L'Aurage

History of Domaine de l'Aurage

Formerly known as Château Cadet, the estate was acquired in 2007 by Caroline and Louis Mitjavile, nicknamed Loulou, and renamed Domaine de l'Aurage. Louis Mitjavile is the son of François Mitjavile, a visionary winegrower at the helm of Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf in Saint-Émilion, as well as Roc de Cambes and Domaine de Cambes in the Côtes de Bourg. It was alongside him that Louis learned the craft before pursuing his own interpretations of the terroir.

With Domaine de l'Aurage, Caroline and Louis Mitjavile carry forward the family legacy while asserting their own vision. True to the Mitjavile DNA — defined by unrelenting rigour and an immediately recognisable style — the couple reveals here the full potential of the Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, long overshadowed by its more celebrated neighbours. Over the course of successive vintages, the domaine de l'Aurage has established itself as a rare and precious address on the Right Bank, whose wines hold their own without hesitation alongside the greatest names of Saint-Émilion.

Terroirs and Vines of domaine de l'Aurage

The vineyard of Domaine de l'Aurage extends over some twenty hectares in a single block on the Castillon hillside. This clay-limestone terroir constitutes the geographical and geological continuation of the nearby Saint-Émilion slopes, a guarantee of outstanding quality. This kinship of soils, combined with meticulous vine-tending, explains the depth and finesse of the domaine de l'Aurage's wines.

The encépagement gives pride of place to merlot, Louis Mitjavile's grape of predilection, complemented by a decreasing proportion of cabernet franc, the long-term objective being to plant the vineyard almost entirely in merlot. Planted at high density, the vineyard is managed with great rigour so that the grapes reach full ripeness. True to the family philosophy, the estate favours grapes harvested at perfect, even surprising maturity.

Winemaking at Domaine de l'Aurage

Winemaking at Domaine de l'Aurage takes place in traditional concrete vats. The grapes, harvested by hand and picked very ripe, undergo a gentle extraction process that respects the integrity of the fruit. This approach yields a fine, silky tannin grain — the hallmark of the Mitjavile family's wines.

The ageing process, a lengthy one, extends for around eighteen months in barrels, with a high proportion of new oak, at a relatively elevated temperature. The wine gains from this a subtly integrated oakiness and that roasted note characteristic of the Mitjavile style. Whatever the profile of the vintage, the result is a wine of remarkable intensity, deep and sincere, built for ageing.

The Cuvées of Domaine de l'Aurage

L'Aurage (Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, red) is the estate's flagship cuvée, drawn from a parcel selection and an assemblage dominated by merlot (around 85%) complemented by cabernet franc. Deep and silky, it unfolds a bouquet of great richness, with aromas of dark fruits, cherry, mocha, leather and spices, wrapped in elegant oak and the roasted signature so characteristic of the Mitjaviles. The palate, broad and suave, combines concentration, balance and fine-grained tannins. A true wine for ageing, it reveals itself fully after several years and pairs ideally with lamb, game, duck and roasted meats.

Le Versant (Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, red), formerly Château Cadet, is the estate's more immediately approachable cuvée. Elegant and expressive, it reveals notes of red and black fruits, smoke and tobacco, supported by refined oak and supple tannins. Indulgent and harmonious, it offers a seductive gateway into the world of domaine de l'Aurage.

The estate also offers Le Pic du Versant, another parcel-by-parcel interpretation of the Castillon terroir, in the same spirit of precision and indulgence characteristic of Caroline and Louis Mitjavile.