welcome to
Château cardinal villemaurine
Owned by the Leclérot family since September 2018, this vineyard, created in the 19th century, owes its name to two periods in its history.
The period of Saracen invasions around 732 gave it its name of Villemaurine, city of the Moors, since there would have been an observation camp of the Moorish armies at this precise place of Saint-Emilion.
Cardinal comes from the stay of Cardinal Gaillard de la Mothe - nephew of Bertrand de Goth, former archbishop of Bordeaux, who became Pope in 1305 under the name of Clément V - who after tasting the wines declared them King of wines. Over the years, successive owners have contributed to the fame and development of Château Cardinal Villemaurine.
a family story…
Christine & Alain Leclérot, wine lovers, transmit their passion to their youngest son Olivier. After specialized studies in wine, Olivier is able to be the Winemaker of the estate.
Together, they set themselves a challenge: to restore its prestige to the Château. Modernization of technical facilities, restructuring of the vineyard, renovation of reception areas, everything is there to produce a Grand Cru wine.
Respect, authenticity & precision
DISCOVER THE ESTATE
ALL YEAR LONG, WE WELCOME YOU BY APPOINTMENT TO DISCOVER OUR ESTATE
Live a unique experience at Chateau Cardinal-Villemaurine. For any specific request, please contact us.
Our shop is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 5:00.
PRIOR BOOKING NEEDED
Commented tasting of 4 wines.
Duration : 30min | Rate: 10€pp | prior booking needed
Understand how a grand Cru is made through the vat room and the underground quarries of the estate where our wines are aged in barrels.
To finish, a commented tasting of 4 wines will be proposed to you.
Duration : 1h | Rate: 20€pp | prior booking needed
Let's start the tour in the vineyard to understand how important is the winemaker's job all year long.
We will follow in our technical facilities to explain the vinification process and then, we will go in the quarriers where our wines are aged in barrels.
The tour is followed by a commentend wine tasting of 4 wines.
Duration : 1h30h | Rate : 30€pp | prior booking needed
Go behind the scenes of a Grand Cru through our technical facilities and our underground quarries.
Take a seat to taste Eminence de Cardinal-Villemaurine and Château Cardinal-Villemaurine from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages. The perfect opportunity to understand the notion of vintage effect.
Duration : 1h30 | Rate : 50€pp | prior booking needed
After a quick tour of the property, find the samples taken from the barrel and embody the role of the winemaker faced with the complexity of the blend.
Leave with a half bottle of your own creation.
Duration : 2h | Rate : 80€pp | prior booking needed
Let's start the tour in the vineyard to understand how important is the winemaker's job all year long.
We will follow in our technical facilities to explain the vinification process and then, we will go in the quarriers where our wines are aged in barrels.
The tour is followed by a commentend wine tasting of 4 wines accompagnied with cheese & charcuterie board.
Duration : 2h | Rate : 45€pp | prior booking needed
Go behind the scenes of a Grand Cru through our technical installations and our underground quarries.
The tasting of 4 wines is accompanied by 4 Origin chocolates specially selected for our wines.
Duration: 1h30 | Rate : 35€pp | prior booking needed
Cook local products for bistronomic recipes according to our wines.
Then, it’s time to taste your creations during a convivial lunch. This workshop includes the preparation of 3 courses and the lunch
Duration : 3h | Rate : 140€/pp| prior booking needed (4 - 8 people)
TERROIRS
3 AREAS, 3 soils
Our plots are located on 3 areas, all with the Saint-Emilion Grand-Cru Appellation.
Those 3 plots are composed with different soils : clay, clay and limestone, clay and sandy soils.
85 % merlot
15 % Cabernet Franc
Our wines are blended in a classic style.
Merlot grappes, the “King of the Right Bank”, will bring roudness, fruity notes and fatness. The Cabernet Franc will bring structure and fineness.
WINES
Throughout the year, the highest care is taken over the vines in order to harvest the best. Our soils are plowed with horses, according to the tradition. Many manual tasks adapted to each vine are designed to ensure the best exposure to sunlight, good ventilation and an appropriate quantity of grapes.
All of these practices aim to express all the qualities of these exceptional terroirs in our wines. Harvesting and vinification are carried out with even greater precision at Château Cardinal-Villemaurine, thanks to redesigned facilities. Manual harvesting in small crates respects the harvest. The sorting is adapted, each year, to each parcel according to the quality of the harvest. The vatting is done by gravity in 5 raw concrete vats, thermo-regulated, whose volumes are adapted to respond to each plot. The alcoholic fermentation takes place at a regulated temperature between 23°C and 26°C depending on the potential of the vats and the desired tannin extraction.
Since the 2019 vintage, we have chosen to trust a single cooper, AnA Sélection, which each year offers barrels from a personalized selection of forests and toasts. Thus, each batch benefits from all the attention from the vine to the glass.