About this winery

History Château Desmirail, included among the third growths in the 1855 classification, has an outstanding terroir bordering on the Route des Châteaux. The elegant 18th century manor house is located behind a majestic gate made of pink marble. The cellar features a vat room typical of those of the late 19th century Médoc. Jean Desmirail gave his name to the Château after marrying an heiress from the Rausan family in the late 17th century. In 1914, the estate belonged to Mr. de Mendelssohn,...

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Product notes

History
Château Desmirail, included among the third growths in the 1855 classification, has an outstanding terroir bordering on the Route des Châteaux. The elegant 18th century manor house is located behind a majestic gate made of pink marble. The cellar features a vat room typical of those of the late 19th century Médoc. Jean Desmirail gave his name to the Château after marrying an heiress from the Rausan family in the late 17th century. In 1914, the estate belonged to Mr de Mendelssohn, the nephew of the great composer, but also the grandson of Biarnez, a great poet from Médoc. The French government confiscated the property, and then auctioned it to Mr Michel, an industrial entrepreneur from the North. The current owner and manager, Denis Lurton, took over from his father, Lucien, in 1992.

Terroir
The average age of the vines at Château Desmirail is twenty five years old; they cover a surface of around forty hectares. The vineyard is set on deep gravelly soils from the quaternary era, between 650,000 and 250,000 years ago. The gravel and pebbles, which come from the Pyrenees, were carried down by the waters of the Garonne and were set down, forming terraces. The deposits were then eroded and now take the form of gravelly outcrops which attain a height of around 20 meters. The Desmirail vineyard spreads over three communes in the Margaux appellation: Cantenac, Arsac and Soussans.

Production notes

The grapes are vinified separately by parcel and variety to express the terroir’s diversity. The older parcels fermented in oak barrels and the rest in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in 40% new barrels. Harvest date: from 29/09 to 19/10. Bottling date: 11/06/2012.

Tasting notes

The wine displays astounding colors and tannins are already rich and complex. Who expected two exceptional vintages in a row? However, this is not surprising, given that all the ideal conditions were in place for a great vintage, which saw a dry and moderate summer with cool nights that allowed the fruit to gain high quality tannins.