Château Meyney

History of Château Meyney

The cultivation of vines at Meyney predates the year 1625, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Médoc. In 1662, the archives refer to the site under the name of Couvent des Feuillants or Prieuré des Couleys: it was the Feuillant Fathers who planted the first rows on the gravel ridges overlooking the river, laying the foundations of a terroir that would assert itself over the centuries. Previously, the estate had already passed through the hands of several distinguished owners, including a mayor of Bordeaux who brought it to prominent renown, and magistrates of the Parliament.

At the French Revolution, the priory was confiscated as national property and sold. The estate then changed hands several times during the 19th century, gradually developing its viticultural vocation, and remained for a long time in the hands of the Luetkens family. The modern turning point came in 1919, when Désiré Cordier, a renowned négociant from Lorraine established on the Bordeaux marketplace, purchased the estate to expand his portfolio of Bordeaux crus. Under the Cordier era, which would last more than eight decades, Meyney internationalised its distribution and forged its reputation as a structured, powerful and consistently reliable wine, positioned as the benchmark for crus bourgeois of Saint-Estèphe. The wines were then produced by the team of Georges Pauli, who also watched over Gruaud Larose and Cantemerle. It is also from this period that the water tower built at the highest point of the estate dates, a reminder of the importance of water to the origins of the site and offering a 360-degree view over the estuary and the plots. Listed as a Cru Bourgeois from 1932, the estate was elevated to the rank of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in the early 2000s. In 2004, it was acquired by CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole, which invested heavily in restructuring the vineyard and modernising the cellars. Since late 2013, Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus has overseen the winemaking alongside Anne Le Naour as technical director and Denis Rataud as cellar master.

Terroirs and Vines of Château Meyney

At the heart of the constellation of classified growths of Saint-Estèphe, the 51-hectare single-block vineyard occupies a naturally drained gravelly ridge running towards the estuary, with an ideal aspect. A pronounced slope gradually raises the plots to around twenty metres above sea level, facilitating water drainage. The siliceous gravels rest on a deep clay-limestone subsoil, an essential moisture reserve for the roots during periods of drought, with the famous vein of blue clay that constitutes the geological signature of the cru and enables it to pass through warm vintages without any ripening blockage.

Another major asset is the local micro-climatology generated by the immediate proximity of the Gironde: the water masses act as a genuine natural regulator during both intense cold spells and heatwave peaks. The encépagement is dominated by cabernet sauvignon, at around 65 to 67%, complemented by merlot and, notably, by a proportion of petit verdot ranging between 8 and 20% depending on the vintage, which is rare in the appellation. These vines come from massale selections taken from very old vines planted in the 1950s, a precious genetic heritage that the château's teams are careful to preserve and propagate. It is this petit verdot that gives the wine its very deep, almost black colour, its spiced notes and its distinguished style, and which, combined with the other two varieties, delivers the balance between power and elegance sought by the estate.

Winemaking at Château Meyney

The harvest is carried out by hand, with a double sorting: a first selection in the vineyard, then a second manual sorting in the cellar. Each grape variety, sourced from vines of the same age, is vinified separately, which preserves the singularity of the terroir's expression right through to the final stage.

The various lots ferment in stainless steel and concrete tanks with temperature regulation by coil, with macerations adjusted to the structure of each plot. The blend is only decided after an exhaustive tasting of the vats, orchestrated by the cellar master and the consulting oenologist, and the selection has been noticeably tightened since the estate changed hands. Ageing then takes place over a period of eighteen to twenty-four months depending on the vintage, in French oak barrels of which 30 to 40% are renewed each year. The second wine spends a few weeks less in barrel, with only 10 to 15% new wood, in order to preserve its freshness and fruit. The result is an ample, fleshy and structured wine that develops, with maturity, the inimitable charm of the great Saint-Estèphes: complexity, harmony and balance.

The cuvées of Château Meyney

Château Meyney (Saint-Estèphe AOC): the fine wine of the estate, a blend of dominant cabernet sauvignon, merlot and a significant proportion of petit verdot from the estate's massale selections. The colour is dark and intense, almost black in the greatest vintages. The nose, fruity and ripe, combines blackcurrant, plum, blackberry and black cherry with notes of mocha, coffee bean, white flowers, cedar and spices, along with that touch of rosemary and sage that tasters are often quick to identify. The palate is ample and fleshy, built on a dense yet polished tannic framework and a saline finish characteristic of terroirs bordering the estuary. A classic and energetic Saint-Estèphe, austere in its youth but built for ageing, which improves over fifteen to twenty-five years and regularly features among the best-value wines in the appellation. It should be decanted for around one hour and benefits from waiting at least three to five years after bottling. The 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages rank among the most remarkable of the recent period.

Prieur de Meyney (Saint-Estèphe AOC): the second wine of the estate, created in 1979, whose name pays homage to the monastic origins of the site, known in the 17th century as the Prieuré des Couleys. It is crafted with the same rigour as the fine wine, but from plots producing softer wines and the youngest vines on the estate, generally between fifteen and twenty years old. Aged a few weeks less than its elder sibling in French oak barrels of which 10 to 15% are renewed each year, it thus retains all of its freshness and fruity brilliance. The nose opens on crunchy red and black fruits, violet and a spiced nuance, while the palate is round, sapid and digestible, with well-integrated tannins. It is an excellent introduction to the Meyney style, approachable from two or three years after bottling, and perfect alongside a grilled entrecôte, a duck magret or a selection of aged cheeses.