Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere of Pessac-Leognan is one of only six Bordeaux chateaux that have both red and white classified wines.
Originally Domaine de Lagraviere, the estate was purchased at the end of the 18th century by the family of Count Hippolyte de Maures de Malartic, an admiral who served in the French Navy. The estate was then bought in 1850 by Madame Arnaud Ricard, who added the name Malartic to that of Lagraviere as a tribute to the former owners.
Located on the oldest wine-producing terroir in Bordeaux, Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere’s vineyard is on a high terrace of 8-meter-deep gravelly soil over limestone and clay. It covers 53 hectares planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
in 1998, the winery became one of the first to adopt a fully gravity-driven grape transport system. After manual harvests and double sorting on vibrating tables, grapes are transported to the vats and then to the barrels only by gravity. The vat room is also highly innovative. Its octagonal layout houses 20 stainless steel vats and 10 wooden ones, all conical and temperature-controlled. Being small, each one can accommodate the fruit from specific plots for individual vinification.
After blending, the wine is left to age in a 1200-barrel capacity air-conditioned cellar with controlled humidity levels. 25 to 35% of the barrels are replaced every year with new ones from the best coopers.