Château des Chapelains

The château

Château des Chapelains stands above the Dordogne valley on the first slopes south of Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, between Saint-Émilion and Bergerac, and its history goes back to the 17th century. For decades it was a farm of mixed crops and dairy cattle with a small vineyard. From the 1960s it was replanted to vines in one block; it built its own cellar in 1991, enlarged it in 1999, and bought 12 more hectares nearby in 2009. The soils are mostly clay and limestone, with some boulbènes on the tops.

The 48 hectares hold 31 of red, 17 Merlot, 6 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.5 Cabernet Franc, 2.5 Malbec and 1.3 Carmenère, and 17 of white, 7.5 Sauvignon Blanc, 3.9 Sémillon, 3.2 Sauvignon Gris and 2.3 Muscadelle. There are 2 cellars, 1 for red and 1 for white; the reds are made with punching down, and the whites are raised in 300-liter Burgundy barrels with a system that keeps the lees in suspension. About one third of the wine is dry and sweet white and two thirds red, clairet and rosé. The estate belongs to an environmental management association certified ISO 14001.

At a glance

Appellation

Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux

Commune

Saint-André-et-Appelles

Classification

No classification

Vineyard

48 hectares: 31 red, 17 white

Soil

Mostly clay and limestone; boulbènes on the tops

Grapes

Red: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Carmenère; white: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle

Farming

Member of an environmental management association certified ISO 14001

Cellar

2 cellars, 1 for red and 1 for white; whites in 300-liter Burgundy barrels

Wines

Les Temps Modernes; Prélude; Diamant Noir; La Muscadelle; Aphrodite, sweet; clairet and rosé