Château Mangot

The château

Mangot is at Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, at the eastern end of Saint-Émilion, and it is a new name in the classification: no earlier list carried it, and in 2022 it went in directly as a Grand Cru Classé. Simone and Jean Petit took the estate on in 1954, Anne-Marie and Jean-Guy Todeschini followed from 1989, and Karl and Yann Todeschini, the 3rd generation, joined in 2008 and run it now. Thomas Duclos consults on the wine and the agronomist Konrad Schreiber on the soil.

The property is 37 hectares in one piece, the vines in 21 parcels rising from 34 to 89 meters on slopes of up to 15%, and 15% of the land is left unplanted as a reserve. The limestone plateau lies above, the clay and limestone of the slopes below, on the soft molasse of the Fronsadais. Merlot leads, with Cabernet Franc behind it and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, at 6,000 vines a hectare.

The family has taken the certifications step by step: Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms) at level 3 from 2016, with ISO 14001; organic from the 2020 vintage; and biodynamic, certified by Biodyvin, from the 2023, after Biodyvin accepted the estate in 2020. Nothing synthetic goes on the vines, the soils are fed with manure and compost and sown with legumes and cereals between the rows, and the wine carries 30 to 60 milligrams of sulfur a liter, about half what the organic rules allow. The 2022 fermented in stainless steel, amphora and large casks, with a maceration of 35 days, and the wines spend more than 1 year in steel, wood and clay. Beside Château Mangot the family makes Todeschini Distique, L’Autre Mangot and a Merlot rosé; Château La Brande, in the Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, is a separate property of theirs, not a second wine.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse

Classification

Grand Cru Classé in 2022, with no earlier classification; Michelin Guide, 1 grape (2026)

Owners

The Todeschini family; Karl and Yann Todeschini, since 2008

Consultants

Thomas Duclos, for the wine; Konrad Schreiber, for the soil

Vineyard

37 hectares in one piece; 21 parcels from 34 to 89 meters; 6,000 vines a hectare; 15% of the land kept as a reserve

Soil

Limestone plateau above, clay and limestone slopes below, on the molasse of the Fronsadais Terroir of Saint-Émilion →

Grapes

Merlot first, then Cabernet Franc; Cabernet Sauvignon 5%

Farming

Haute Valeur Environnementale, level 3, from 2016; ISO 14001; organic from 2020; biodynamic, Biodyvin, from 2023

Cellar

Stainless steel, amphora and large casks; over 1 year in steel, wood and clay; 30 to 60 milligrams of sulfur a liter

Wines

Château Mangot; Todeschini Distique; L’Autre Mangot; a Merlot rosé