Château Poujeaux: Vineyards
The buildings and vineyards of Château Poujeaux are clustered around the D5 as it heads through the village of Grand Poujeaux en route from Moulis-en-Médoc towards the D2, in that no man’s land between Margaux and St Julien. It is of course surrounded by other notable names of the appellation, huddled together on this mound of favourable gravelly soil. Most significantly, Château Chasse-Spleen lies just a few minutes’ walk to the south; Château Maucaillou is just to the north.
Writing in Moulis Listrac (Longman, 1990) Didier Ters noted that “the choice of grape varieties is….typical of the Médoc”, being planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the majority, but that “the 5 hectares of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc are a useful boost in certain years”. The current proprietors were presumably in agreement, as for many years this remained essentially unchanged. When I first updated this profile after the Cuvelier acquisition in 2008 the first two varieties still accounted for 90% of the vineyard (Cabernet Sauvignon dominates slightly), while plantings of the latter two remained responsible for the remaining 10% (there was about 5% each). With time, however, the Cabernet Franc has been edged out, and Christophe Labenne tells me the vineyard today is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.
One thing that has changed over the years though is the area planted to vines, which has grown from 40 hectares in the time of Jean Theil, to 50 hectares during the 1990s, to well over 60 hectares today. During a visit to the property in 2025 Christophe told me they were working 65 hectares of Moulis-en-Médoc vines. In addition, for many years the Poujeaux team have also looked after a 4-hectare parcel of vines, planted to 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 55% Merlot, which are eligible for the Haut-Médoc appellation. To my knowledge this has not changed; the fruit is destined for a cuvée today known as Cru de Médrac.
