Château Sanctus

Identity

Château Sanctus is a winegrowing estate located in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes.

History and philosophy

The cru La Bienfaisance was founded in 1989. The Duval-Fleury and Corneau families acquired the property in 1990, before it was purchased by Cogepa in 1997. The property was renamed Château Sanctus in 2015. Since 2012, Caroline Gaullier has served as cellar master and Jean de Laitre as estate manager. In 2001, the estate was the subject of a geo-pedological soil study, with Stéphane Derenoncourt acting as vineyard consultant. The estate is currently in conversion to organic farming and practices sustainable viticulture.

Appellations

The parcels of Château Sanctus are situated in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, east of the rocky promontory of Saint-Émilion, and are classified under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation.

Practical information

Château Sanctus is located at 39, Le Bourg, 33330 Saint-Christophe des Bardes. The telephone number is 05 57 24 65 83 and the email address is contact@chateau-sanctus.fr. On-site sales and tastings are not offered at the property. The cellar is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm during January, February, March, April, May, June, July, September, and November. The estate welcomes groups, and spoken languages are English and French.

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The vineyard spans 5 hectares on clay-limestone and sandy soils. The vines have an average age of 40 years. The overall grape variety distribution consists of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Viticultural practices include cover cropping, double leaf thinning, and mechanical weeding.

Flagship cuvées

The estate produces Château Sanctus, its still red grand vin. Its structure affords it an ageing potential of over 15 years. The second wine, La Bienfaisance de Sanctus, also has an ageing potential of around ten years. Annual production stands at 60,000 bottles.

Vinification and ageing

Harvesting is carried out by hand. Fermentation takes place in vats made of concrete, stainless steel, or truncated wooden vats. The wine is aged in oak barrels for approximately 16 to 20 months, with a proportion of new oak that varies (for example, 40% for the 2019 vintage). After bottling, the wine rests in the cellar for about six months.