Château Montlisse

The château

Montlisse sits on one of the high points of the appellation, on the east slope of Saint-Émilion at Saint-Hippolyte, with Château Fleur Cardinale, Château Valandraud and Château Rol Valentin for neighbors. Its 7 hectares form one rounded piece facing south and southwest on steep slopes, on very clayey, carbonated soils that shed their water toward the valley of the Dordogne. The Dauriac family bought it in 1984. Christian Dauriac owns it along with Château Destieux, a Grand Cru Classé in the same commune, and Château La Clémence in Pomerol, and Michel Rolland advised on the wine until his death in March 2026. Montlisse had never held a rank until the list approved in September 2022 made it a Grand Cru Classé.

The vines are 82% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 years old on average, with permanent grass between the rows. No herbicide is used; hedges and roses have gone in at the row ends, boxes shelter insects and birds, and a parcel rests 3 to 5 years under flowers and cereals before it is replanted. The estate is certified Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms), level 3. The fruit comes in by hand in small crates and goes into the vats uncrushed, parcel by parcel, in stainless steel of 30 to 55 hectoliters with temperature control: a cold soak of about a week, a fermentation on the grapes’ own yeasts with pumping over by hand, then 3 to 4 weeks on the skins. The malolactic is done in barrel, and the wine stays on its lees until April and in the cellar for more than 12 months in all. The 2015 vintage made 23,000 bottles.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Hippolyte, on the east slope of Saint-Émilion

Classification

Grand Cru Classé in 2022, for the first time

Owner

The Dauriac family, since 1984; Christian Dauriac

Consultant

Michel Rolland, until his death in March 2026

Vineyard

7 hectares in one rounded piece facing south and southwest

Soil

Very clayey, carbonated soils on steep slopes Terroir of Saint-Émilion →

Grapes

Merlot 82%, Cabernet Franc 13%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%; vines 40 years old on average

Farming

Haute Valeur Environnementale, level 3; no herbicide; permanent grass; 3 to 5 years fallow before replanting

Cellar

Picked by hand into small crates; uncrushed; cold soak; the grapes’ own yeasts; stainless steel of 30 to 55 hectoliters; malolactic in barrel; on the lees until April

Production

23,000 bottles in 2015

Wines

Château Montlisse