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Château Labégorce

The origins of Labégorce lie in a large estate in the northern parts of the commune of Margaux which belonged to the Gorce (or Gorsse) family, perhaps as long ago as the 14th century. The family were originally merchants, gradually climbing the social ladder in Bordeaux, assuming a more aristocratic standing in the community as they did so. They were still the proprietors here in the 18th century, and documents from that time indicate that there was viticulture on the estate, the vineyards dotted between fields of wheat and pasture where cattle grazed.

Labégorce Divided

This was the situation at the time of the French Revolution, when like so many other estates in Bordeaux, Labégorce was confiscated as a bien national, a national asset to be divided up and sold off. Doing so gave rise to three estates that maintained their existence as independent properties through to the early years of the 21st century, before they were reunified under the name of Labégorce once more. The principal subdivision held onto the Labégorce name, and also formed the heart of the estate once it was reunified, and is dealt with in this profile. The second portion, which as an independent estate developed a handsome reputation for value and quality during the latter years of the 20th century, was Labégorce-Zédé, named for Pierre Zédé who acquired the property through inheritance in 1840. The third was the little-known L'Abbé Gorsse de Gorsse, something of a lost estate as far as the wine drinker is concerned; although classified as a cru bourgeois in the 1932 ranking its profile seemed to fade, although until recently many maps of the commune still indicated its existence.

Following the break-up of the original estate the Labégorce portion passed through many different hands before it came to its current owners. An early proprietor of note was Elisabeth Weltener, a widow, who is recorded as being the owner in 1793, in an early edition of Cocks & Féret. This strongly suggests Weltener was the original buyer of this portion of the bien national. She stamped her authority on the estate in 1821 with the construction of an elegant three-story château, designed by Courcelles, which still stands today, and is now the focus of the reunified Labégorce. After Weltener the property then passed to a gentleman named Capelle in 1832, before its acquisition by the charmingly entitled Fortuné Beaucourt. Twice elected mayor of Bordeaux, Beaucourt continued to tend the vines and also undertook some restoration work on the château. Thereafter the estate passed to the Rooryck family in 1918, then to the Condom family in 1965, before most recently coming into the ownership of Hubert Perrodo.

Perrodo's Reunification

Perrodo was a wealthy industrialist who made his fortune in the petrochemical industry, having been the founder of Perenco, a company specialising in exploration and the exploitation of fossil fuels. On a polo-playing trip to Bordeaux, hosted by Château Giscours, he learned of a nearby property for sale, named Labégorce. He visited the estate and was smitten; this keen amateur du vin was soon to become a proprietor, and in 1989 he acquired the estate. But then a new dream seems to have developed; with time it became clear that Perrodo's aim was to reunite all three portions of the original Labégorce estate under a single banner. With this end in mind he first acquired L'Abbé Gorsse de Gorsse in 2002; unfortunately, the vineyards had already been bought by Château Margaux in a little-publicised acquisition, but the buildings - although not the original Labégorce château, which was burnt to the ground in 1965 - were his. Then, in 2005, he purchased Labégorce-Zédé from Luc Thienpont; with most of the vineyard and all of the original buildings in his possession, the unification of Labégorce was complete. How tragic that, achieved his goal, Hubert Perrodo should be prevented from seeing his dream bear fruit; he died prematurely, in a skiing accident at Courchevel on December 29th, 2006, and any responsibility for seeing through the unification fell to his descendents.

Nobody would have been surprised if the family, bereft with grief, sold off their father's estates. But Hubert's daughter, Nathalie, proved her mettle when she stepped up to the mark, and began to manage the family's estates. The reunification went ahead, although it was not until the 2010 vintage that the wine represented the newly recreated Labégorce estate.

The Labégorce Vineyards and Wines

The vineyards of the 21st-century Labégorce now include those from both Labégorce and the Labégorce-Zédé of old. The former contributes about 30 hectares, the latter 27 hectares, so today the estate has approximately 57 hectares of vines in production. The original Labégorce vines, which are relevant specifically to Labégorce vintages up to 2009, include three main plots, all three of which lie in the northernmost part of the Margaux commune. The largest plot lies just northeast of the Weltener château, with a second plot around the château itself, more-or-less midway between the villages of Margaux and Soussans, while the smallest plot lies a little further north around the church in Soussans. The Labégorce-Zédé vines, meanwhile, are divided between the Margaux and Soussans communes, and contribute 27 hectares. About one-third of the Zédé vines date to the 1950s, one-third were planted by Jean Battesti between 1965 and 1973, while the rest are younger, having been planted by the more recent proprietor Luc Thienpont. Within the Labégorce section the oldest vines, of which there are just four hectares, date from between 1902 and 1950. More date from 1951 to 1985, whereas a quarter date from 1989 when extensive replanting took place, although overall the vines are approximately 35 years of age.

