Château Maucaillou

Château Maucaillou owes its name to an old expression, a combination of the words "mauvais" (bad) and "caillou" (stone), referring to soil that is unsuitable for crops but ideal for vines. This vineyard is located in Moulis-en-Médoc, in the Haut-Médoc region, between Margaux and Saint-Julien.

Château Maucaillou was built in 1875 and its vineyard is one of the oldest in the Médoc region. It comprises 3 hectares of vines. Maucaillou is, above all, a family story that rhymes with passion and patience. Originally, the château was like a baroque dream, halfway between the Renaissance style and the Arcachon villa style, which was popular in the Médoc at the end of the 19th century. Roger and André Dourthe, two brothers with a passion for wine, arrived on the estate and spared no effort to make it prosper, expanding it to 20 hectares in 1967.

Roger Dourthe's son, Philippe, managed the Maucaillou estate until 2007. During this period, he expanded the estate with 67 additional hectares of vines, definitively placing Maucaillou among the top three estates in the Moulis appellation and bringing its total area to 87 hectares. Philippe Dourthe worked for many years in the wine industry. He was President of the Moulis Appellation Syndicate for 15 years. In 2007, he passed the torch to his children: Caroline (public relations manager at the Musée des Arts et Métiers de la Vigne et du Vin), Magali (technical director), and Pascal (chairman of the board and estate manager). This highly complementary sibling trio is determined to continue in the Dourthe family tradition.

Chateau Maucaillou uses state-of-the-art equipment for its winemaking, which is frequently cited as an example. Its owner favors low-temperature vinification during the first few days in order to extract the quintessence of the grape's fruit aromas, resulting in a delicate and precise extraction. Then, at the end of fermentation, the temperature is raised to extract the finest tannins and color. Château Maucaillou wine is made for aging and has a long finish. The two words that best define the Maucaillou style are finesse and richness. The grapes are harvested by hand and the vineyard is managed using sustainable methods, producing around 600,000 bottles per year.

The terroirs of Château Maucaillou consist of beautiful Quaternary alluvial hilltops, largely originating from the Garonne gravel aquifer of the Güntz, which is also the source of the Médoc's Grands Crus Classés. The very balanced blend includes the classic Médoc grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

Maucaillou red wine has a magnificent color. It is rich in subtle tannins that give it its astonishing length on the palate. It is the result of the combination of three essential elements cultivated by successive generations of winegrowers:

- strict selection during grape harvesting;

- a meticulous winemaking process in large thermo-regulated vats (automatic temperature control);

- aging in cellars housing 2,600 oak barrels that are regularly replaced.

Thanks to the privileges of its terroir and the loving and passionate care taken in vinification, barrel aging, and bottling, Château Maucaillou wines achieve an exceptional class that rivals many of the Médoc's Grands Crus Classés. Maucaillou wine has been honored with numerous citations and awards.