attack in the mouth is supple and smooth. The tannins are silky and deep. They continue into the long finish. The wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies are long-lived. The estate offers three red wines:

Gassies belonging to the Margaux appellation;

Château Rauzan-Gassies, the other Margaux;

L'Orme de Château Rauzan-Gassies, belonging to the Haut Médoc appellation.