Bringing the two vineyards together in this way has upset my vineyard data somewhat, but if my sums are correct the unified vineyard contains 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Vineyard practices are evolving, but do not to my knowledge go beyond lutte raisonnée, and yields are typically 50 hl/ha. Harvesting is by hand, and fermentation begins with a short, cold maceration followed by a temperature controlled process in concrete vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in oak, 35-40% of which is new, where the wine spends up to fifteen months. It is fined using egg whites before bottling. The vinifications are overseen by technical director Philippe de Laguarigue, who has previously worked at Montrose and before that Lynch-Bages.

From the 2010 vintage Château Labégorce, the grand vin (12500 cases produced per annum), is vinified in the old Labégorce-Zédé chai, whereas the second wine is vinified in the Labégorce chai (alongside the wines of Marquis d'Alesme, the Perrodo family's other Bordeaux estate, due to hopefully short-lived problems at the Alesme chai). This second wine was previously called Château Tour de Laroze, but the second wine of the newly reunified estate is to be called - understandably but no doubt with some potential for confusion - Zédé de Labégorce. Both Labégorce and Labégorce-Zédé also produced other cuvées, in particular from their vines which lay outside the Margaux appellation; these were the Haut-Médoc La Mouline de Labégorce and the Bordeaux Supérieur Z de Zédé, from 4-hectare and 9-hectare plots respectively. Whether these wines will be unified and rebranded is not yet clear to me.

As for quality, despite assertions of grandeur - the château certainly has the air of a classed growth château - the wines of Labégorce have until recently never truly excited my palate. I know the estate has its fans, many of whom cite the 1996 vintage - which I confess I have never tasted - as a shining example of what the estate (or at least one part of the now unified estate) is capable of. My own experiences have been less thrilling, as my notes below indicate. Having said that, there is new direction here, a sense of invigoration, and the incorporation of fruit from the Labégorce-Zédé vineyards is perhaps a large part of that. Certainly, the 2010 Labégorce was one of the most convincing vintages from this estate that I have tasted. The 2009 was on par with this. I am looking forward to tasting future vintages. (8/4/04, updated 11/5/07, 31/8/11)

Contact details:
Address: Château Labégorce, 33460 Margaux
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 71 32
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 88 35 01
Internet: www.chateau-labegorce.fr
GPS: 45.049628, -0.687729

Château Labégorce - Tasting Notes

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Château Labégorce (Margaux) 2010: Under the same ownership, Labégorce has now been amalgamated with its sibling Labégorce-Zédé. The 2010 is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. There is some really sweet macerated cherry fruit on the nose here. It seems dense, polished, spiced with touches of oak and tobacco. It has a rather fat and broad feel on the palate, fairly sweet and dense although the fruit doesn't seem to fill the space within the wine. There is plenty of acid underneath it all. Rather a lighter tannic backbone than many, surprising with 45% Merlot, but not at all a bad thing. It has an attractive lift to the fruit, but right now it seems softly composed and somewhat disparate, although the many separate elements come across very well individually. It may come together given time. From my Bordeaux 2010 primeur assessment. 15-16/20 (April 2011)

Château Labégorce (Margaux) 2009: The blend here is Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 35%, Petit Verdot 8%, Cabernet Franc 7%. This wine has some nice open fruit on the nose, with a rather plummy character. Sweet and creamy on the palate, well defined fruit, with a massive wall of tannins. Velvety but running into chewiness, good acidity, but there is a bitter streak to the structure. Good. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (March 2010)

Château Labégorce (Margaux) 2001: Fresh fruit on the nose, dark and exotic, with some sweet oak. Medium bodied, nicely textured wine which again has a good presence on the palate. Still dominated by primary fruit flavours and oak at the moment, but with nicely put together structure. Will improve as these integrate. A better vintage here. 15.5+/20 (November 2003)

Château Tour de Laroze (Margaux) 2001: The second wine of Château Labégorce. Red fruit on the nose. Medium weight, with red berry fruit flavours and prominent acidity. Little tannin. Pleasant but doesn't make an impact. 14.5/20 (November 2003)

Château Labégorce (Margaux) 1999: Restrained, with some appealing exotic notes. This has good sweet fruit, but nicely integrated oak compared to the much younger 2001 that follows. Somewhat lean on the palate, and a little harsh, with prominent acidity and some unintegrated tannins. 14.5/20 (November 2003)

Château La Mouline de Labégorce (Haut-Médoc) 1999: The first bottle was corked. A second showed restrained, gravelly fruit, again with a lovely presence on the palate. It is mouth-filling, rich, with a tannic background but good balance. Black fruit flavours. Very lithe and enjoyable. Needs food at present, but will soften over the next one to two years. 14/20 (November 2003)

Château La Mouline de Labégorce (Haut-Médoc) 1998: Quite a classic nose here, full of elegantly styled Cabernet fruit with a gravelly edge. Good structure and sweet fruit on the palate. It has a lovely presence. Showing some welcome maturity and ready now. 14.5/20 (November 2003)