Clos Dubreuil

The estate

Clos Dubreuil was founded in 1997 on 1 idea: find the best parcels on the plateau of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes and gather them under 1 name. It took 20 years to build the mosaic, 9 pieces with their own soils and their own harvest dates, and the Clos of the name borrows the Burgundian idea of a small vineyard walled in on itself. Ralph and Lisa Eads, of a Texan family whose mother had been among the first women to import French wine into Texas in the 1970s, joined the project in 2005 and own it today, with Alain Raynaud beside them. No list had carried the name before the one approved in September 2022, which made it a Grand Cru Classé.

The vineyard is 8.55 hectares on the clay and limestone of the plateau, 1.25 of them planted with Chardonnay for a white. The red vines, 45 years old on average and under a long replanting plan, are 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Cabernet Franc set to grow. The farming is biodynamic: a draft horse works the soil so that it does not pack, and the leaves are no longer pulled in summer, so that the vines need less water. The harvest is by hand, parcel by parcel, the wine ferments in stainless steel and is raised entirely in new barrels, and about 20,000 bottles are made. Anna is the second wine and Dubreuil Chardonnay the white.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, on the limestone plateau

Classification

Grand Cru Classé in 2022, for the first time

Owners

The Eads family, since 2005, with Alain Raynaud; founded in 1997

Vineyard

8.55 hectares in 9 pieces, 1.25 of them Chardonnay; vines 45 years old on average

Ground

Clay and limestone of the plateau

Grapes

Merlot 70%, Cabernet Franc 25%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%; Chardonnay for the white

Farming

Biodynamic; a draft horse works the soil

Cellar

Picked by hand, parcel by parcel; stainless steel; raised entirely in new barrels

Production

About 20,000 bottles

Wines

Clos Dubreuil; Anna; Dubreuil Chardonnay

Sources: Clos Dubreuil, the estate · Clos Dubreuil, the wines · Clos Dubreuil, the owners · Association des Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Émilion, Clos Dubreuil · Conseil des Vins de Saint-Émilion, Clos Dubreuil · Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, the Saint-Émilion classification of 2022