Chateau Soudars

Already active in the family wine business in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne (33180) in the Médoc, I quickly developed a passion for viticulture and winemaking. A young farmer at 25, between 1973 and 1975, I decided to start my own vineyard in the same village of Saint-Seurin. Anecdotes from the estate: Creating a vineyard from scratch—you might say it's simply impossible? Well, NO! Château Soudars was born from my passion for viticulture and oenology. Soudars now covers 27 hectares, so I think I can say that I succeeded in my challenge of creating my own business, my own vineyard, with a lot of energy, even if it seemed a bit crazy… My daughter Lovely has been working with me since 2003, and I hope that she will, in turn, be able to pass this vineyard on to her children. Our family goal is to continue producing excellent "ready-to-drink" wines from our beautiful Médoc region for the great pleasure of consumers! The Story of the Estate: With debt and a small amount of personal savings, I purchased small plots of land for vines through SAFER (Société d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Etablissement Rural - Land Development and Rural Settlement Company). This is why the Soudars vineyard is so fragmented, as at the time there were more than 50 different plots on the same clay-limestone plateau in the center of the village, and 2 hectares of gravelly soil bordering the estuary. Preparing the soil for planting on the vineyard land in the village center was very difficult because this rich terroir is composed of a multitude of large fossilized stones from the various marine organisms that were present when the river covered part of this area. This work was so extensive that the neighboring winegrowers doubted my ability to finish. The name of the Château comes from the origin of the place name for these plots; "Soudar" in the plural. To create a blend that reflects the typical character of our Haut-Médoc AOC, I planted half Merlot Noir and half Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 1% Cabernet Franc. Eric Boissenot is our consulting oenologist and has always worked on the selections. Because great Bordeaux wines are only ready to drink after a few years of aging, I specialized in "ready-to-drink" wines, a method that has become rare in Bordeaux. This period allows the wine to flourish, giving it complex aromas and developing the taste that makes great Bordeaux wines unique. Storing the wines for later release allows our customers to enjoy this superb evolution. Certification: HVE3 from the 2018 vintage. The pride of the estate: Already active in the family wine group in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne (33180) in the Médoc, I quickly developed a passion for viticulture and winemaking. As a young farmer at 25, between 1973 and 1975, I decided to start creating a personal vineyard in this same village of Saint-Seurin.