Château Charmail Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Haut-Médoc 2020

In the past forty years, three individuals have been struck by the same intuition upon discovering the vineyard of Château Charmail. This feeling and desire have successively emerged in Olivier Sèze, who took over the estate in 1982, then Bernard d’Halluin, who succeeded him in 2008, and 􀏐inally Valérie Goudet-Liquard and her family in 2021.

Two main factors deserve to be highlighted: the terroir and the exceptional location of the vineyard, which overlooks Saint-Estèphe with a unique view of the estuary, and the remarkable progress in the quality of the wine throughout these years. We believe that the history of Château Charmail is primarily a story of winemakers and entrepreneurs, whose understanding and mutual respect have laid the solid foundations for a very ambitious project. Here it is in a few lines.

Starting in 1982, Olivier Sèze quickly introduced the wines of Château Charmail into the cellars and onto the tables of discerning enthusiasts. As an agricultural engineer and innovative winemaker, he made considerable advances in winemaking techniques, particularly in pre-fermentation maceration and extended low-temperature extraction. His intuition regarding the contribution of Petit Verdot to the Médoc blend was widely acclaimed. The property made progress on solid grounds, and everything accelerated in 2008 with the arrival of Bernard d’Halluin.

Olivier Sèze had the foresight to welcome a partner after 25 years of remarkable ascent, someone who possessed the resources and motivation to guide the estate to new heights. In the vineyard and cellars, he introduced Sébastien Pineau, who successfully continued his mentor’s efforts.

Bernard d’Halluin also felt the call of Charmail; he took joint leadership of the property for five years and greatly expanded it: extending the buildings, conquering target export markets, transitioning to organic farming. The second decade of the century honored his work, and the estate was distinguished with the status of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2020.

In May 2021, Bernard d’Halluin met someone who shared the same love for this place, due to her Médoc origins. Valérie Goudet-Liquard, after living abroad for 17 years, made possible the reunion of the neighboring properties Bardis and Saint-Paul in the Grand Charmail project. This marked the beginning of the reconstitution of the original ensemble, centered around the 16th-century charterhouse, and the takeover of a contiguous vineyard of nearly 60 hectares, whose terroirs unite in a wonderful complementarity.

A new transition is underway, accompanied by a range of projects. Under the valuable management of Bernard d’Halluin, who remains a strong shareholder, the teams are strengthened in all sectors: in the vineyard and cellars, of course, under the direction of Sébastien Pineau, who also becomes a partner, and in the brand development with Augustin Goudet-Liquard.

The hotel and wine tourism project of the new property is now in motion, cherished by the new owners, who aim to turn this blessed place into a welcoming, sharing, and value-creating location for the Médoc region. The “Grand Charmail” project, enriched with such a beautiful adventure and undeniable assets, comes to life a little more each day.