Open Days in the Graves: At Château Cazebonne, taste wines made from ancient grape varieties as well

Jean-Baptiste Duquesne, owner of Château Cazebonne, is portrayed as a passionate and iconoclastic winegrower. His 35-hectare estate in Saint-Pierre-de-Mons stands out for growing 26 grape varieties, around fifteen of which had fallen into disuse in the Gironde. He conducts rigorous scientific and hands-on agricultural observation across these plots to find solutions to climate change. Duquesne emphasises that Bordeaux was home to more than 60 grape varieties at the start of the 20th century, compared to just a handful today. He is experimenting with varieties such as Jurançon Noir and Saint-Macaire, which have shown better resistance to downy mildew and late frosts. He plans to increase the surface area dedicated to ancient grape varieties and to plant 60 different varieties on a dedicated observation plot. The former creator of the 750g.com website and current president of Bordeaux Pirates will be offering tastings during the open days of ancient variety cuvées named “Comme en 1900” or “Soif de 1900”, in addition to his traditional Graves wines.