Château Hauterive

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The winemaker

Château Hauterive, overlooking the commune of Saint-Germain d'Esteuil, sits high on the Médoc peninsula, with a breathtaking view over the Reysson marshes. Historically, the Hauterive estate belonged to the neighboring 14th-century Château Castera. In the mid-18th century, the Verthamont family took possession of the estate for 166 years and created the modern wine estate. It was under their dynasty that the property appeared in print as "Cru des rives" or "Chalet d'Hauterive". There is also a strong presumption that part of the estate originated from the neighboring Château Bricaillou, thanks to the intimate history linking the two families through the marriage of Marc Antoine du Périer and Marie-Thérèse de Verthamont in 1749. In more recent times, according to local people, the De Gaulle family were regular visitors to Saint-Germain d'Esteuil. The château is said to have hosted General De Gaulle for a few nights before he left France for England on June 17, 1940, when Marshal Pétain asked Germany for the Armistice. Since the 2018 vintage, Château Hauterive has obtained HVE certification. The estate benefits from a gently sloping clay-limestone terroir, which enables natural drainage of the plots and good water supply to the vines even in dry weather, as was the case for the 2016 vintage. It is this very special terroir that enables the grapes to reach full maturity and the wines to achieve a high level of richness in aroma and tannin.