Château Villemaurine

The history of the estate

Villemaurine's origins date back to the 7th century when the Moors established an entrenched camp on this site called Ville Maure. It soon became known as Villemaurine.

The property passed through several hands, and Jean Combret de Faurie transformed the estate into a vineyard in the 18th century, shortly before the French Revolution. Believing that the land would not be suitable for other crops, he planted vines.

In 1874, Villemaurine was listed as a "Premier Cru Saint Emilion", and the estate was divided between three owners. Raoul Passemard would later buy the three properties to restore unity to the estate. He also enhanced the value of the Château's production, and his wines received numerous awards. The vineyard became one of Saint-Emilion's finest Premiers Crus.

The producer and his know-how

Justin Onclin already owned a vineyard, Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, when he bought Château Villemaurine in 2005. Passionate about viticulture, he wanted to expand his family estate and make his own wines. He immediately saw the estate's potential. He produced his first Château Villemaurine cuvée in 2007.

The work in the vineyard is carried out with great rigor, respecting the terroir, the people and the vines, with practices tailored to each plot and the best technical tools available. Justin Onclin's ambition is to restore the prestige of this classified growth and produce exceptional wines every vintage.

Traditional skills are used to complement natural, sustainable farming methods and promising innovations. Planting cereals in winter maintains and encourages subsoil life, as does the use of ploughing and the refusal to use weedkillers.

Two grape varieties make up the vineyard: 20% Cabernet Franc and 80% Merlot. Yields are determined on a vine-by-vine basis, the health of the vines is meticulously monitored, and all customary work is carried out by hand.

The vat room is a blend of cutting-edge technology, aesthetics and tradition. With small, double-walled stainless steel vats, temperatures are stable. They also allow for intra-parcel selections and slow, gentle extraction to preserve the wine's elegance.

The estate also boasts a first barrel cellar with a dry atmosphere and a monolithic cellar in the old quarries beneath the château. This provides ideal conditions for ageing.

The wines

Château Villemaurine is a Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, the flagship cuvée of Château Villemaurine. The 2020 cuvée is an excellent vintage, with beautiful aromatic expression and notes of black fruits. It's a well-balanced, round and silky wine with a deep color.
Les Angelots de Villemaurine is the vineyard's second wine. It is made from a selection of the estate's specific terroirs. It's a harmonious wine, at once fine, gourmand and elegant with red fruit aromas. It benefits from a little ageing before tasting, ideally between 2 and 5 years.