A brief history
This 10ha-estate in the appellation Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux whose history can be traced back to 1663 has always been in the hands of local dignitaries.
It was only logical for Maison Kavaklidere, having done two vintages as owner of neighboring Château La Croix Lartigue and well aware of the potential of the Claud Bellevue terroir, to purchase it in May 2018 in order to create a coherent entity within the appellation.
At that time, the vines on the Claud Bellevue plateau located on the limestone hill typical of St-Emilion , averaged 15 years-old and were planted at a density of 5 000 vines/ha on a soil with thin layers of clay that bring a certain lightness and voluptuousness to the wine. The grape-varieties breakdown was merlot (almost 70%), 20% cabernet franc and some old vines of cabernet sauvignon.
Just like at La Croix Lartigue, sustainable viticultural practices are in place: no herbicide, cereals and leguminous plants are grown for a better soil oxygenation and serve as a natural fertilizer.
With the help of the Derenoncourt Consultants team, the new owners set out a rigorous and long-term plan that enables them to restructure the vineyard in order to obtain the optimum soil-grape variety combination and thus produce a wine that will reveal throughout the vintages the best of what this terroir has to offer.
By 2024, most of the vineyard will have been restructured with a density of plantation of 7 400 vines/ha and a growing proportion of Cabernet Franc.
