Château Bouscaut
Art & atypical wines in Pessac-Léognan
Château Bouscaut’s history dates back to the 17th century. Unfortunately, due to a great fire in 1962, which completely destroyed the castle and left only the cellar intact, very few archives of the property still exist. It is said that the fire was accidentally started by Gilbert Bécaud, a famous singer of the time. One thing remains a certainty. According to some historical wine maps and wine competition results, the property has been producing wines for centuries.
In the nineteenth century, the Château Bouscaut was owned by the Chabanneaux family, who sold it in 1925 to Victor Place and to the Count Rivaud, resulting in a significant rise in the quality of the Bouscaut wines. This led to the winning of many awards for their wines. A few years later, the Place family bought out the Rivaud family and became the sole owner of Bouscaut.
In 1953 the significant efforts of the Place family bore fruit, gaining the classification of Château Bouscaut as “Cru Classé de Graves” for white and red wines. After the great fire of 1962, Robert Place, who was a merchant from Belgium, rebuilt and restored the castle to its initial plans. In 1968 it was sold to Americans and later in 1979 to Lucien Lurton, who was the owner of several vineyards in the Bordeaux region (Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens, Camarsac, Climens, etc,..).
In 1992, Château Bouscaut was inherited by Sophie Lurton :
“My parents took into account the fact that some of my 9 brothers and sisters, were already living on the properties to decide to who they would give each estate.
I had always liked the wine, however my background and studies in international trade and management did not lead me to work directly in the wine business. However, when I was offered to take over Château Bouscaut in 1992, my decision became obvious. Initially I was partnered with one of my brothers, but in the late 90s I bought his shares. Today I manage the property with my husband Laurent Cogombles, who is the President of the Pessac- Léognan appellation since 2005.” (Sophie Lurton)
Where does the name of Château Bouscaut come from?
Originally the property was called Haut Truchon, but in 1881 the Chabanneaux family renamed it “Château Bouscaut“, which is the name of the locality where the property is situated.
What are you looking for each year by creating the wines of Château Bouscaut?
“I would say fruit, structure, and length. Our red wines are a blend of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet. Merlot because we have clay on limestone soils which are most adapted, Cabernet for more structure, and elegance and Malbec for its power and interesting hints of spices.
What is important is to keep the fruit but with a beautiful tension that makes great wines. In the end I would say we are making atypical wines, that resemble the character of their terroir.
Regarding our white wines, they have more Semillon than our neighbours because of our clay- limestone soils (in the past, we had more than 65% of Sémillon). Now, our whites are 50% Semillon and 50% Sauvignon for a good balance, and our wines are more expressive in their youth.” (Sophie Lurton)
“Art & Wine” at the Château Bouscaut
“Wine is part of the cultural world. There is an artistic side in wine because it creates emotions, it appeals to the senses and sensibility of people.” (Sophie Lurton)
When visiting the property, you will see the close relationship between Château Bouscaut and the world of art with such works as our tasting room tables made of resin with vine leave inlays and labels, and above all our new cellar which is entirely covered with staves.
Thanks to Sophie Lurton for the warm welcome.
Château Bouscaut
1477 Avenue de Toulouse
33140 Cadaujac
+33 (0)5 57 83 12 20
