Château Soutard

Château Soutard's origins date to 1513, when the property functioned as a farm with a windmill. The elegant château building was constructed between 1741 and 1762, establishing the estate's architectural identity. The de Bogeron family held ownership from 1890 until 2006, a period of more than a century during which the core 22-hectare vineyard plot remained essentially unchanged. In 2006, French insurance and pension group AG2R La Mondiale acquired the estate and undertook a comprehensive renovation program. In 2012, the neighboring Château Cadet-Piola was merged into Soutard, expanding the estate's total holdings to 30 hectares.

• Farm origins date to 1513; château built between 1741 and 1762
• De Bogeron family ownership spanned 1890 to 2006
• AG2R La Mondiale purchased the estate in 2006 and renovated extensively
• Château Cadet-Piola merged into Soutard in 2012

The estate's 30 hectares form a rare contiguous single block on the northern slope of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau, extending onto adjacent hillside slopes. This is a meaningful advantage in a region where vineyard parcels are frequently fragmented. Shallow limestone bedrock underlies much of the site, generally at depths of less than 30 centimeters. The breakdown across soil types is approximately 70% clay-limestone plateau, 17% clayey hillside, and 13% sandy hillside. This diversity of soils, combined with the plateau's elevation and aspect, contributes to the estate's signature minerality and structured tannin profile.

• Single contiguous 30-hectare block, an unusual feature in Saint-Émilion
• Northern slope of the limestone plateau with hillside exposure
• Limestone bedrock typically less than 30 cm deep across the plateau
• Three distinct soil zones: clay-limestone plateau, clayey hillside, and sandy hillside

Soutard's blend is built on Merlot, which accounts for 48 to 63% of plantings depending on the vintage. Cabernet Franc plays a significant supporting role at 28 to 34%, providing the estate's characteristic peppery aromatics and structural backbone. Cabernet Sauvignon (2 to 13%) and Malbec (1 to 7%) round out the blend. The estate holds a notable place in Saint-Émilion viticultural history as a pioneer of row planting, a practice that was far from standard in the region when Soutard first adopted it.

• Merlot: 48 to 63% of the blend
• Cabernet Franc: 28 to 34%
• Cabernet Sauvignon: 2 to 13%; Malbec: 1 to 7%
• Estate pioneered row planting in Saint-Émilion

Château Soutard produces red wines of notable depth and elegance. The color is deep red, and the nose leads with peppery notes alongside red and black fruit aromas including blackberry, cherry, loganberry, damson, and mulberry. On the palate, the wines are structured with fine tannins and a mineral character that reflects the shallow limestone soils beneath the plateau. Chocolate and spice notes add complexity on the mid-palate and finish. The significant proportion of Cabernet Franc in the blend drives much of the aromatic complexity and contributes to the wine's age-worthiness.

• Deep red color with peppery, spicy aromatics
• Red and black fruit profile: blackberry, cherry, damson, mulberry
• Fine tannins with limestone-driven minerality
• Chocolate and spice notes on mid-palate and finish