Domaine de Lionne

Anecdotes from the Estate: Our credo: let nature and the fruit speak for themselves. The Estate's Story: Château de Lionne is my Everest... a blend of fear and tranquility. I've traveled quite a bit, and it was chance that led me to this profession. So I wouldn't say I'm different from my colleagues, as many of them have been my mentors. I would simply say that I experience my work as a gift, different every day, but so enjoyable. The Estate's Pride: Château de Lionne is a vineyard estate spanning 37 hectares. The Château is located in the commune of Illats, in the heart of the Graves region, between the Landes forest of Gironde, the Garonne River, and the Ciron River. This geographical location allows the estate to experience very harsh winters, very hot summers, and sometimes we even get a few surprises, like spring frosts. Véronique Smati decided to take over Château de Lionne in 2007. The estate receives the utmost care to restore this wine to its former glory. Véronique Smati has surrounded herself with the best team to bottle the terroir of Graves. Grégory Dalla Longa, trained by Denis Dubourdieu, is the Château's winemaker. We primarily produce Graves Rouge and Graves Blanc, blended wines made from Bordeaux grape varieties. For the reds, depending on the vintage, we work with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot in varying proportions. For the whites, Sémillon is often the dominant grape, blended with Sauvignon Blanc. The soils of Château de Lionne are divided into two entities: well-drained, cool, sandy-gravelly soils, ideal for white grape varieties and Merlot, and beautiful deep gravel terroirs that give later-ripening grape varieties optimal maturity. Our credo: to let nature and the fruit express themselves.