Château Picque Caillou: Vineyards
Château Picque Caillou is located within the suburban sprawl of the city of Bordeaux. Today it is one of only two vineyards of note in the commune of Mérignac, all others (except for neighbouring Château Luchey-Halde which survived as a military training ground before being reborn as a vineyard) having disappeared beneath the inexorable spread of urban housing, and of course the airport which lies a short distance further out, to the west. Other city vineyards include Château Pape Clément, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Château Haut-Brion, all of which are a short drive to the south and which sit within the communes of Pessac or Talence.
Unlike these other châteaux, however, the vineyard of Château Picque Caillou has been bisected by the construction of a major road into the city; the Avenue François Mitterrand, which was built in 2005, runs west-east, connecting the Bordeaux Périphérique with the city centre. Indeed, it was driving along this thoroughfare, heading into the city from the airport many years ago, that I first glimpsed the vines of Château Picque Caillou.
