Chateau du Tertre 5th Cru Classe

Château du Tertre is a 5e Grand Cru Classé of 1855 in the Margaux appellation, a thousand-year-old estate that renews itself with a commitment to continuity, the pursuit of excellence and respect for tradition. Its history dates back to the 12th century, when the lordship of Arsac began a four-century rule; in 1590 Jacquette d'Arsac married Thomas de Montaigne, brother of the writer Michel de Montaigne.

In the 17th century the estate belonged to the de Ségur family, a key player in the history of Bordeaux wine. In 1724 part of the lordship was purchased by Pierre Mitchell, a Bordeaux industrialist of Irish origin and a pioneer of bottle production in France, who had the château built in 1736. After the replanting initiated in 1960 by Philippe Capbern Gasqueton, in 1997 the property passed to Eric and Marie-Louise Albada Jelgersma, who modernized the vineyard and the winery.

The 80-hectare estate lies on one of the Médoc’s highest gravel rises, at around 24 meters above sea level, and includes 52 hectares of AOC Margaux in a single block, plus 6 hectares dedicated to white wine. The soils of deep, fine gravels, sand and clay, shaped by wind-borne deposits during the ice ages, lend freshness and depth to the wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot give rise to the Grand Vin, while Tertre Blanc comes from the cooler, lower-lying soils.

Since 2008, a soil study has guided replanting and parcel selection: the harvest is by hand with optical sorting, each plot is vinified separately in concrete, wood and stainless-steel vats, and barrel aging involves eleven different cooperages.

Subtle elegance and finesse are the signature of Château du Tertre’s wines, a refined expression of Margaux.