Producer Portrait · France

Château de Pressac

Grand Cru Classé above the Dordogne, whose name once belonged to a grape variety.

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Get to know Château de Pressac

On a promontory high above the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, Château de Pressac has watched over the Dordogne valley for more than six centuries. Since 1997 the estate in Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse has belonged to Jean-François and Dominique Quenin, who also live there. In 2012 it was elevated to Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion, and the 2022 classification confirmed the rank.

The Surrender of 1453

Château de Pressac was founded in the Middle Ages, as the gate in the surrounding wall still attests. In 1453 the French triumphed at Castillon in the final battle of the Hundred Years' War, and within the walls of Pressac the English surrender was signed. During the Renaissance the estate counted around 27 towers, remnants of which still stand. In 1860 Maximin Josselin bought the estate and had it extensively rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style then flourishing in the Bordeaux region.

The Noir de Pressac

Between 1737 and 1747, Vassal de Montviel had Auxerrois planted on the estate, a noble grape variety from the Quercy. The surrounding vineyards adopted it, and it soon came to be known as «Noir de Pressac». Today it is known as Malbec, and the old name survives as a synonym. It still grows in the Pressac vineyard today, alongside Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Petit Verdot. According to the estate, no other Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion combines six grape varieties.

Three Terroirs, Two Wines

The roughly 41 hectares of vines lie in a single block around the château and are divided equally among the appellation's three great terroirs: the limestone plateau, the slope of clay and limestone surrounding the hill, and the foot of the slope. The steepest slopes, once worked with oxen, have been replanted in narrow terraces since 1999. The harvest is done by hand, followed by two rounds of sorting, the last according to the density of the berries. The Grand Vin Château de Pressac ages for 20 months, 18 of them in barriques, half of which are new. Château Tour de Pressac is the estate's second wine, also a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.

Facts about the estate

Country & Region: France · Saint-Émilion
Classification: Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé since 2012, confirmed in 2022
Owners: Jean-François and Dominique Quenin, since 1997
Vineyard area: Around 41 hectares in one parcel surrounding the château
Viticulture: Hand-harvested, Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) environmental certification
Wines: Château de Pressac as Grand Vin, Château Tour de Pressac as second wine