Michel et Marie-Noelle Marengo

Château Hourtin-Ducasse

Region :
Bordeaux
APPELLATION :
Haut-Médoc, Vin de France

17 adjoining plots form the vineyard; each with its own particularities. From the right and left hives along the access to the estate, which in spring will welcome bees, to the Fig tree on which we enjoy the fruits of this magnificent century-old tree, to the Charms along the forest, each one brings its own character to our blend wine.

Anecdotes about the domain

Marie-Noëlle was a publicist, Michel was a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Paris, and we were both Parisians, a long way from a life in a vineyard. But we already loved wine, sharing it and talking about it! So, little by little, we learned, we trained and we made the big leap. We headed for Bordeaux, with our children under our arms! Each vintage of Château Hourtin-Ducasse is an encounter. For 3 years, we accompany it in the vineyards, in the cellars, we look for its character, its particularities to magnify it. As with our children, we find ourselves in each of them: the delicacy of 2007, the roundness of 2009, the seriousness of 2010, the elegance of 2011, the complexity of 2016 ...

The domain's short story

We are for the peace of the households. Michel takes care of the red, Château Hourtin-Ducasse, Haut-Médoc, and Marie(-Noëlle) of the rosé, Les Roses de Marie. Each one has his own domain, even if the fight is sometimes a little bit hard on the distribution of the cabernet franc (we both love this grape variety). Fortunately, a formidable team accompanies us and separates us. And for the last year, our latest product is called noGGIN. It's a spirit drink made from the wines we don't keep in the blend; it has everything of gin. "In 1976, I managed to convince my father, who wanted to build a common professional history with me, to buy some vines rather than cows (and yes!), My wife naturally joined me afterwards, and I hope my children, in a while..." Our goal each year is to find the character of the vintage. Nature never offers us the same thing (rain, sunshine, wind, temperature...). So, in the vineyard as well as during the blending or in the barrels, we accompany this fruit to allow it to reveal itself. Each vintage of Château Hourtin-Ducasse will therefore be very different.

The winemaker's pride

Château Hourtin-Ducasse, located in the commune of Pauillac, produces Haut-Médoc. Two former owners, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Messrs Hourtin and Ducasse, gave it its name. In 1976, we decided to take over the vineyard as a family. For the past 20 years, we have been applying conservation agriculture techniques, which borrow certain techniques from biodynamic and organic agriculture. In addition to our determination to preserve the richness of our terroir and our desire to respect our environment, we are convinced that this will improve the quality of our wines. From the right and left hive, which run along the access to the domain and which will welcome bees in the spring, to the Fig tree on which we enjoy the fruits of this magnificent hundred year old tree, passing by the hornbeams which run along the forest, each one brings its own character to our blended wine.