This 58 hectare estate proudly proclaims that its first harvest took place in 1599, which makes it one of the oldest châteaux in the Saint-Emilion region. The beautiful 17th century country manor was originally the cloister of the town’s Carthusian Monastery. Owned by Jacques de Canolle in 1466, the estate later belonged to the Dumas de Fombrauge family, who implemented the first quality winemaking in the estate in the 18th century.
World-renowned oenologist Michel Rolland is the consultant now charged with maintaing the estate's high standards alongside proprietor of the last 40 years, Bernard Magrez.
The vineyard is managed on a parcel by parcel basis with grass covering and ploughing between the rows of vines. Careful canopy management means that the vines have just the right amount of leaves to nourish the grapes but allow them to ripen in the sun. Parcel selection is made based on terroir, grape variety and age of the vines. A further selection is made within the parcels thanks to relevant information on maturity and vine health provided by information from an over-flying drone. The harvest is gently collected in small crates and sorted on a table before and after destemming by 20 qualified people. Vatting takes place in small capacity wooden tanks (70 hectoliters) fed by gravity. Pre-fermentation maceration follows for 4-8 days at 8°C. Manual punching down ensures the skins have just the right amount of contact with the juice. After fermentation, aging for 18 months in 45% new oak barrels, 45% one year-old barrels, 10% in state-of-the-art cement tanks allows the blend of 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc to marry, rest and mature until ready for bottling, which for this vintage took place in June 2018.