Château Rauzan-Gassies

The history of Château Rauzan-Gassies

Originally, in the 14th century, the estate was the home of the nobleman de Gassies, hindquarters of the seigneury of Margaux. Its winegrowing history began in the 17th century, with the knight Pierre Desmezures de Rauzan.

The knight proved to be a talented winemaker and shone with his ability to judge the quality of terroirs. At a time when the Domaine de Rauzan was already substantial, a violent hailstorm devastated a large part of the Margalais vineyards. However, the Chevalier's vines were spared, and rumor had it that birds had protected the grapes with their wings in the Gassies area. This is how the estate took its definitive name, Château Rauzan-Gassies, and how wine labels have been adorned with a winged coat of arms ever since.

In the 18th century, the wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies were initially considered the first of the second growths of the Margaux and Cantenac parishes. In 1855, the Château was elevated to the rank of Second Grand Cru Classé in the Imperial Classification.

In 1946, Château Rauzan-Gassies was bought by a Parisian wine merchant, Paul Quié. His son Jean-Michel inherited the estate on his death in 1968, and embarked on an ambitious program to both restructure the vineyard and modernize the facilities.

Since 2000, Jean-Michel's children have been managing Château Rauzan-Gassies: Anne-Françoise and Jean-Philippe. The vineyard has since been enriched by the addition of several new plots.

The Château Rauzan-Gassies vineyard

Located in the heart of the Médoc Regional Nature Park, the Château Rauzan-Gassies vineyard covers 30 hectares in the Haut-Médoc appellation and 30 hectares in the Margaux appellation, and each of the vines has been planted by one of the generations of the Quié family.

Château Rauzan-Gassies benefits from an exceptional terroir in Margaux for its quality, as much as for the beauty of the landscape composed of vines, but also forests and meadows. Part of the land is a Natura 2000 site. The aim is to preserve natural areas that are home to local fauna and endemic plant species. Blonde d'Aquitaine cows take care of the meadows.

The soil of the vineyards is made up of gravelly sands and deep gravels whose natural drainage is perfectly suited to the vines. The grape varieties are 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot.

The wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies

The wines of Château Rauzan-Gassies are typical of the great wines of Margaux. They are elegant and subtle. Their color is sumptuous, dark garnet with purplish highlights. The nose is fine and complex. When young, redcurrant and cherry dominate. With age, subtle aromas of cedar and sweet spices such as cinnamon emerge.

The attack on the palate is supple and smooth. The tannins are silky and deep. They carry through to the long finish. Château Rauzan-Gassies wines have a long ageing potential. The estate offers three red wines:

Gassies belonging to the Margaux appellation;

Château Rauzan-Gassies, the other Margaux ;

L'Orme de Château Rauzan-Gassies, belonging to the Haut Médoc appellation.