Dourthe

1840

Pierre Dourthe, who was a hotelier in Lit-et-Mixe (a village located in the South of Bordeaux), opens a winemerchant business in Bordeaux.
He was quite possibly totally unaware that thanks to his direct descendents, the Dourthe name would one day be associated throughout the world with the great wines of Bordeaux.

1870

His eldest son Jean takes over the business and settles in Bordeaux.

1929

The fourth generation, Roger and André, buy Château Maucaillou in Moulis and lay the foundations for its future expansion, adopting a totally original, terroir-focused approach. 

And unlike the vast majority of Bordeaux Houses established in Quai de Chartrons, Dourthe decides to relocate its activity to the heart of the Medoc vineyards. In so doing, Roger and André Dourthe build a reputation where the relentless quest for quality and a passion for innovation go hand in hand with an air of modesty befitting men born of the soil.

1950

The ambition to conquer. True to their values, the fifth generation, Jean-Paul Jauffret, Pierre and Philippe Dourthe, inject the ambition to conquer new markets and Dourthe gains worldwide renown for its prestigious range of exclusive wines. Jean-Paul Jauffret becomes CEO of Dourthe.

1967

His connections with other highly regarded winemakers and his active role in the Bordeaux wine trade help to significantly develop Dourthe’s business.

1979

Dourthe launches Beau Mayne. Dourthe acquires the leasehold for Château Belgrave. To further its innovative reputation, Dourthe launches Beau Mayne, a premium, Bordeaux wine, which today has become a particular favourite among restaurateurs. In the same year, Dourthe acquires the leasehold for Château Belgrave Grand Cru Classé Haut-Médoc. Dourthe’s famous values are therefore shared among its multinational shareholders and in turn progressively passed on to a new management team.

1987

Dourthe becomes the number 1 wine company in Bordeaux

1988

Dourthe launches Dourthe N°1 white. Dourthe launches Dourthe N°1 white, which rapidly gains a reputation for its innovative approach and as a benchmark of quality, in the dry, white Bordeaux segment.

1990

Dourthe purchases Château Pey La Tour, Bordeaux Supérieur and Château La Garde, Pessac-Léognan, expanding the production side of the business through the vineyards. Dourthe purchases Château Pey La Tour and Château La Garde.

1993

Dourthe releases Dourthe N°1 red. Dourthe releases Dourthe N°1 red and is responsible for building Bordeaux’s first major barrel hall, located in Parempuyre.

1995

Dourthe launches Dourthe La Grande Cuvée. Dourthe takes over the leasehold of de Château Le Boscq. Dourthe launches its premium «Dourthe La Grande Cuvée» brand and takes over the leasehold of Château Le Boscq, Cru Bourgeois of Saint-Estèphe. The company is the subject of a management buy out involving its three directors.

1998

The company is the subject of a management buy out involving its three directors: Jean-Marie Chadronnier, Patrick Jestin and Xavier Gouvars, who confirm the family-oriented dimension of the company and begin the premiumisation of Dourthe wines.

2002

Dourthe launches «Essence de Dourthe», the jewel in the crown of the Dourthe Estates, reflecting the quality efforts undertaken on its properties.

2005

Dourthe takes over the leasehold Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac. Dourthe takes over the leasehold of Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.

2007

Dourthe becomes part of Thiénot Bordeaux-Champagnes. Dourthe becomes part of Thiénot Bordeaux-Champagnes. This new investment is testament to the major strategic choices undertaken by Dourthe, which form an integral part of a long term vision, which is paramount in the wine sector. Patrick Jestin becomes CEO of Dourthe. The three Bordeaux properties owned by the Thienot family - Chateau Rahoul, Ricaud and Haut Gros Caillou - are now part of Vignobles Dourthe.

2014

Dourthe buys out Château Reysson, for which it had been the management company since 2001.

From the nine estates which make up the Dourthe vineyards in Bordeaux, four prestigious châteaux located within Bordeaux’s most iconic terroirs also play their part in the creation of Essence de Dourthe. In the Haut-Médoc, Château Belgrave, which was granted Grand Cru Classé status in 1855, is an extensive, classic estate, comprising 59 hectares of magnificent gravel soils of varying depths. Here Cabernet Sauvignon thrives on the deep gravel plots, while Merlot is ideally suited to the more clay-rich soils. Further north in Saint-Estèphe, Château Le Boscq is an 18-hectare, tiny gem of a vineyard, overlooking the Gironde Estuary from the top of one of the appellation’s finest gravel outcrops, and is known predominantly for its Petit Verdot of remarkable finesse.

To the south, in Pessac-Léognan at Château La Garde, 50 hectares of vines stretch majestically along one of the most remarkable veins of gravel located in the upper reaches of the appellation. The plot located on the Plateau is one of the finest terroirs for Cabernet Sauvignon imaginable. An integral part of Dourthe’s portfolio since the 2005 vintage, Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, is set in 15 hectares of outstanding soils, intersected by a seam of blue clay. Here Cabernet Franc naturally flourishes to reveal its ultimate potential.