Château Larrivaux

The estate

The family counts 1580 as the start of Larrivaux’s story, and what follows is a chain of marriages. In the 17th century the noble house belonged to the Pomiers, lords of Le Breuil; in 1679 Jacques de Veissière de la Barre, a squire and officer of the king, acquired it, and from him it passed by marriage through the Chadirac, Marin de Saint-Palais, Le Gentil de Paroy, Magne, du Hamel and Desmoulins de Leybardie families to Huguette de Carheil, who carried it into the 20th century. Bérangère Tesseron, heir to that line, has run it since 2005; her husband Basile joined her in 2022, and they own it with their sons Timour, Vassili, Vadim and Till. Christophe Barbeyron is technical director.

The 19.6 hectares lie on 4 islands around the house, on soils mainly of clay, fine and sandy in places, gravelly in others, with limestone here and there, over old stone quarries where more than 9 species of bats live. The family has replanted more than 2 kilometers of hedges and 2 copses, and the estate holds Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms) certification. The vineyard is 61% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, at 6,500 vines a hectare, and the blend of the red moves with the vintage; the wine spends 12 months in barrel, less than 25% of it new. A white of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris is on the way.

At a glance

Appellation

Haut-Médoc

Commune

Cissac-Médoc

Classification

No classification

Owners

Bérangère and Basile Tesseron and their sons

Direction

Bérangère Tesseron, since 2005; Christophe Barbeyron, technical director

Vineyard

19.6 hectares on 4 islands; 6,500 vines a hectare

Ground

Mainly clay, from fine and sandy to gravelly, with limestone in places

Grapes

Merlot 61%, Cabernet Sauvignon 26%, Cabernet Franc 8%, Petit Verdot 5%

Farming

Haute Valeur Environnementale

Cellar

12 months in barrel, less than 25% new

Wines

Château Larrivaux; Le Borderon; L’X de Larrivaux

Sources: Château Larrivaux, the estate · Château Larrivaux, a history of women · Château Larrivaux, a living terroir · Château Larrivaux, our space of freedom · Château Larrivaux, the wines · Château Larrivaux, the team · Conseil des Vins du Médoc, Château Larrivaux · Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, the classification of 2025 · Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, the classification of 2020