Chateau Labegorce-Zede

Unsurprisingly, Labegorce-Zede shares its origins with the nearby Chateau Labegorce, and so their early history is indistinguishable – they were both part of one estate.

Originally owned by the Gorce family – a clan that worked its way up from merchants to veritable aristocrats – viticulture was to be found nestled between pasture and wheat fields. The estate was fragmented following the French Revolution. Of the three succeeding estates, only two remain viticulturally active: Chateau Labegorce and Labegorce-Zede.

Labegorce-Zede was first purchased as a separate entity by Barthelemy Benoist in 1795 before being passed onto his daughter. His daughter subsequently married a wealthy merchant called Jean-Emile Zede. The estate was then given to their son Pierre Zede, who gave his family name to the estate. He had three sons and predictably it was the eldest, Emile Zede, who found himself in charge of the property and the surrounding vineyards. Emile soon bought out other interested family members so as to assume undivided control. Consequently the property was willed to his children, who then sold it onto the estate manager, Pierre Hubert Eyrin, in 1931. The property then fell into the hands of various proprietors in quick succession before being acquired by Jean Battesti in 1961. He gave the facilities some much needed attention, investing in both the vineyards and the cellars.

Because of this devotion, Labegorce-Zede was soon moving up in the estimations of many. The property was then bought by the respected Luc Thienpont, who carried on investment and replanting. The upward trend therefore increased without abate before being purchased in 2005 by the petrochemical captain of industry Hubert Perrodo. It was his laudable ambition to unify the three estates that once made up the original Labegorce domaine. Lamentably, Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident in 2006 and so his ambitions are now in the shadow. It is unclear as to whether the Perrodo family will decide to continue with their father’s initiative, which would certainly be groundbreaking news.

As it stands, the vineyards account for 27 hectares situated in the Margaux appellation. The terroir is characterised by gravelly, mineral-rich terroir. Vines are planted at 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. One third are of a venerable age of over 40 years, the other third were planted by Battesti between 1965 and 1973, while the other third are younger vines. Harvest is manual and fruit is subject to an exacting sorting process. Fruit is fermented according to the parcel of origin (which given the above is something to appreciate) in temperature regulated vats.

Wine is macerated for three weeks before going to oak, of which 50% of the barrels are new each vintage. 15000 cases are produced a year, the majority of which are the grand vin Chateau Labegorce-Zede. There is also a second wine called Domaine Zede which accounts for up to half the production of the estate at times. There is also a third wine known as Z de Zede, a 9 hectare plot under the Bordeaux Superieur appellation.