Château Dalem
Peering out across a sloping vineyard, and to the valley of the Isle beyond, we find the new cellars of Château Dalem. Close to the centre of Saillans, at the heart of the Fronsac appellation, these new cellars were a striking addition to the viticultural landscape when they were completed in 2019.
The cellars stand several stories high, facilitating an entirely gravity-fed system of vinification, and they are kitted out with new thermoregulated stainless steel cuves which are arranged in a semicircular fashion, so the sunlight which streams in through the windows opposite catches each one as the day progresses. Deep below, the most recent vintages rest in two newly excavated subterranean barrel cellars. It is a high-tech, no-expense-spared facility, and it stands as testament to the commitment of Dalem’s proprietor Brigitte Rullier-Loussert and her wines.
Remarkably, only two families have owned Château Dalem during its entire history; Brigitte is a member of the most recent, but before the 1950s the property was created and developed by Crabit family, whose tenure stretches back several centuries. In this profile I explore the genesis and history of this estate, before going on to examine the developments made under Brigitte’s watch – not least those new cellars.
