The history of the estate

In 1870, the Francisco family acquired the Château de la Croix estate. At the time, the estate consisted of 15 hectares (12 hectares of woodland and 3 hectares of mixed farming) 7km from Lesparre, in the heart of the Médoc peninsula. Some fifty years later, 6 hectares of vines were planted following the abandonment of a few hectares of less profitable mixed farming.

In 1956, frost destroyed half the vineyard, but the family didn’t give up and replanted all the frozen plots the following year. A few years later, the next generation of the Francisco family bought some twenty hectares of the village’s most prestigious terroirs. In the 1980s, under the fourth generation, numerous investments were made to improve the structure and quality of the wines.

In 2016, after years of expanding the estate and improving the quality of the wines, Jean Francisco handed over the reins to his daughter Stéphanie. The latter brings a fresh look, combining modernity and tradition to a vineyard that now covers 31 hectares of vines.

The terroir

Covering 31 hectares, the Château de la Croix vineyard is made up of vines that are 35 years old on average, planted at high density and trained with the meticulous attention to detail characteristic of the prestigious Médoc crus. The grape varieties are 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

The terroir on which these vines are grown is made up of major soil types:

• On the one hand, the Garonne gravels are mechanically worked to promote water drainage and release heat accumulated during the day to the grapes. This is the ideal terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon!
• On the other hand, clay-limestone soils, which are a little richer and naturally grassier, are ideal for Merlot and Cabernet Franc to bring richness and complexity.