Château Belgrave

The history of Belgrave Castle

The property became a wine estate and underwent strong development in the 19th century. It was Bruno Devès, a Bordeaux merchant, who first gave it the name Bellegrave in 1845, in connection with its "beautiful gravel" terroir. He restructured the vineyard and developed vines on the best terroirs. In 1855, he obtained the fifth Grand Cru classification in the Haut-Médoc appellation. The estate prospered thereafter, until it was sold in 1924.

Several owners came and went, and the quality of the wine gradually declined. Neglected for a time, it was taken over and restored in 1979 by the Dourthe trading house, one of Bordeaux's leading houses. Major investments have since been made. Château Belgrave was the first vineyard to be taken over by Dourthe, and eight more were acquired over the next 25 years.

The vineyard

An exceptional terroir

The 59-hectare vineyard benefits from a clay subsoil and land in a single block. Its deep gravel terroir is in the Haut Médoc appellation, bordering on the Saint Julien appellation.

Rasoned cultivation practices

The producer has applied to Château Belgrave the methods that have made the Dourthe estates so successful: each terroir is carefully studied, the vines are meticulously pruned, yields are limited and the grapes are harvested entirely by hand with systematic double sorting.

The grape varieties are carefully selected, with Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon making up the vast majority, representing 92% of the total. The remainder is divided equally between Petit-Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

The wines

-Château Belgrave, Haut Médoc - Grand Cru classé 1855 is the emblematic wine of Château Belgrave, obtained thanks to the vineyard teams' perfect knowledge of the vines' water requirements. As a result, they precisely adapt viticultural work, crop care and harvesting to the particularities of its subsoil.

The cuvée expresses great finesse, and this dense, deep wine reflects the unique personality of this exceptional terroir. It also has great aromatic complexity and excellent ageing potential.

The 2019 vintage is a blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot with 3% Petit Verdot. This great wine has a deep purple color. The nose is floral with notes of violets, blackberries and black cherry.

-Diane de Belgrave, AOC Haut Médoc The Second Vin du Château Belgrave is a supple, fruity wine. With its fine tannins, it can be enjoyed young. It is produced with the same care as the first wine. However, it is made mainly from younger vines.

-Couronne de Belgrave, Haut-Médoc is a ruby-colored wine with ripe red fruit aromas. It is 85% Merlot, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.