Clos de Bigos

The estate

Clos de Bigos is Margaux on a family scale. Grandfather André started with 0.5 hectares of vines at Soussans in the 1950s, as was common then. His daughter Christiane and her husband Raymond, both working for the post office in Paris in the 1970s, came back to the Médoc and took the estate on, Raymond in the vines and Christiane labeling and selling the wine. In 2020 their son Nicolas Jarousseau, who had studied viticulture and oenology, took it over as owner and grower, the 3rd generation; his wife Karine handles the communication and designs the labels. It is a Cru Artisan du Médoc in the classification for the vintages 2022 to 2026.

The 1.6 hectares are 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot, 60 years old on average, with parcels more than 100 years old. They are worked the old way, with a straddle tractor to hill and unhill the rows, and sheep graze them in winter. The grapes are picked by hand into crates, sorted and destemmed by hand by the family and friends, fermented in cement vats and aged 24 months in barrels, 1 third new, and amphorae. The wine is bottled and labeled by hand at the property, about 10,000 bottles a year, all of it Clos de Bigos. The estate also has guest rooms.

At a glance

Appellation

Margaux

Commune

Soussans

Classification

Cru Artisan du Médoc, vintages 2022 to 2026

Owners

Karine and Nicolas Jarousseau; Nicolas since 2020, the 3rd generation

Vineyard

1.6 hectares; vines 60 years old on average, some more than 100

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 30%, Petit Verdot 20%

Farming

Traditional tillage; sheep in winter

Cellar

Sorted and destemmed by hand; cement vats; 24 months in barrels, 1 third new, and amphorae

Production

About 10,000 bottles

Wines

Clos de Bigos

Sources: Clos de Bigos · Clos de Bigos, the vineyard · Clos de Bigos, the know-how · Crus Artisans du Médoc, Clos de Bigos · Qualisud, the Crus Artisans du Médoc classification, 2022 to 2026