Chateau Desmirail

Towards the end of the 1600s the estate was under the ownership of a Jean Desmirail, having secured it as part of a dowry, brought by one of the Rauzan daughters.

It was he who gave his name to the property, and his descendants retained ownership until the 19th century when it fell into the hands of the gentleman Mr. Sipiere, who was also manager at Chateau Margaux.

In 1860 he graced the estate with an elegant chateau, though he would enjoy it for only a few decades; in 1905 the property passed to Robert Mendelssohn, a banker from Berlin and nephew of none other than the great composer.

Typically, in 1914 the German ownership led to the property being seized, and so came into the possession of Martial Michel, a glove maker, who sold the chateau and vineyards (together with the Desmirail ‘brand’) separately in 1938. The original chateau today remains separate and part of the Alesme-Becker estate.

The vineyards of Desmirail has since made up for this loss in 1981 when Lucien Lurton bought some handsome neo-classical buildings in the village of Cantenac.

In the interval of 1938 and 1981 the vineyards of Desmirail were harvested alongside Palmer, and Desmirail as an independent entity ceased to exist. It was Lucien Lurton who recreated the estate, beginning in 1981. By 1992 he had passed control to his son Dennis, who remains in control today.

The ground under vine consists of gravelly soils that characterise the superior vineyards of the left bank of the Gironde, though there are patches of sand and clay also.

The estate boasts 30 hectares, and vineyards are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon at 80% of all vines planted, while 15% and 5% are dedicated to Merlot and Cabernet Franc, respectively.

The fruit is harvested manually before being subject to the sorting tables. Grapes are then destemmed and lightly crushed prior to fermentation. The wine is then sorted into either the grand vin, Chateau Desmirail, or the second wine, Chateau Fontarney. The grand vin is oaked for a further 12-18 months, of which a third of all barrels are new each year. Racking is performed every three months and the fining is achieved with egg whites prior to bottling.