Chateau Larmande

History

According to documents held in the Saint-Emilion Village Archives, Larmande is documented as early as 1585, making it one of the oldest properties in the area. Local historical records also mention that Jurats, members of the Jurade of Saint-Emilion, held meetings at that house. Since such stories are more often passed down orally than recorded in writing, it is most appropriate to classify this as a village legend rather than an official record.

The modern history of Larmande begins in the early 20th century, when this property was gifted to Alice Capdemourlin and Fernand Meneret as a wedding present. Capdemourlin is a surname commonly found on the Right Bank and is connected to the Château Cap de Mourlin family within the same locality. Subsequently, three generations of this family managed the estate.

This family management came to an end in 1990 when Larmande was sold. Using the new capital, the building and wine cellars were remodeled, and the vineyard area was expanded through acquisitions.

Since then, Château Larmande has been managed alongside Château Soutard, another property owned by the same owner as Saint-Emilion. From a technical standpoint, Michel Rolland provided consulting services for a long time, and Thomas Duclos later took over that role.

North slope, one block

This 20-hectare plot of land is a single, unbroken expanse. This is unusual in the Saint-Emilion region, where small parcels scattered across plateaus, mountain slopes, and the sandy plains below are typically arranged like a mosaic.

The Larmande vineyard is located about a mile from the village, on the northern side of the Saint-Emilion hill, near Château Soutard. According to some records, this vineyard is known to encompass more than 20 hectares, though only a portion of the total area has been officially classified.

The average age of the vines is in the mid-30s, and the harvest is conducted by hand.

The terroir

Three soil types, clay-limestone, siliceous clay, and ancient sand, coexist on this site. Consequently, rather than a single, uniform terroir, a variety of soils are distributed within a single contiguous plot, providing the winery with a diverse range of components for blending without having to look elsewhere.

Here, the direction of sunlight is just as important as the soil. The north-facing slopes receive less intense afternoon sun than the southern face of the Saint-Emilion Plateau, resulting in wines that express freshness and firmer acidity rather than sheer power.

The underlying limestone plays the rest of the role. It stores moisture during dry summers and supplies water to the roots when it doesn't rain.

The grapes

The planting pattern for Château Larmande follows the classic Right Bank pattern, but the proportion of Cabernet Franc is higher than elsewhere:

• Merlot, 65%
• Cabernet Franc, 30%: This is a high proportion relative to the Saint-Emilion standard, and it is also the reason why the wine's refreshing aromas linger
• Cabernet Sauvignon, 5%

Some of the Cabernet Franc grapes are produced from truly old vines. It is precisely this 30% that ensures this blend is not limited to a simple, smooth Merlot style.

Winemaking

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks shaped like long rectangular blocks rather than the typical cylindrical tanks. At this stage, a traditional winemaking method is followed without any experimental elements.

Larmande takes a somewhat unconventional approach to the aging process. The wine is aged for 14 to 18 months in French oak barrels, approximately 60% of which are new, while the remainder are used barrels that have previously held wine at least once. Additionally, starting with the 2018 vintage, approximately 10% of the total volume is aged in terracotta amphorae. Since clay allows a small amount of oxygen to pass through without imparting oak aromas, these lots rejoin the blend with softened fruit flavors, free from any toasted or vanilla notes.

Annual production is approximately 800 hectoliters, amounting to nearly 100,000 bottles.

The wines

The Grand Vin is simply called Château Larmande, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, and this wine serves as the benchmark for evaluating the quality of this winery. This red wine, Merlot-based, is made to be enjoyed sooner than its structure might suggest, though in good vintages, it remains delicious even after aging for more than 10 years.

Grapes harvested from vineyards outside the classified growths are used for the second label, Le Cadet de Larmande. Lighter in structure and released earlier, this wine embodies qualities not required of the Grand Vin.

Larmand's wines are widely distributed around the world.