Château de Chambrun

The name 'Chambrun' derives from the French 'champ brun' and refers to the brown appearance of a field on the estate. The estate has gone by the name Clos de Chambrun since the early 19th century. The Cholet family bought Clos de Chambrun in 1930. In 1994 they sold it on to Jean-Philippe Janoueix, who renamed the estate "Château de Chambrun."
 

In 2007 Silvio Denz became its owner. He bought some nearby plots, carefully picked from the very high-quality terroir of the best land for sale under the appellation Lalande de Pomerol. He added this land to Château Chambrun to form a winegrowing estate of 6.8 hectares.

According to Robert Parker, Château de Chambrun stands out among the best wines from Lalande de Pomerol: "The 2010 is a real blockbuster." Referring to "Le Bourg," Parker adds: "The spectacular 2010 Le Bourg is one of the finest Lalande de Pomerols I have ever tasted."

Château de Chambrun lies in the village of Néac, on the plateau at the heart of the region bearing the appellation Lalande de Pomerol. The site is an extension of the Pomerol plateau itself. The 6.8 hectares of the vineyard consist of two main soil types which ideally complement each other:

- a quartz and flint gravel surface over a clay substrate of upper alluvial terrace, originating from the glacial era (Lower Pleistocene), identical to the gravel plateau of Pomerol itself
- and sand-clay mixture (brunisol) overlying Fronsadais molasse.
 

Some plots at Château de Chambrun are planted with vines more than 50 years old (Le Bourg), though the average age is 35 years. Planting density is 6000 vinestocks per hectare.

The vines at Château de Chambrun are cultivated by sustainable, natural methods of viticulture. They receive the best possible attention: pruned by the double guyot method with debudding in spring. The soil is grass-covered between the rows to encourage biodiversity and contain the growth of the vine stocks. The same goes for harvesting: small crates are used to preserve the quality of the grapes, hand-picked when perfectly ripe.

The same quality requirement extends to the vinification processes: selection from a sorting table, heat-controlled wooden vats of 40 hectolitres capacity, integral vinification in 30 barrels and 100% of the maturation in new French oak barriques for 15 months. Château de Chambrun is prospering under the expert advice and watchful eye of Michel Rolland, an oenologist of world standing.

Château de Chambrun's owner, Silvio Denz, also owns Château Péby Faugères, Château Faugères and Château Rocheyron (the latter in partnership with Peter Sisseck). All four fall within the AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, while Château Cap de Faugères is an AOC Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux.

A connoisseur of fine wines, Denz also owns two wine merchants in Switzerland and interests in Clos d’Agon in the Catalonia region of Spain and in Montepeloso in Toscana (Italy). "Authenticity is my goal; uncompromising quality my means of achieving it. This quality is the fruit of the hard work of the highly professional team around me, our co-operation with the best external advisers and our use of the latest and best technology."