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At the heart of the Graves de Bordeaux Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) lies a château steeped in history. Imbued with the stories engraved in the stones of the century-old château, the wind tells the vines the history of the place. A land, a story, a family searching for each other, … It’s this passion that gives Château des Fougères – clos Montesquieu wines their full flavor.
In the footsteps of the illustrious Montesquieu
Writer, businessman and public figure Charles Montesquieu had another passion: winegrowing. An epicurean, he liked to end his days with a good glass of red wine. That’s why, when he inherited his father’s estate, he immediately planted a few vines.
In 1756, the residence became the property of a Chartrons merchant. In 1837, the latter’s daughters decided to part with him. After a brief period in the hands of an anonymous owner, the vineyard was sold to Gaston de Montesquieu, one of the writer’s descendants. With his wife, Mathilde de Courtaurel, Gaston decided to rename the château Faugeyres, which would later become Fougères.
In his hands, the Château des Fougères will enjoy a new lease of life. The dwelling was enlarged and became a meeting place for seasoned hunters. On 27 of the vineyard’s 80 hectares, he planted Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Blanc.
In 1874, the state books show production of 40 barrels of red wine and 20 barrels of white wine. By 1881, these figures had risen to 80 and 20 respectively. In 1908, Gaston de Montesquieu’s son took over the reins and decided to limit production to 40 barrels, 35 of which were red. It wasn’t until 1986, under the management of Baron Henry de Montesquieu, that viticulture once again became one of the main activities at Château des Fougères – Clos Montesquieu.
In 2010, Château des Fougères was bought by Dominique Coutière. Today, the estate boasts 12 hectares of vines, divided between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year, the estate produces around 450 hl bottled in 50 barrels.
A property bathed in sunshine
Thanks to the presence of three drains running from north to south, the Château des Fougères vines are constantly supplied with nutrients. In addition to this size advantage, grape varieties can count on the diversity of soils. Clay, sand, gravel-clay and sandy-gravel soils form an astonishingly rich terrestrial monochrome.
To ensure that the Merlot tannins are at their peak, the grapes are planted in all four soil types. On the other hand, the fragile nature of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety predisposes it to gravel-clay soils.
It’s important to point out that the two varieties were not introduced at the same time. The first Merlot vines were planted in 1987, and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2001.
Wines with the scent of yesteryear
Château des Fougères produces two types of wine:
- Château des Fougères clos Montesquieu Graves rouge: matured in oak vats for 14 to 16 months, this Bordeaux has a strong character yet is surprisingly fine;
- Rouge Fougères clos Montesquieu: fruity, matured for a year in 100% French wood barrels.
As good as each other, these two wines will delight the taste buds of connoisseurs and casual oenologists alike.
Photos: Château Fougères Clos Montesquieu
Directeur artistique, Alfred Laurent est l'âme créative de la première place de marché direct producteur en France. Passionné de Beaujolais, de moto et de BD, il est toujours à l'affût de la nouvelle pépite !
