Château Maine Chaigneau
Bordeaux | France
A small family estate for four generations, producing wines in the Lalande de Pomerol, Montagne Saint-Émilion, and Vin de France appellations. Anecdotes from the estate: I took over the family estate in 2014. I've always wanted to do this job and continue the estate's history for the fourth generation. On the estate, we produce four different wines: Lalande de Pomerol Cuvée JS, 100% Merlot, aged for 12 months in new oak barrels; Lalande de Pomerol, our largest production, 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc; Montagne Saint-Émilion, 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc; and Douceurs d'Automne Rosé, a sweet VSIG rosé that we created for an aperitif or with dessert, for example. A brief history of the estate: In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather Maurice Courty left the Dordogne region to cultivate vines in the Libournais area, where he met Cécile. After purchasing several vineyards and lands in Néac and Montagne, he established Château Lafleur Châtain. Work carried out on other properties allowed him to expand. After working on the estate, my grandparents Marie-Thérèse and Robert Courty took over in 1960. They focused on growing and developing the estate, beginning to sell bottled wine directly to individuals. In 1985, the estate was divided among their three children: my father, Serge Courty, and his two sisters. That same year, my parents, Joëlle and Serge, created Château Maine Chaigneau. In 2012, they established EARL Vignobles Courty to prepare for the transfer of ownership, and in 2014, I began working on the estate. The pride of the estate, Château Maine Chaigneau, covers an area of 7.80 hectares: 5.20 hectares in Lalande de Pomerol, 1.50 hectares in Montagne-Saint-Emilion, and 1.10 hectares in Bordeaux.
