Chateau Charmail, Haut Medoc

Description

Chateau Charmail is a vineyard located in the Haut Medoc wine-growing region which consists of one single plot of vines comprising 27.5 hectares. It is located on the banks of the Gironde River in the commune of Saint Seurin de Cadourne, next door to Saint-Estephe. The riverside location makes for milder temperatures and shelters the vines from really hard frosts in the winter.

Chateau Charmail: Origins in the 16th Century

The origins of Chateau Charmail can be traced back to the 16th Century when the Trevey de Charmail family, a noble Breton family, settled here. The modern period of winemaking began in 1982 when the estate was purchased by Olivier Sèze, who succeeded in making the Chateau one of the most dependable and recognisable Haut Medoc estates.

In 2008, the property was bought by Bernard D’Halluin, who enlarged the vineyard area by 6 hectares and introduced new winery buildings and renovations. Olivier Sèze remained as the consultant oenologist. As of 2021, Château Charmail is owned by Olivier Goudet and Valérie Liquard. They acquired the estate to pursue the “Grand Charmail” project, which included merging it with neighbouring properties, Château Bardis and Château Saint-Paul. 

Vineyards & Plantings

The soil type at Chateau Charmail is gravelly clay and the vines are planted Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot with an average age of 30 years old. The percentage of Petit Verdot was increased with the new plantings in 2010. Increasing the quantity of Petit Verdot adds appealing spicy hints, which are rare in the Medoc. Respect for the environment is important at the estate.

The vineyard plantings are  48% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Chateau Charmail Winemaking

• The grapes for Château Charmail are harvested by hand to ensure careful selection and quality.
• After harvest, the grapes are sorted on sorting tables at the winery for optimal quality control.
• Destemming is performed to separate the grapes from their stems, beginning the gentle extraction process.
• The must undergoes a gentle infusion (maceration) for 24 days at low temperature (maximum 25°C), allowing for slow and controlled extraction of colour, aromas, and tannins.
• During this infusion period, the grapes are naturally crushed by their own weight (no mechanical crushing), promoting a delicate release of juices and components while minimising harsh tannins.
• Fermentation then extends for an additional 12 days, with CO₂ naturally and delicately breaking the cap (the layer of skins on top) to ensure even extraction without aggressive punching down or pumping over.
• The process concludes with a soft press
• The wine is matured for 12 months: 60% in 225L barrels, 25% in 500L barrels (demi-muids) and 15% in 17 hL cement eggs (Nomblot).
• Chateau Charmail 2020 is 36% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 16% Petit Verdot.

Chateau Charmail was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in the 2020 Cru Bourgeois Classification.