Winery Overview
In 2021, under the tutelage of Medoc native madame Valérie Liquard-Goudet, new energy and focus has been given to the incredible work of Bernard d’Halluin. The team around them includes their historic winemaker from the Loire, Sébastien Pineau. He’s a sensitive soul that leads the team at Charmail with organic farming and a more hands-off winemaking. He has also been made part owner – a rarity in Bordeaux. Vivien Liquard heads up sales, but it’s a family affair, so he’s happy to help out during harvest as well. A Medoc local, he intimately knows the soils and producers of Bordeaux like the back of his hand. Finally, Madame Valérie Liquard-Goudet’s son, Augustine Liquard-Goudet (Vivien is his uncle), is the one who brings everyone together, and creates the vision for Charmail, including its wine aesthetic with Sébastien.
This is a team that looks to the experience and know-how of tradition, affronting the future with just the right amount of experimentation, which is decidedly different from most of Bordeaux’s producers, who either hide behind tradition or continually implement the next technical gizmo every year in the cellar.
Part of the PortoVino portfolio
[shareonedrive mode="files" dir="01TZFRFPNLVELPUE3QC5ELULCALEMGZMME" account="730caaf8-cea3-456f-b43d-015243cf45e9" drive="b!igTyrdiz6EuE1H1hIjZ0Yv0KAns562ZCnDriKjLglO1ttuEOKMjYSK4JoWwdFey7" viewrole="administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|employee" downloadrole="administrator|editor|author|contributor|subscriber|employee" filelayout="list" previewrole="none" ]
Vineyard
Before the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Saint-Seurin, along with Pauillac, St-Julien, and Margaux, was classified as a First Growth in the 1974 Intendant du Guyenne classification, underscoring the historical value of its soils for vineyards. Saint-Seurin is located where the Gironde River bends due to a limestone embankment. Today, despite its rich history, Charmail labels its wines as Haut-Médoc instead of Saint-Seurin, similar to its neighbor Château Sociando-Mallet. The best soils in Saint-Seurin are a continuation of St-Estèphe, consisting of gravel and clayey limestone. Charmail’s inclusion in the World Atlas of Wine under the St-Estèphe page highlights its importance. Charmail's vineyard plots have been mapped and matched to grape varieties since medieval times. Historical records from 1709 show that most of the current vineyard plots were already planted with vines. Charmail grows Cabernet Sauvignon on silicate gravel soils from the Pyrenees, which are well-drained and contribute to the wine's structure. Merlot is grown on red clay colluvium soils, which retain water and add acidity, while the iron in the soil gives the wine savory, almost salty notes. The Merlot's freshness makes it a good pairing with dishes like canard à l’orange.
Vinification
Destemming, soft infusion of must for 24 days where grapes ‘crushed’ by their own weight; fermentation continues for another 12 days, with some CO2 used to gently break the cap. Soft press and then élevage for 12 months: 95% in large wood demi-muids (500 liters) and 5% in 17HL cement eggs (Nomblot).
