Château Brown

The history of BROWN goes back almost one thousand years, with traces of vines here as early as the 12th century. Two centuries later, during the Hundred Years’ War between the Kingdoms of England (the Plantagenets) and France, Aquitaine and its vineyards were to remain in English hands for quite some time.

Château Brown owes its name to a rich Scottish wine trader, John Lewis Brown, who settled in Bordeaux shortly after the Revolution, in 1795. The former Château Barrière officially took the name Château Brown at the end of the 18th century.

In addition to his name, this wine and art enthusiast passed on his passion for the vine and for painting to his grandson, animal painter John Lewis Brown (1829-1890): his works from the 19th century – especially hunting scenes – can be found today in the Galerie Hermès, Musée Drouot and Tate London… Bordeaux thus saw the emergence of a precursor of Impressionism and it is even said that the Hermès brand drew inspiration from his paintings for the designs of some of its famous silk scarves…

J.L. Brown was also behind the construction of Château Cantenac-Brown (Margaux) and was known for his luxurious lifestyle and countless receptions organised in the Médoc.

In the Northern Graves – the oldest winegrowing terroir in Bordeaux dating back 2,000 years – Château Brown lies in the heart of the young Pessac-Léognan appellation created in 1987 by André Lurton, a key winegrowing figure in Bordeaux. Bordered by vast forests and built-up areas (the towns of Gradignan, Villenave d’Ornon and Léognan), the vineyards enjoy a micro-climate that is ideal for the grape ripening process and therefore the quality of the wine.

Château Brown covers some 59 hectares, including 29 hectares of vines in a single stretch: 24.5 hectares for reds and 4.5 ha for whites. For the red wines, the vineyard comprises a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) and Merlots (40%), plus 5% of Petit Verdot. The varieties on the plots dedicated to white wines are 70% Sauvignon and 30% Semillon.

The vineyard is planted with a density of 7,400 vines per hectare on two gravel ridges, one in the northern half of the estate and one in the south, rising to a height of 23m. The highest plots of deep gravel with the very best drainage and exposure to the sun are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, while Merlot is planted on the clay-gravel soils. The vines reserved for making white wines are planted on the soils with the most sand and clay. The terroir as a whole comprises a majority of fine gravel mixed in with alios, a sandy soil with iron.

Vine management worthy of a Cru Classé for precise, consistent, haute-couture wines, such is the philosophy of Château BROWN. According to Jean-Christophe Mau, “90% of the potential of each vintage comes from the vines”, so it is of the utmost importance for him to be present at each and every stage in the making of his wines.

The work on the vines is enhanced each year by new know-how contributed by each of the members of the team, in particular Bruno Patrouilleau – Vineyard Manager and Cellar Master – with his twenty years of experience, who assists JC Mau in his uncompromising quest to shape ambitious wines.

Château Brown has been actively engaged since 2012 in a sustainable agriculture process, gradually introducing an Environmental Management System into its daily work, and in July 2014 was awarded ISO 14 001 registration. Reduced use of plant protection products and the installation of bee hives alongside the vines are two examples of this.

The BROWN vineyard is constantly evolving: each plot is drained and examined with care before being replanted. This focus on excellence also applies to all the work on the vines, which is adapted with care to each vintage: ploughing is given preference over use of weed-killers to enhance aeration of the soils and encourage deep vine root development, thus avoiding water stress in very hot years. Yields are controlled and limited to 42 hectolitres per hectare for reds and 38 for whites (ten-year average). These yields and the good health of the vines are the result of work carried out throughout the vegetation cycle of the vine, again adapted to the conditions of the vintage: pruning, bud removal, leaf stripping and green harvesting.

The grapes are harvested by hand, of course, using small trays, sometimes in several successive operations as the grapes reach perfect ripeness. Red and white grapes alike are sorted on the vines by the fifty-or-so harvesters employed each year.

The reds are sorted twice by an average of 6 workers: once to sort the bunches before de-stemming, then once on the vibrating table to eliminate any grapes that are not up to standard, along with any leaves or petioles that still remain. This sterling work is repeated each year to ensure that the wines are perfectly respectful of the fruit.

Plot selection among the 29 hectares on the estate allocates an average of 70% of the harvest to the Grand Vin (80,000 bottles of red, 20,000 bottles of white) and 20% to the second wine. The grapes for the second wine are identified plot by plot, picked by hand just like those for the Grand Vin, and enjoy the same lavish care in vineyard and winery alike: harvesting by hand, careful sorting in the vathouse, maturing in French oak barrels…