Château

Château de La Bridane

shah-TOH duh lah bree-DAHNN
How to read this

Capitals mark the stressed syllable. “ahnn” ends in a real n. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.

15 hectares of Garonne gravel in Saint-Julien, whose wine has been bottled at the château since 1880, run by the Saintout family as independent winegrowers.

Appellation
Saint-Julien

The château

La Bridane sits on gravel laid down by the Garonne, and it belongs to the Saintout family, who also own Château de Cartujac at Saint-Laurent-Médoc, where their oldest document dates from 1640; they count 12 generations. Alphonse Blancan first bottled the wine at the château in 1880, and the marriage of Pierre "Roger" Saintout and Madeleine Blancan in 1925 joined La Bridane to Cartujac. Bruno Saintout took over in 1984, modernized the equipment and brought the estate into the independent winegrowers’ movement, and Pierre Saintout, an agronomist and enologist, joined in 2022 after 3 years at Hennessy.

The 2023 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, fermented in stainless steel and concrete vats, each parcel apart since 2022, and aged 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels. The vineyard holds Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms) at level 3, and the consultants are Antoine Médeville and Pascal Chatonnet. Since 2022 the family has also made Les Trois Canons de la Bridane, a Saint-Julien from a historic parcel of 1.5 hectares brought back after 50 years, and it makes a Chardonnay and a rosé as Vin de France.

The 2019, which I tasted in February 2026, is Saint-Julien in its approachable form. Cabernet Sauvignon drives it, with cassis, graphite, cherries and firm tannins, and Merlot rounds the middle with measured generosity rather than softness: structured, composed, and built to be enjoyed early.

At a glance

Appellation
Saint-Julien
Commune
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
Classification
No classification
Owners
The Saintout family
Direction
Bruno Saintout, since 1984; Pierre Saintout, since 2022
Consultants
Antoine Médeville and Pascal Chatonnet
Vineyard
15 hectares
Soil
Garonne gravel Terroir of Saint-Julien →
Grapes
The 2023: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 30%, Petit Verdot 10%
Farming
Haute Valeur Environnementale, level 3
Cellar
Stainless steel and concrete vats, by parcel since 2022; 16 to 18 months in French oak
Wines
Château La Bridane; Les Trois Canons de la Bridane, since 2022; Chardonnay de la Bridane and a rosé, Vin de France
The house
Also Château de Cartujac, Haut-Médoc

Sources

Institutions
Vignerons Indépendants, Château La Bridane
Its own publications
Vignobles Saintout: the estate, our wines, the savoir-faire

Revised October 10, 2026. How I choose sources

The record

Château de La Bridane is in the Saint-Julien appellation.

The 1855 Classification was published on April 18, 1855, drawn up by the brokers of the Bordeaux exchange for the Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Source: Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855

Private

By invitation only.

Tastings

1

Château de La Bridane 2019, Saint Julien

February 4, 2026

Château de La Bridane 2019, Saint Julien

On from here

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