Château du Cros Loupiac Château Haut Mayne Cérons ~ Clos Bourbon - Paillet Press Book Bordeaux Sweet Wines Reference 3 Terroirs & 1 Family SA Vignobles M. Boyer Château du Cros 33410 LOUPIAC Tél : +33 (0) 556 62 99 31 Fax : +33 (0) 556 62 12 59 jnoel@chateauducros.com www.chateauducros.com
o 800 years of History The entire history of Château du Cros is closely linked to that of the English in Aquitaine, involving Richard The Lion Heart and King Edward. In 1196, Richard The Lion Heart, King of England, allowed the construction of the Vieux Château du Cros on the location of 2 feudal mounts. The Château was partially destroyed by the French during the Hundred Years war. It was slowly rebuilt over time as it was passed from family to family. In 1753, the Château du Cros was sold to Messire François De La Chassaigne, direct descendant of the famous French writer Michel de Montaigne. The current vineyard and winery, bordering the magnificent Garonne river, was built alongside the Chartreuse as a result of the strong development of the wine business in Bordeaux during this period. In 1921, François Thévenot, Great grandfather of the current director, Catherine d Halluin Boyer, acquired this domain from Comte de la Chassaigne. The Vieux château du Cros was inhabited until 1940 and before to be requisitioned by the German Army. It was coveted for its strategic position and its unique panorama above the Garonne river. Unfortunately, the château was damaged by shots and explosives during the German occupation of France. Afterward, it became uninhabited and fell to ruin. Today, the 60 hectares of the Cros Vineyard surrounds the medieval castle which, perched on the top of the hill, overlooks the Garonne River. The view provides a unique panorama from Bordeaux to the North to the Landes Forest to the South. Catherine d Halluin Boyer, 4 th generation to run the family vineyards. She succeeds her father in 2004 and joins the Vignerons Indépendants Association. As a dynamic business woman, she develops a real Bordeaux terroir range regrouping the three family domains under the «Famille Boyer» banner with the Château du Cros as headquarters. Each year, Catherine gets the best from her terroirs and makes a range of 14 wines with 5 appellations including the most famous, the Château du Cros Loupiac and the quality brand Fleur de Cros Bordeaux in three colors. Wines are commercialized in direct via : - Exports markets (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand). - A strong wine shop network country-wide. - Participation in a many Vignerons Indépendants wine shows. - Wine sales at the Château boutique.
Les Trois Vignobles The three Vineyards CHÂTEAU DU CROS 60 hectares AOC Loupiac, Bordeaux White, Rosé and Red City : Loupiac 40 km South of Bordeaux Located 80 meters from the Garonne river, on the right bank, on a hill of 90% limestone. Exceptional centenary plot of Sémillon (108 years old). Famous medieval castle, Le Vieux Château du Cros, built under Richard the Lion Heart in the 12 th century. Highest panorama view above the Garonne River in Gironde. A unique view!!! CHÂTEAU HAUT-MAYNE 18 hectares AOC Graves White, Red and Supérieures City : Cérons 35 km South of Bordeaux Beautiful property bought by Michel Boyer in 1971. Located in the heart of the Graves area around Mayne d Anis. Plots composed of a high percentage of big round gravel. CLOS BOURBON 12 hectares AOC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux City : Paillet 30 km South of Bordeaux. Personal property of Catherine and Thibaut d Halluin, since 1994. Vineyard surrounded by a classic medieval wall, entirely isolated in the heart of the town of Paillet. Limestone soil and exceptional iron schiste subsoil.
