Chateau Chasse Spleen

Château Chasse-Spleen can be found in Moulis-en-Médoc in Bordeaux. The winery used to be part of Château Grand-Poujeaux. However, the estate was split in 1820, with Château Gressier Grand Poujeaux taking one half and the other 50% forming the three wineries: Château Poujeaux-Theil (now known as Château Poujeaux), Château Maucaillou and Château Chasse-Spleen. Over the years, the winery has been taken over by several families. Today, Céline Villars is at the helm with her husband Jean-Pierre Foubet.

The vineyards cover some 100 hectares, 52% of which are planted with cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc. There is also just under 3 hectares planted with semillon and sauvignon blanc. The vines have an average age of 30 years. The terroir consists of a deep limestone soil with clay and a top layer of gravel. Planting density is between 8,000 and 10,000 vines per hectare. The high density causes competition between the vines, forcing the roots to go deeper into the ground, in this case reaching the deep limestone layer.

Production consists of five different wines, including one grand vin, one white and three reds. The Blanc de Chasse-Spleen is marketed as a generic Bordeaux Blanc AOC, as the Haut Médoc appellation does not allow white wines. The assemblage of the first wine usually has the same proportions as the planting. Fermentation takes place in a combination of wooden barrels and stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation is complete, the wine matures for 12-15 months in oak barrels of 40% new wood.

The winery did not belong to the Grand Cru Classé classification. Instead, it carried Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status for a long time, but in 2003 Jean-Pierre announced that they chose to drop out of the classification. The reason for this is that they want to offer stability to consumers, and not get embroiled in hierarchical classifications and associated regulations. After all, Chasse-Spleen is all about pursuing the highest achievable quality.