Château Fourcas Dupré among the Bordeaux grands crus

Château Fourcas Dupré, in the Listrac-Médoc appellation in the Bordeaux region, belongs to Patrice and Ghislain Pagès. Inherited from their father, they bring the property up to the level of the Bordeaux grands crus by offering unique terroir wines, representative of an exceptional appellation. Pragmatic and realistic, Ghislain leads his project with a lot of passion and curiosity.

A family property that rubs shoulders with the great growths of Bordeaux.

Patrice and Ghislain work on the family property Fourcas Dupré on the Listrac-Médoc appellation in the Bordeaux region. This property was handed down to them by their father: "My family was a wine and cereal producer in Tunisia for many years. When we came back to France, my father invested in a small estate in the Médoc with a friend: Château Fourcas Dupré," says Ghislain.

The property is small, and in view of the chateaux that are falling into ruin and the vines that have been uprooted in the Médoc, Château Fourcas Dupré, with a production in good condition, is a fine example: a sublime terroir, a history, exceptional wines... " The chateau is a historic Bordeaux estate. The name exists since 1843. We are in the Union des Grands Crus, which means that our wines are tasted with all the classified growths of Bordeaux. Fourcas Dupré wines are an alternative to the grands crus," Ghislain points out.

While Patrice took over the domain as manager, Ghislain spent a few years working elsewhere. Until the day when the two brothers made a terrible observation: "Little by little, the taste of wine got lost in the Bordeaux region. The amateurs drank labels, brands. In the 2000s, try to differentiate a Pauillac from a Moulis! That became impossible. People consumed less Bordeaux for the taste itself than for the brand."

One objective is therefore essential: to enhance the value of the castle and the name Fourcas Dupré. "We want people to drink a Fourcas Dupré for its taste, the taste of the wine, the taste of the soil", insists the winemaker.

It was with this idea in mind that he joined the team at the château to work alongside his brother in the commercial side.

To create terroir wines that represent Château Fourcas Dupré.

With this in mind, the two brothers set about transforming the image of their wines. "We have really worked on the product in order to make French and foreign consumers want to drink our wines again. »

To Ghislain's delight, the result is now there: "By developing the taste of the terroir, the wines have gained in finesse, complexity and balance". Château Fourcas Dupré is not the only one to have started this shift, many winemakers have returned to more authentic wines, terroir profiles, by limiting the use of barrels in particular. Ghislain is delighted: "Fortunately, we are in the process of rediscovering the notion of the taste of wine. In this sense, we have been a bit of a pioneer".

The exceptional terroir of Listrac-Médoc

Undoubtedly, it would have been a pity for the Pagès family to miss this turn of events, as the terroir of Listrac-Médoc, on which the Château's vines grow, is so unique.

Ghislain describes it with great enthusiasm and pride:

"We want to come back to the taste of the terroir because we have an exceptional terroir. We have Pyrenean gravel and a clay-limestone subsoil. A very rare fact is that we also have mixed gravel. These are clay soils mixed with Pyrenean gravel. It's great and magical at the same time. »

Our Coup de Coeur cuvées from Domaine Fourcas Dupré :
. Château Bellevue Laffont Red 2014
. Château Fourcas Dupré Red 2011
. Cuvée Hautes Terres 2014

Ghislain Pagès : " I want people to drink my wine because it's different from others. "

This very special terroir makes the Médoc the appellation of the Bordeaux region where we find the most Merlot. This emblematic grape variety of Bordeaux is found in the majority of the cuvée ".Highlands" of the Château.

"We wanted a modern, contemporary wine, which at the same time remains a wine of terroir. To achieve this, the winemakers had to make changes in their winemaking processes: low temperatures, shortened macerations to extract the fruit without the overly hard tannins, and barrel ageing for only 50% of the cuvée.... Ghislain is extremely satisfied with the result: "Hautes Terres is a wine that is both fruity and relatively woody. We are in a very classic wood, and at the same time, we keep the minerality, which is the mark of Fourcas Dupré and the Pyrenean gravel".

In wine, each experience brings its share of learning and know-how. With the elaboration of this cuvée, it is the way of production in general that the winegrowers have reworked. Ghislain testifies: "We are really not in the extraction business. We have reduced the fermentation temperatures and reduced the vatting. Making the Hautes Terres wine has brought us a lot for the elaboration of the great wine. »

Finally, the wines of Château Fourcas Dupré have a unique taste specific to the singular terroir of Listrac-Médoc: "All our wines taste different from other appellations. They have a style specific to Fourcas Dupré. "Icing on the cake: at prices that are not speculative and that remain affordable for all wine lovers. The proof on Les Grappes.

The winemaker's job: a passion

For Ghislain, working with nature is a given: "I grew up in the vineyard on the property. When I'm in the middle of the vineyards, I have an incredible fishing, I want to do a lot of things. It's in my blood, I can't help it". Added to the passion of the vines is the passion of the wine ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... "I love the taste of wine. It's a product I've always loved "... culture and tradition, all the ingredients are there to describe a magnificent profession.

"In the wine, it is often said that there is 12% alcohol and 78% culture. It is a craft product. When you produce wine in France, you feel a bit like an ambassador. The product is fabulous. It has a great reputation. There is an expectation from people, whether they are close to you or far from you". He concludes: "We all work in this business out of passion. »

Manon Mouly (for Les Grappes)