Château Fourcas-Dupré

Vines have grown in "Fourcas" since the early 18th century, as proved by royal cartographers Masse, Robert, Belleyme, ect.

In the heart of the Medoc, there were already vines in the area called "Fourcas" at the beginning of the XVIII century, as can be seen on the maps drawn by the King's cartographers: Masse, Robert, Belleyme …The château was called Cru Roulet until Jean Antoine Baptiste Dupré, solicitor at the Appeal Court of Bordeaux, bought it in 1843.It was with Alex Laffont, discerning oenophile and life-long friend, that Guy Pagès bought the 2000 shares in the SCI on the 24th November 1970 and became director.

His son, Patrice Pagès, succeeded him in 1985 with the same mindset; eye for detail, knowhow and passion.  As a result, the wines of Château Fourcas Dupré have never stopped improving during the last 30 years.Recognised by its peers, Château Fourcas Dupré is a member of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Académie des vins de Bordeaux and Commanderie du Bontemps du Médoc des Graves, Sauternes et Barsac.

Château  Fourcas Dupré, first Bourgeois of the XIX century was classed as Superior Bourgeois Vintage in 1932 and 2003.

The first registered owner of the Fourcas estate was Maître Roullet.  The first ranking of Wines of Guyenne, made at the request of the intendant Dupré of Saint-Maur in 1776, mentions the "Roullet" cru in the parish of Listrac.  Nevertheless, there had already been vines at Fourcas for a long time, since at least the beginning of the XVIIIth century, as proves the map of Claude Masse, geographical engineer for Louis XIV, drawn in 1709.

The surface planted with vines at Château Fourcas Dupré is 46 hectares in one parcel.  Situated between Moulis and Saint Julien, Listrac "the roof of the Médoc" culminates at 43 m.  As a result of this, the vineyard has excellent natural drainage; the wind and the proximity of the forest limit the climatic excesses for a slow qualitative ripening of the grapes.

The Château Fourcas Dupré soils are a surprising mixture of gravel, clay and limestone.  Château Fourcas Dupré is one of the few Médoc estates to have over 80% Pyrenean gravel that gives such personality to our wines.In perfect harmony with its natural conditions, the four grape varieties grown are Cabernet Sauvignon (44%), Merlot (44%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (2%).  The average age of our vines is over 30 years and the density of the planting is 8300 per hectare. 

The vineyard, whose production is controlled, is maintained with a respectful method of farming (mechanical weeding, grassing, organic fertilizer and restoration of the microbiological life of the soil).This unique soil gives the Château Fourcas Dupré wines a typical character: mineral, complex, touches of smoke, roasting and an ability to age remarkably well.

When one speaks about an estate, one refers to its soil.  The soil is not only the earth but the impact of a climate, a soil, the vines and human intervention.

The climate plays an important role when it comes to choosing the different grape varieties used.  The type of soil also has a big influence on the quantity and quality of the grapes.

As the ground types at Fourcas Dupré varies, this juxtaposition of several soils is what makes the character of the Château Fourcas Dupré wines so unique.  There are three distinct soil types:

Sandy gritty soil:  filtering soil, abundance of gravel, little silt, rather poor and hot where we plant the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernets Francs.

Gritty clay soil:  Richer, cooler soil, harmonious mixture of grit and clay that does the Merlot vines so proud.

Clay-limestone soil:  Fertile cool soil that is perfect for the Merlots and Petit Verdot vines.

Since the beginning of the XVIII century, human intervention, by selecting soils, grape varieties and improving wine-making techniques, has enabled the creation of great fine wines suitable for ageing including Château Fourcas Dupré.

Thanks to a continuous and methodical renovation, Château Fourcas Dupré has kept the charm of a Medoc wine estate and has put together a formidable way of producing wines. The winery and outbuildings are in architectural and technical harmony. The modern wine vats are doted with an efficient thermo-regulation system.  The control of the fermentation temperatures is very precise and helps preserve the fruit and freshness of our wines whilst assuring that we extract the good tannins at the right moment during the alcoholic fermentation.

The cellars that date back to the time of the naming of the estate (1843) are very well adapted to the maturing of our wines. The recently built cellar storage for bottled wine allows us to store the wines bottled at the château under excellent conditions before sending them to their final destination. A visit of our facilities will allow you to discover the two-tiered wooden vats dating from the XIXth century that have been kept, together with the rest of the equipment from the same era.  Every visitor is invited to travel back in time.

The blending (selection of different grape varieties that help form each of our quality blendings) and ageing are an integral part of the style of a wine. At Château Fourcas Dupré, we have deliberately chosen to make wines that represent their locality: expressive, mineral and complex.

The choice of blends is therefore made with this in mind so that each of our vintages possesses its own distinct character.

The choice of barrels is also made with this in mind.  At Fourcas Dupré, the barrels come from 4 or 5 different coopers and are therefore made and heated differently.  The main worry is to make sure that the wines are not tainted by their maturing but that their complexity increases with regard to their subtle and varied aromas.

Depending on the vintage, our main wine, Château Fourcas Dupré, is solely aged in barrels, of which a third are new, for twelve months.

The selection Hautes Terres de Fourcas Dupré benefits from a partial ageing in barrels together with an ageing in vats to keep plenty of freshness and fruit.

For Château Fourcas Dupré, the malolactic fermentations are done in barrels to ensure a very smooth woody touch and avoid making the taste too strong.  This also brings roundness and a full-bodied touch to the wine.