Chateau Cambon La Pelouse

Château Cambon La Pelouse is one of the most popular Cru Bourgeois wines among Bordeaux wine enthusiasts. Located in the Haut-Médoc appellation, its vineyards border Château Giscours to the west and Château Cantemerle to the north. The gently sloping terrain of the vineyards is situated on one of the highest elevations in southern Médoc. The almost exclusively classic gravel soil is composed partly of coarse Quaternary gravel and the other part of a mixed sandy soil with numerous smaller pebbles. The prevalence of gravel allows for excellent drainage and also contributes to faster ripening of the vines.

The origins of Château Cambon La Pelouse date back to the 17th century. The history of the château was not always rosy, with frequent changes in ownership leading to a gradual decline in vineyard care and subsequent quality of production. This situation meant that by 1855, with the emergence of the Grand Cru Classé 1855 classification, Cambon was in a state that certainly did not reflect its former importance. Failures and poor wine quality eventually led to vines being replaced by corn in the 1950s after devastating frosts.

It seemed the name of this once-famous château would become nothing more than a part of wine history. A turnaround came in 1974 when Mr. Faure leased the land from the then-owners and began restoring the vineyards. In 1996, Cambon’s fortunes improved further when it was purchased by Jean-Pierre Marie, a former supermarket chain owner, who immediately set about reconstructing the technical facilities and improving the winemaking team. He enlisted oenologists from Château Smith Haut-Lafitte and Château Chasse Spleen to help. Thus began a new chapter in Cambon’s winemaking history.

The wine ferments in steel tanks and matures in medium-toasted oak barrels for about 12 months to maintain an optimal balance between fruit character and tannin structure. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tanks, and Merlot from the best parcels is processed in oak barrels