Château Branas-Grand-Poujeaux

It all began when Justin Onclin, aware of the potential of his terroir, bought Château Branas Grand Poujeaux in 2002.

He then had a double ambition: to respect the heritage and roots of this estate, while giving it a visionary impetus and a new appetite.

“I wanted the work of rehabilitating the Château to be both a restoration of the existing structure and the creation of a symbol of our quest for excellence.” Justin Onclin

In a few years, with strength and freedom, he built a pure and modern place, conceived an authentic universe and elaborated a just, powerful and elegant wine.

Almost twenty years later, Château Branas Grand Poujeaux has become for most wine journalists a quality leader of the Moulis-en-Médoc appellation.

Neal Martin of Vinous on Château Branas Grand Poujeaux: In Moulis-en-Médoc, you cannot go wrong with the high-performing Branas Grand Poujeaux, which, frankly, is cruising at Grand Cru Classé quality (Bordeaux tasting report 2019)

In 2020 the vineyards on the Grand Poujeaux plateau of Château Granins Grand Poujeaux were acquired as well as the buildings and the brand. Some magnificent new Cabernet Sauvignon blocks may enter the Grand Vin of Branas as of 2020. At the same time the “Branas crew” will honor the heritage of Granins and will continue to produce a Château Granins Grand Poujeaux that will hopefully exceed the expectations of the loyal private customers of Château Granins Grand Poujeaux.

Land of tradition par excellence, Moulis is located in the heart of the Médoc, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary and covers an area of about 600 hectares, making it one of the most confidential communal appellations.

Located in between the Margaux appellation to the South and the Saint Julien and Pauillac appellations to the North , the Moulis-en-Médoc AOC vineyard is a narrow ribbon stretching 7 km from east to west.

The original location of the Moulis vineyard explains the exceptional diversity of its terroirs.

From the gravel to the east of the appellation, close to the estuary, to the sandy-clay plains of the west, all the great Médoc terroirs can be found there, hence the idea that in terms of its soils, Moulis is a “concentrate” or a “miniature” of the Médoc wine region.

In the heart of the Moulis appellation

Nestled comfortably between two illustrious neighbors, Châteaux Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen, Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, enjoys a 17-hectare terroir centered around the ancient gravel sediments of the Grand Poujeaux plateau, on the most eastern side of the appellation.

The Grand Poujeaux plateau offers among the best terroir of Bordeaux. In terms of geology, the soils are Garonne gravel from the Gunz period with underneath the Saint Estephe calcareous sediments are the same as the First growth terroir in Pauillac and Margaux. This is the “insider secret”.

These poor and generous gravelly soils both provide excellent natural drainage and encourage deep rooting of the vines revealing the complexity of the different layers of the terroir.

The estate is divided into 12 plots on the Grand Poujeaux plateau which are all small vineyards on their own with their own terroir identity, a chosen grape variety and a planting age. This particularity shapes the complexity of the wine of Château Branas Grand Poujeaux.

The Cabernet Sauvignon (45%) gives the wine an intense bouquet, tension and aptitude for aging while the Merlot (50%) brings color, richness and roundness.

The 5% Petit Verdot completes the grape variety giving power to the structure and aromatic richness.

Since 2018 Château Branas Grand Poujeaux is certified as “Haute Valeur Environmentale III”, the highest level of a responsible and ecological agriculture.