Château des Graviers

The château

Christophe Landry’s great-grandfather bought the first parcels at Le Gravier, a lieu-dit of Arsac, and the family has kept the estate for 4 generations. The soil explains the name. The 13 hectares stand on rises of Quaternary gravel brought down from the Pyrenees, which top out at 19 to 23 meters, and the gravel runs 14 to 16 meters deep, full of pebbles and poor in clay. When soil studies found 3 kinds of soil, the family answered with 3 more varieties, and the vineyard is now 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Carmenère, with vines 30 years old on average. It is certified organic.

Each variety is picked when it is ripe, some by hand and some by machine, and sorted at the end of the rows; each parcel has its own vat, and the wine ages 12 to 16 months in French oak barrels, 25% of them new, for about 40,000 bottles a year. Des Graviers is a Cru Artisan du Médoc in the classification for the vintages 2022 to 2026.

At a glance

Appellation

Margaux

Commune

Arsac

Classification

Cru Artisan du Médoc, vintages 2022 to 2026

Owner

Christophe Landry, the 4th generation

Vineyard

13 hectares; vines 30 years old on average

Soil

Quaternary Pyrenean gravel, 14 to 16 meters deep Terroir of Margaux →

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 61%, Merlot 26%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 3%, Malbec 3%, Carmenère 2%

Farming

Organic, certified

Cellar

A vat for each parcel; 12 to 16 months in French oak barrels, 25% new

Production

About 40,000 bottles a year