Château le Prieuré

Identity

Château Le Prieuré is a winegrowing estate located in the commune of Saint-Émilion. It is owned by Suravenir, a subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group. Vincent Millet is the managing director. The technical team includes Éric Boissenot as consultant oenologist, Pénélope Godefroy as oenologist, agronomist and biodynamic specialist, and Yannick Reyrel as cellar master. The estate is classified as a Grand Cru Classé.

History and philosophy

The history of Château Le Prieuré is linked to the establishment of a church and priory in the 12th century, although the winegrowing estate itself dates back to the 17th century. The estate was formerly known as Le Cru des Cordeliers. In 1897, Joseph Brisson acquired the property. It was classified as a Grand Cru in 1955 and 1959. In 1998, Olivier Guichard, a former government minister and mayor of Néac, took over at the helm of the estate.

Château Le Prieuré was sold by Artemis to the Arkéa group via its subsidiary Suravenir. Following this acquisition, the estate expanded its vineyard area, notably through the purchase of Château Malineau. The Château Le Prieuré site is situated within the UNESCO World Heritage area. The estate is committed to environmentally friendly viticulture, having attained organic certification in 2018 and reduced chemical inputs, alongside precision-tailored vineyard management.

Appellations

The parcels of Château Le Prieuré are located within the Saint-Émilion appellation and produce wines under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation.

Practical information

Château Le Prieuré is located on Chemin de Fongaban in Saint-Émilion (33330). The estate can be contacted by telephone at +33 (0)5 57 51 64 58 or by email at chateauleprieure@gmail.com. The estate does not host public tours or cellar-door sales for private individuals, nor does it offer accommodation or dining. A new head office, acquired in 2020 near the Porte Brunet, houses an open space for seminars and corporate meetings, as well as an underground silo (a former quarry) for private events. This new head office also features a retail shop offering wines from the various Suravenir group estates.

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The vineyard of Château Le Prieuré spans 12 hectares in a single contiguous, south-facing block on the Saint-Émilion plateau. The soils are predominantly composed of asteriated limestone (calcaire à astéries), limestone, and clay, boasting 19 identified soil profiles across 26 cadastral parcels. This limestone terroir promotes excellent water management, imparting freshness and verticality to the wines. The grape varieties planted are Merlot (85% or 90% depending on sources) and Cabernet Franc (10% or 15% depending on sources). The average age of the vines ranges between 22 and 33 years, with roughly half replanted between 1998 and 2008. Planting density is 7,000 vines per hectare. Harvesting is carried out by hand, with yields limited to 35 hl/ha. The estate does not purchase external grapes.

The vineyard has undergone significant expansions, notably through the integration of Château Malineau (4.5 hectares with a dual south and north-east exposure) and a parcel from Villemaurine, characterized by a cooler terroir.

Key cuvées

Château Le Prieuré primarily produces red wines. The principal cuvée is Château Le Prieuré Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Emilion, crafted in a style that showcases finesse and freshness, featuring Merlot that expresses natural salinity and a vertical structure. The estate also produces a second wine, Château Le Prieuré Délice.

Vinification and ageing

Vinification at Château Le Prieuré takes place in a modern, gravity-fed vat room inaugurated for the 2024 vintage. It is equipped with 22 temperature-controlled, insulated stainless-steel vat compartments (single and split), enabling precise parcel-by-parcel vinification. Practices include cold pre-fermentation maceration and a low-intervention approach, notably avoiding rack-and-return (délestage). The wines are aged entirely in oak barrels for 18 months.