Château Croix de Labrie

Identity

Château Croix de Labrie is a winegrowing estate located in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, in Gironde. It is owned by Axelle and Pierre Courdurié, with Axelle Courdurié also serving as the estate's winemaker. Michel Rolland acts as consultant oenologist.

History and philosophy

The cellar at Château Croix de Labrie was built in 1687. The estate is committed to environmentally friendly practices, holding organic and biodynamic farming certifications. Agroforestry practices are also implemented throughout the vineyard.

Appellations

Château Croix de Labrie produces wines under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé appellation for its flagship cuvée, and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru for its second wine. The estate also crafts wines under the Bordeaux appellation.

Practical information

Château Croix de Labrie is located at 8 Bis Peymouton Sud, 33330 Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, France. The estate offers tours and tastings by appointment. The cellar door is open year-round from Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 17:00.

• Telephone: 07 60 03 15 40
• Email: axelle@chateau-croix-de-labrie.fr

Two tour formats are available:

• Visite Connaisseur: €20 per person, duration 1 hour. Includes an introduction to the vineyard, a cellar visit, and a tasting of one Chapelle de Labrie wine.
• Visite Amateur: €40 per person, duration 2 hours. Features an exploration of the vineyard, insight into viticultural work, a cellar visit, and a tasting of two wines (Château Croix de Labrie and Chapelle de Labrie).

The estate also offers guest room accommodation.

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Croix de Labrie vineyard covers 5.1672 hectares, with another source citing a surface area of 5.78 hectares. The average vine age is 60 years. Planting density is 6,500 vines/ha, trained via double Guyot pruning with maximum yields capped at 6 bunches per vine.

Soils vary across the different parcels:

• On the Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes plateau (lieux-dits Rocheyron, Peymouton, Échères), soils are clay-limestone over starfish limestone (calcaire à astéries).
• In the lieu-dit Badon, calcareous sands and clay are found over a clay-limestone subsoil with iron pan (crasse de fer).
• In the lieu-dit Le Cateau, soils are composed of gravel and clay.

The grape varieties are dominated by Merlot (85%), complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Canopy management includes leaf removal, green harvesting, and de-leafing. Soil management combines ploughing and cover cropping. Harvesting is carried out by hand in small crates, followed by sorting on a vibrating table and subsequent manual selection.

Flagship cuvées

The estate produces several cuvées, the principal ones being Château Croix de Labrie and Chapelle de Labrie.

Château Croix de Labrie

This principal cuvée, classified as Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, is predominantly Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This wine is crafted for extended cellar ageing, capable of evolving for over 15 years. Annual production ranges between 800 and 1,000 cases.

Chapelle de Labrie

This second wine, under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation, is made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet. It can cellar for over 10 years. Soils for this cuvée are clay-limestone with gravel and blue clays. Annual production ranges from 300 to 500 cases.

Vinification and ageing

Grapes are gravity-fed into small, temperature-controlled vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak barrels with a medium-long toast. Ageing for Château Croix de Labrie lasts a minimum of 18 months in new oak barrels. For Chapelle de Labrie, ageing extends over 16 to 18 months in new French oak barrels. Overall, around 60% of ageing takes place in new barrels, 20% in barrels of one wine or more, and the remaining 20% in alternative vessels such as stainless steel and foudres.