APPELLATION : PESSAC-LEOGNAN
In 1584, Jean de Pontac, lord of Haut-Brion, gifted the Carmelite Order several acres of meadows and vines; a favour with the taste of predestination, as the congregation takes its name from Mount Carmel, literally “God’s vineyard.” They watched over the terroir for nearly two centuries, pursuing asceticism and winemaking with equal devotion. Seized during the Revolution, the estate was acquired by Léon Colin in 1840. His descendants, the Chantecaille family, spent decades enhancing the property, building the château and laying out its landscaped park, before selling it to Patrice Pichet in 2010.
GOOD TO KNOW
Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the only Bordeaux château with an official city address: 20 rue des Carmes, Bordeaux. Its grape blend, dominated by Cabernet Franc, is unique on the Left Bank. Since 2019, the château produces the “Marie-Jeanne,” a 2.25-litre bottle format that had fallen out of use since the 19th century, relaunched in 800 copies.