Château Gadet Terrefort

The estate

Fernand Bernard founded the estate in 1921 with 4 hectares; Christian Bernard led its growth to 34 hectares of vines in production, spread over 2 communes, Gaillan-en-Médoc and Ordonnac, on sandy gravel and on clay and limestone, and Anaïs Bernard, the founder’s granddaughter, runs it today. It is among the largest estates of the Crus Artisans, and it has kept the shape of a farm: it raises beef cattle and makes vine stakes alongside the wine. The name of the place is older than the estate. Armand d’Armailhacq, in La culture des vignes, la vinification et les vins dans le Médoc of 1855, named the cru of Gadet, of M. Fabre de Rieunègre, and that of M. Moutardier as the best rated of Gaillan, a commune he counted among the least esteemed of the canton, and by 1898 Charles Cocks and Édouard Féret, whose Bordeaux et ses vins was the reference book of the Bordeaux trade, gave Euthyme Moutardier’s holding at Gadet 160 tonneaux (the old Bordeaux measure of a crop, 900 liters, or 4 barrels).

The vineyard is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, 30 years old on average. It is picked by machine, with a sorter and destemmer on the harvester; the wine stays on its skins for 2.5 months and ages 12 months. The estate makes about 60,000 bottles a year, in sizes from the 75 cL bottle to 18 liters, and sells 60% of it directly. Gadet Terrefort is a Cru Artisan du Médoc in the classification for the vintages 2022 to 2026.

At a glance

Appellation

Médoc

Commune

Gaillan-en-Médoc and Ordonnac

Classification

Cru Artisan du Médoc, vintages 2022 to 2026

Owners

The Bernard family, since 1921

Direction

Anaïs Bernard

Vineyard

34 hectares in production; vines 30 years old on average

Ground

Sandy gravel; clay and limestone

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 50%

Cellar

Picked by machine; 2.5 months on the skins; 12 months of aging

Production

About 60,000 bottles a year, 60% sold directly

The house

A farm as well: beef cattle and vine stakes

Not to be confused with

Château Vieux Gadet, a separate estate at Gaillan

Sources: Crus Artisans du Médoc, Château Gadet Terrefort · Qualisud, the Crus Artisans du Médoc classification, 2022 to 2026