Château Doisy-Daëne
In contrast to the instantly recognisable shape of of Château Climens, with is symmetrical towers and pyramid shaped roofs, and the pale castellations of Château Coutet, Château Doisy-Daëne is a rather understated affair. In fact, it is difficult to make out any distinctive structure that might be earmarked as the château of Château Doisy-Daëne at all. There is little more here than a rather weather-beaten sign on the wall at the side of the road, an unceremonious marker of the estate’s existence within the hamlet that lies on the road between the two aforementioned premiers crus of Barsac.
This is not that unusual with previously divided estates; looking north to the communes of the Pauillac and St Julien, although some grand names such as Château Pichon-Baron and Château Pichon-Lalande do have similarly grand residences, this is not true of all such famous estates. Some that do not include the Léoville properties; there is a conglomeration of unprepossessing buildings for Château Léoville-Las-Cases and Château Léoville-Poyferré, with no obvious point at which one ‘château‘ ends and another begins (although to be fair both have buildings across the road which have a slightly grander feel), but Château Léoville-Barton has nothing that could be described as a château at all. The disparate offspring of the once expansive Doisy estate have a similarly understated appearance, certainly more akin to the Léovilles than the Pichons.
Origins
As I have already alluded, the three Doisy vineyards of Barsac, Château Doisy-Daëne, Château Doisy-Védrines and Château Doisy-Dubroca, all originate from one estate the origins of which are not well documented.
Please log in to continue reading: