CHÂTEAU LA CARDONNE

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CHÂTEAU LA CARDONNE

Our wines bear fruit of a unique terroir that generously offers both authenticity and complexity. A true respect for the vines and the soil, coupled with the alliance of tradition and modernity in how we work, and our constant search for optimising what mother nature delivers, allows us to consistently produce the most enjoyable wine that is true to it’s origins.

We’re fortunate to have a wonderful team of women and men with years and years of experience. They are dedicated and meticulous in their work, and although primarily focused on the present, they are always projecting well into future. It’s an important aspect of our work, when the wines we produce require time to mature, and may reach their pinnacle in 10-20 years time.

HISTORY

1769 & 1785

Château La Cardonne and the vineyard are visible on Cassini’s first general map of France and also on the map Pierre de Belleyme, King Louis XV’s cartographer.

1850

Château La Cardonne appears in the first edition of ‘‘Féret’’ (BORDEAUX et Ses Vins Ch. Cocks & Éd. Féret)

1932

The first Cru Bourgeois classification for Médoc wines not included in the 1855 Classification of Crus Classés was created by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Agriculture in 1932, selecting 444 estates, Château La Cardonne included.

1973

Château La Cardonne is acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), becoming one of the most recognised cru bourgeois wines around the world. During the next 20 years the vineyard underwent intensive restructuring, drainage and replanting, predominantly focused on delivering wines with a true expression of this unique terroir.

1990

La Cardonne wine lover, Guy Charloux makes an offer to buy the vineyard, and then embarks in thoroughly modernising the winemaking facilities. In addition, a spectacular underground cellar, locally known as the ‘Cathedral’ is built, 10 metres below the vines.

2016

Château La Cardonne enters a new era, with ever greater ambitions: the cellars benefit from the latest advanced equipment to allow even greater precision in vinification. A new tasting room with panoramic views across the vineyard adds to the perfect wine lovers experience.

2018

Château La Cardonne classified as Cru Bourgeois Supérieur.

OUR VALUES

At Château La Cardonne, our unique microclimate and the richness of our terroir are marvellously combined.

The choice of the long maturation of our bottled wines reflects our desire that our wines be enjoyed when they are ready to be enjoyed.

We recognize natural resources sustain not only our business but, more importantly, our communities and future generations. That’s why protecting these precious resources is at the heart of everything we do.

An Inimitable style

The reason Château La Cardonne has survived for centuries upon centuries is simply due to an exceptional terroir cared for from one generation to another.

From the first winemakers to those of today, all have worked to reveal something magical in each glass.

In our extraordinary underground cellar, each bottle develops it’s aromas, slowly over time, before being delivered to the wine lovers around world.

A Feminine Touch

Since joining the vineyard in 2000, Magali Guyon (former winemaker at Château Lynch-Bages) has passionately delivered some of the most memorable vintages in living memory.

Marrying astonishing precision and a remarkable vision, and with the most technologically advanced tools at her disposal, she ensures the purest expression of our terroir. Her constant search for finesse and elegance delivers harmonious and perfectly balanced wines that fully express the nature of our unique little plots of land, and that continue to stand the test of time.

A PASSIONATE TEAM

“We are only musicians playing to a loving audience, with mother nature the conductor, and our terroir being the composer producing a different arrangement year on year.

There are vintages of chamber music and vintages of symphony music.

We have an original score to play each year and our orchestra interprets it whilst respecting the work of the composer, and also contributing to create a style that can be associated uniquely to us.”