Château Vieux Gabarey

The estate

The name comes from the river. The vines at Lamarque, close to the estuary, are crossed by the chemin des Gabareys, down which barrels were rolled to the gabares, the flat-bottomed boats of the estuary, and Maxime Saint-Martin’s grandfather named the vineyard Vieux Gabarey in honor of the gabariers who sailed them; a gabare is on the label. The estate comes from his father’s side, a family of bakers as well as growers, and his great-grandparents always kept a few rows of vines for their own wine. His father, Serge Saint-Martin, made his first vintage in 1982, and Maxime joined him in 2007. He now runs the 2 family estates, this one and Château Graves de Pez, his mother’s family’s vines in Saint-Estèphe.

The vineyard is 7.5 hectares on Garonne gravel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot at 9,000 vines a hectare, 35 years old on average, and the wine ages 12 months in barrel, 20% of it new. Vieux Gabarey is a Cru Artisan du Médoc in the classification for 2022 to 2026.

At a glance

Appellation

Haut-Médoc

Commune

Lamarque

Classification

Cru Artisan du Médoc, vintages 2022 to 2026

Owners

The Saint-Martin family; Maxime Saint-Martin

Vineyard

7.5 hectares; 9,000 vines a hectare; vines 35 years old on average

Ground

Garonne gravel

Grapes

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot

Cellar

12 months in barrel, 20% new

The house

Also Château Graves de Pez, Saint-Estèphe

Sources: Maxime Saint-Martin, the history · Maxime Saint-Martin, the wines · Crus Artisans du Médoc, Château Vieux Gabarey · Qualisud, the Crus Artisans du Médoc classification, 2022 to 2026