Château Les Trois Croix: Vineyards
Located at on the edge of the plateau above the meandering course of the Isle as it wends its way towards the Dordogne, Château Les Trois Croix sits on one of the highest points of the Fronsac appellation. At 78 metres above sea level (for context Château La Vieille Cure, just 660 metres away as the crow flies and close to the waters of the Isle, sits at an altitude of just 21 metres), there are a few points slightly higher as you continue around the edge of the plateau, but not much higher.
It has been suggested that it was the estate’s location that gave rise to the name Les Trois Croix. The property sits at the intersection of three communes, Fronsac, Saillans and Saint-Aignan (all eligible for the Fronsac appellation), each of which is served by its own church, respectively the Église de Fronsac, Église Saint Seurin de Saillans and Église de Saint Aignan. It doesn’t take a great leap of imagination to see where the name Les Trois Croix – the three crosses – may have originated. Although why the name should be applied to this property as opposed to one of its near neighbours remains a mystery.
Circled around the château and cellars, which sit side-by-side, are the vineyards of Les Trois Croix. Although the vines spread across the three aforementioned communes they are essentially in a single block around the property, the only exception being a 1.5-hectare parcel in Saillans. The area dedicated to vines increased throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, and during Patrick Léon’s time the vineyard grew to 16 hectares. A new 2-hectare parcel of fallow land close to the château was acquired in 2018, and quickly planted, and this along with other acquisitions have brought the vineyard up to the current 20 hectares.
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