From Plot to Barrel Our wines, our soils, and our story are our identity Catherine D Halluin Boyer AOC LOUPIAC This appellation is located 40 kilometers south of Bordeaux on the right bank of the Garonne River. Almost 60 producers work 350 hectares. Only sweet wines are called Loupiac, the other colours are called Bordeaux and also Côtes de Bordeaux for reds. The terroir is really unusual. Implanted between the Garonne and some of the highest Gironde hills, the soil has a dominance of limestone, bringing acidity which makes the difference between other sweet Bordeaux Appellations. The confluence of the Garonne and the Ciron (Sauternes river) is just in front of the Cros Vineyard. The thermal shock between both rivers makes the creation of a mist from August to October. The hill at Château du Cros increases the mist concentration by retaining it on the slopes. These conditions are optimum for Botrytis Cinerea to start appearing in August. The three white grape varietals in Loupiac, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle are attacked by the noble rot and the berries then rot. This concentrates the intensity of the aromas and the sweetness of the juice. INTO THE VINES The region is very humid and so if often hit by heavy rains and hail. As a result we have to look after the vines quite regularly and all year long. At Château du Cros, each green work step has to be adapted to the particularities of the Terroir in order to get the best harvest quality. Pruning, shoot removal, thinning out the leaves and green harvest are done by hand by an experienced team. HARVEST Starting mid-august, we begin to pick some berries in plots to analyze the maturity. First, the white grape varietals with the noble rot for sweet wines, follow by the Sauvignon Blanc for dry wines and then reds in September. Monitoring the noble rot will allow us to define the different harvest dates by selective sorting from September to the beginning of November. Over 50 hand pickers come every year to harvest the noble rot in the Chateau du Cros plots. INTO THE CELLAR The grape reception has been upgraded in 2011. The new outdoor cellar is sheltering 12 stainless steel tanks with a thermoregulation system, a sorting table and two bladder presses. Thanks to this investment, we have largely improved the protection of the juice; the must is more aromatic and the wine is better quality. Once all the wines have been fermented, new wines go into the indoor cellar to be aged in barrel or in concrete tanks depending on the cuvée. Outdoor cellar Grape flowers Sauvignon Barrel cellar
The Wine Tourism Centenary Sémillon A UNIQUE SITE The Old Château du Cros, medieval castle, proposes an exceptional panoramic view of the Gironde. Perched on the top of the Hill, 115 meters above sea level, it overlooks the Garonne valley, the Graves area, from Bordeaux to Langon. Several Grands Crus and monuments can be seen from the medieval castle such as Château Yquem, Château de Malle and the golden Church of Barsac. In early 2014, an orientation table was made which includes all the main places to see within the Graves area. TOURIST OFFER In 2011, the Cros Pedestrian walk 1 kilometer long has been tagged. It links the cellar of Chateau du Cros vineyard down the hill to the medieval castle on the top. The walk starts with the sweet wine plots and then across the forest full of many plant varieties. The flora along the path has been tagged with wooden signs. We supply a brochure presenting the flora of the area with anecdotes and a map to visitors. Up the hill, before arriving at the medieval site, tourists walk along the Centenary plot, the Sémillon varietal planted in 1907. This plot is 107 years old and is very unique in the Gironde. Each vine looks like a work of art. When the vintage is good enough, we make an extremely rare sweet nectar. This cuvee called Tradition was born 10 years ago and it has only been made 4 times. The Old Château du Cros is a protected building, classified to the supplementary inventory of Historic monuments. It is supported by an association that works to stabilize the foundation first and then to enhance the site. The association organizes every year in June the «Cros Medieval days». More than 1000 people come to enjoy historic animations with sword and cape fights, a medieval market and wine tastings. Tasting room «Through this new offer in the Bordeaux area, we offer to tourists an entertaining activity for the whole family, combining wine, history and nature.» Back from the walk (45min/1h), a visit and a commented tasting are offered in the tasting room. Monday to Friday : 9.00am to 6.00pm. Weekend by appointment
DETAILS SA VIGNOBLES BOYER Château du Cros 94 Route de Saint Macaire 33410 LOUPIAC Tél : +33 (0) 556 62 99 31 Fax : +33 (0) 556 62 12 59 GPS : 44 36 38.3.N 00 17 57.3.O Owner : Famille Boyer Director : Catherine d Halluin Boyer Total size of the Three vineyards : 90 hectares Average Yield : 5550 pieds/hectare Average age of the vines : 55 years old Name of cuvées : Château du Cros Cuvée La Tradition Château Ségur du Cros Cuvée Fleur de Cros Château Lépine ~ Château Haut Mayne Cuvée Mayne du Cros ~ Clos Bourbon Cuvée La Rose Bourbon Château Mondésir