CHATEAU LA GARDE A great terroir revealed
Introducing Maison Dourthe, owner of Château La Garde in Pessac-Léognan since 1990
Established in 1840, Maison Dourthe is an influential player in Bordeaux, devoted to creating wines with an honest, passionate and artisan approach. Within its own properties, and in collaboration with partner growers, Dourthe has invested in an array of rich and diverse soils with a dedication to revealing their true potential at the very height of their respective appellations.
THE VIRTUES OF CHATEAU LA GARDE
Château La Garde’s strength lies unquestionably in its terroir, comprising an incredible mosaic of 27 distinctive soil types within a single 54-hectare plot. This is a striking geological feature affording the property multiple layers of complexity to match its multi-coloured palette. At the very heart of the estate, a magnificent pond is a source of biodiversity omnipresent at La Garde, where lush fauna is seen to thrive. This place beyond time, on the outskirts of a dirt path leading to a stunning plateau of deep gravel, is one of the highest points in the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
NEXT STEPS
To coincide with the 2021 vintage, a new custom-built winery, entirely clad in stone, was unveiled. The winery’s core focus is to reveal the truest expression of each micro-parcel, and to this end small-capacity tanks of varying formats have been introduced for precision winemaking. But that’s not all; the emphasis is also firmly placed on energy efficiency, where the wines are gravity-fed into barrels and part aged in amphora. Here distinguished, authentic and pure wines are masterfully crafted to reveal a ‘terroir taste’ with even greater accuracy.