Château Hourtin-Ducasse: Mastering the Vintage

Michel and Marie Noëlle Marengo embarked on their wine-making journey 40 years ago. Leaving behind life in Paris for the vineyards of Bordeaux, they set out to create “the best wine possible from the estate” under the name Château Hourtin-Ducasse.

The Château Hourtin Ducasse story: 40 years of history

This story began 40 years ago: Michel Marengo wanted to build a career with his father. After considering various options, they ultimately decided on viticulture and, in 1976, took over Château Hourtin-Ducasse in the town of Saint Sauveur, on the outskirts of Pauillac.

“Wine wasn’t part of our original training at all,” Marie Noëlle admits. Michel was an engineer, and she worked in advertising. Little by little, however, they developed a taste for working with vines and wine. “A little over 15 years ago, we gave up everything else we were doing to focus solely on the vineyard.”

What sets them apart: Just one red wine

Château Hourtin-Ducasse is a 25-hectare family-owned estate comprising 23 hectares of vineyards, producing a Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois wine. In this venture, the couple is supported by a team of five people and seven children… perhaps the next generation of winemakers?

The red wine from the Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois: “One goal: to make this vintage a success.”

That is what sets this château apart: it produces a single red wine, Château Hourtin-Ducasse, a Cru Bourgeois from the Haut-Médoc, the finest wine the estate has to offer. “Château Hourtin-Ducasse is the only wine we produce. We start with a white base every time.” The wine’s profile? “It’s crafted according to the character of the vintage. We’re really looking for fruit.”

To ensure this quality with complete objectivity, the blending is done blind. “We have no preconceived rules.” The tastings, which take place over several days, thus ensure the creation of the best cuvée, one that is most representative of the vintage. Once the blending is complete, the wine ages in barrels for as long as necessary, depending on the vintage’s potential, to enhance and complement the wine’s fruit. “Generally, this is between 12 and 17 months. Again, there are no set rules, and it depends on the vintage.”

Since 2013, half of the alcoholic fermentations have been carried out in barrels. This technique brings out the fruit’s character while avoiding pumping that is too harsh on the wine. “With the 2013 vintage, it feels as though we’ve enhanced the fruit and made it more concentrated.”

The result? These are fruity, concentrated wines that vary from vintage to vintage. “Each vintage tells a different story. The 2011, for example, is extremely mineral. That was its character, its unique trait, so it was crafted with that in mind.”

"Preserving the earth's bounty" to make the finest wine

Even before blending, the work begins in the vineyards and in the soil. The key to making a good wine: rich soil. “In our wines, we want to capture the fruit, the grapes as they were in the vineyard.” Drawing on techniques fromorganic and biodynamicfarming, Michel and Marie Noëlle reflect, experiment, observe, and analyze different methods. “We’re ready to try all sorts of things. The idea is: what could help us make the best wine possible?” Some techniques are already working on the estate: treating the vines with essential oils and herbal infusions, preserving biodiversity between the rows… others are under study, others are in the planning stages: “We’re really eager to work with seaweed.”

Out of concern for the environment and a desire to preserve the richness of this renowned terroir, the Marengos are moving forward step by step and developing numerous projects: solar panels, charging stations for electric cars… “To make the best wine, we feel that this is the best way forward.”

You can meet Michel and Marie Noëlle Marengo at the estate, and also discover Château Hourtin-Ducasse, a Cru Bourgeois from the Haut-Médoc, on Les Grappes: here!

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