Château Labat: Vineyards
While it remains an unknown whether or not Château Labat will continue as an independent estate after the acquisition by Bernard Magrez, or whether it will be subsumed by Château La Tour Carnet, this page of my profile deals with the vineyards and winemaking undertaken by the Nony family during their tenure of this property.
The vineyards of Château Labat and Château Caronne-Sainte-Gemme lie directly to the west of Château Lanessan, the two separated only by the course of the Fossé de Creychac. This drainage ditch flows into the Chenal du Milieu, just to the north; this is one of the Médoc’s most important drainage channels, flowing directly east until it empties into the Gironde. To the north of Château Labat and Château Caronne-Sainte-Gemme, on the far side of the aforementioned chenal, can be found the vineyards of Château Lagrange and Château de Camensac, two classed growth neighbours (well, near-neighbours). Otherwise the vineyards are surrounded, around the chenal, to the west and to the south, by woodland and pasture, the latter sometimes bearing the ghostly imprints of long-lost vineyards.
The vineyard of Château Labat has contracted somewhat over the years, from 10 hectares a few decades ago to just 7.8 hectares today.
