Château Clarisse

The estate

Didier and Olivia Le Calvez both grew up near vines, he in the Gironde and she in the Haut-Médoc. They founded Château Clarisse in 2009 on the heights of Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion and gave it their daughter’s name; the first vintage was the 2010. The domain covers 24 hectares on a plateau 100 meters up, a few minutes from Saint-Émilion, with 4 hectares of woods and 4 left fallow. The soils are clay and limestone, in places clay and silica, over the Oligocene limestone full of fossil starfish. The farming is reasoned: the soils are worked mechanically, hedges and trees go in among the parcels, every grape is picked by hand, and beehives are planned for 2027.

In 2020 the couple planted Chardonnay on ground that had grown red wine, and they expect it to reach about 30% of the vineyard; they have also brought back Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The range is a Chardonnay sold as a Vin de France; Château Clarisse and Château Clarisse Vieilles Vignes, both Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion from Merlot and Cabernet Franc; and Cuvée Allegria, a Merlot of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. Tiphanie Bondu has run the winemaking and aging since 2024, and Julien Viaud has been the consulting oenologist since 2018. Guests can stay at the Villa Héloïse, among the vines.

At a glance

Appellation

Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion; Cuvée Allegria, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Commune

Puisseguin

Classification

No classification

Owners

Didier and Olivia Le Calvez, since 2009

Direction

Tiphanie Bondu, winemaking and aging, since 2024

Oenologist

Julien Viaud, consultant, since 2018

Vineyard

24 hectares on a plateau 100 meters up, 4 of them woods and 4 fallow

Ground

Clay and limestone, in places clay and silica, over limestone with fossil starfish

Grapes

Merlot, Cabernet Franc; Chardonnay since 2020; Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Malbec

Farming

Reasoned; soils worked mechanically; all picked by hand

Wines

Château Clarisse; Château Clarisse Vieilles Vignes; Cuvée Allegria; a Chardonnay, Vin de France

Sources: Château Clarisse · Château Clarisse, the domaine · Château Clarisse, the wines · Château Clarisse, biodiversity