Château de Camensac

The Château Camensac is a well known vineyard of Bordeaux. Since the classification of 1855, the winery is classified as Cinquieme Grand Cru Classé, the fifth level of classification.

The estate is located in Saint -Laurent -Médoc on the border with Saint- Julien- Beychevelle in the appellation Haut-Médoc, it is about 75 hectares a great good. 60 % of the area is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. The mean age of the vines is 35 years. The planting density is high 10,000 vines / ha and the average yield is 40-45 hectoliters / hectare. The estate produces middle-aged approximately 360,000 bottles of wine, of which about two thirds are sold as Grand Vin.

The alcoholic fermentation lasts depending on the vintage 15-21 days. Then the wine spends 16 to 24 months in barriques. The barrels are replaced annually to 35 to 75 %; the percentage is determined depending on the vintage.

The second wine of the estate called La Closerie de Camensac.

By 2007, the famous oenologist Michel Rolland worked in an advisory capacity for the winery.

History

Very little is known about the history of the estate. Initially, the manor of the English -born family Popp. This family belonged to the estate even in 1855 when the Universal Exhibition in Paris, the classification of the Bordeaux vineyards was officially presented.

By the year 1913 Château Camensac belonged to the Tournade family, they sold it but in that year to the wine merchant Paul Cuvelier. Cuvelier took only seven years later, the famous Château Leoville - Poyferré. Overall, the era Cuvelier was not very successful on Camensac.

In 1964 the brothers Enrique and Elysée Forner took over the run-down estate. The Spanish -born family Forner had their home country during the Spanish Civil War, left and could not return to the country during the era of Franco. After the Forners had built up a flourishing wine trade in Bordeaux, they could hardly acquire the Château ten years later by selling their trade.

In addition to a complete renovation of the building, the vineyards have been replanted. The brothers attacked from the beginning to the services of Émile Peynaud back. In 1968, Enrique was considering a return to Spain and built in 1970 with the help of Peynaud with the brand Marqués de Cáceres an internationally successful cooperative winery on. His brother, however Elysée remained in France. 76 -year-old he sold in 2005, the property to the directed by Jacques Merlaut Taillan group. Merlaut already had many years earlier acquired a 25% stake in the operator of the château and supported the efforts of the quality Forners.

Today has Merlaut Jean, the son of Jacques, 50 % of the shares. The remaining 50 % went to Jacques' niece Céline Villars- Foubet. Céline directs together with her husband Jean -Pierre Foubet operation at Château Camensac and also at Château Chasse -Spleen.