Château Malartic-Lagravière

Purchased by the Bonnie family in 1997, the Parisian-native couple of Jean-Jacques and Sévérine have transformed Château Malartic-Lagravière from an underperforming yet beautiful estate into one of the most admired properties in its appellation.

Of course much older than this, Château Malartic-Lagravière dates back to the 17th century. Whilst the property is somewhat removed from the mighty Garonne, collectors will be intimately familiar with the boat pictured on the wine’s label, a motif abundant around the property itself also. This is in fact reference to its previous owner, the Count Hippolyte Maurès de Malartic, a naval captain and governor of Mauritius.

A great strength of Pessac-Léognan in general is its incredibly varied terroir contained within small areas, meaning numerous Châteaux possess a patchwork of soils and miniscule microclimates which the very best winemakers are able to exploit to stunning success. Composed predominantly of gravel soils, up to eight meters deep in places, there is a consistent bed of limestone with veins of rich clay dotted about the property.

Since 1998, Château Malartic-Lagravière has employed the services of the world’s most famous super-consultant in Michel Rolland, who has placed a particular emphasis on the estate’s white wine. Having had something of a tumultuous history as a cuvée being 100% Sauvignon Blanc at one point and 100% Sémillon at another before the Bonnies arrived, it has finally settled on a beautiful blend roughly along the lines of how the vines are planted.