Chateau Dauzac Margaux Bordeaux Wine

Chateau Dauzac

Chateau Dauzac Margaux Fifth Growth, Bordeaux wine producer profile, with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on wine making and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

The long history for this obscure Bordeaux wine chateau dates back to 1622, when the farm of Dauzac was owned by Jean Cousseau. His heirs sold the estate in 1671 to an order of Carmelite nuns. Fifteen years later, a new owner, Pierre Drouillard purchased the estate.

At this point, the Drouillard and Lynch families, who were already active in the Bordeaux wine trade, founded Chateau Dauzac. Mr. Drouillard, a succesful Bordeaux wine merchant, rebuilt the estate and house. He replanted the Bordeaux vineyard on gravel based terroir.

Pierre Drouillard died in 1708. Chateau Dauzac remained with his family. In 1740 the estate passed to Elizabeth Drouillard, wife of  Thomas-Michel Lynch. On his death in 1783, Chateau Dauzac passed to his son, Jean-Baptiste Lynch.
In 1841, the property was sold to Thomas Diedrich Wiebroock. In 1863, Wiebroock’s heirs sold the estate to Nathaniel Johnston III for the sum of 240 000 francs. Nathaniel Johnston III was the head of a massive Bordeau wine business that is still in business as a Bordeaux negocinat today.

On his death in 1870, three of his sons together took over the Bordeaux wine firm. The fourth son, Nathaniel IV, parliamentarian and member of the Gironde Regional Council, inherited Dauzac. Nathaniel IV already owned Château Ducru Beaucaillou in St. Julien as well as Phelan Segur in St. Estephe. Johnston focused on selling his wines and delegated the winemaking chores to Ernest David. By the end of the 19th century, Dauzac had become a laboratory for winegrowing experiments.

In 1914, with the death of Nathaniel Johnston IV, the Johnston family suffered heavy losses. In the 1930s, unable to overcome the economic hardships, they were forced to sell Chateau Dauzac.

In 1939, Dauzac was sold at auction. The new owner, a total newcomer to the wine, Jean-Jacques Bernat was a well-known Bordeaux ice-cream manufacturer.  Bernat brought new ideas to Bordeaux winemaking from his expertise in ice-cream. Notably temperature control of the vats using blocks of ice.

In September 1978, the Dauzac was purchased by Félix Chatellier and Sons, who immediately undertook to renovate the Medoc estate, restructuring the vineyard and wine making facilities. Stainless steel vats replaced the old concrete; the 19 century buildings gave way to air-conditioned cellars. The winemaking was carried out under the supervision of Professor Emile Peynaud. In 1988, an insurance company, the MAIF, acquired the interest in the estate from the Chatellier family firm.

Unfortunately, on acquiring Dauzac, the MAIF did not also acquire staff sufficiently competent to guarantee their investment, and the banker who had brokered the deal began to search for a reputable wine grower.  André Lurton agreed to take over a 42% share in Dauzac. An old hand at the winemaking business, he instigated a prudent management approach that was assisted by the Boissoneaus. After twelve years as Chairman of the Board of Directors, André Lurton stepped down in favor of his daughter, Christine Lurton de Caix, who today runs the estate.

Dauzac has a 40 hectare vineyard on gravel based soils and is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 37% and Cabernet Franc 5%. The age of vines are kept young, between 18 to 20 years. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 10,000 vines per hectare, which is typical of the Left Bank.  Chateau Dauzac is vinified in temerature controlled, stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. The wine is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for an average of 12 months. There is a second wine, La Bastide Dauzac. Chateau Duzac also owns a small, 5 hectare parcel of vines, located just outside the Margaux boundary in the Haut Medoc appellation. The wine is sold under the name of Chateau Labarde.

www.chateaudauzac.com