Chateau Poujeaux

Chateau Poujeaux’s history can be followed back to the e1500s, when it was under the ownership of Gaston De L’Isle, who also owned Chateau Latour and was responsible for the construction of the impressive, turreted Chateau de la Riviere.

In 1806 it was acquired by M Castaing and it was the Castaings who owned the property during the 1855 classification. Like many other worthy properties, Poujeaux was overlooked. The estate was passed to the next generation, and so divided between three siblings. It was not to be reunited until the 20th century when the Theil family entered the scene.

Francois Theil purchased a third of the original property in 2921, and it was his enterprising son Jean Theil who brought the three portions together once more. In 1932 his property was ranked highly in the Cru Bourgeois classification, and remained this way in the botched 2003 revision in which Poujeaux was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel until the system was made void in 2007 after legal challenges.

The Theils remained in control during this furore but they were ready to sell and in February 2008 the property came into the possession of Philippe Cuvelier, a businessman from Paris who had already laid his hands on Clos Fourtet in 2001. Jean Theil’s sons, Jean-Pierre, Francois and Philippe have overseen an ambitious expansion of area under vine, investment in new temperature regulated cellar equipment and more besides. They have now passed on control to Cuvelier’s son Mathieu.

The vineyards span across 52 hectares situated on Gunzian gravel. Vines are planted at 50% Cabernet Sauvigon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Average vine age is a respectable 35 years. Harvesting is undertaken manually. Vines spend a year in oak, of which about half is new each year. There is no filtration, but racking and egg-white fining take place. The grand vin is named, predictably, Chateau Poujeaux; 30,000 cases of this are released each year. The second wine is called La Salle de Poujeaux.