Château Le Pape

Located in the commune of Léognan, Château Le Pape was created in the 18th century by Pierre Bobineau, a master sailmaker in Bordeaux. Plot by plot, he constituted a small vineyard with gravelly soil and built his residence there in 1805: Château Le Pape.

Château Le Pape later passed into the hands of a Spanish priest exiled from his native Catalonia. In 1841, he in turn sold the estate to Raymond Eugène Goëthals, an artist famous for his s...

With 7 hectares of vines in a single block, Château Le Pape has a superb terroir in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. The average age of the vines (75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon) is 28 years. The terroir consists largely of gravel on sand and clay, and a soil survey done in 2012 showed the remarkable potential of each plot.

The current vine density is 6,900 vines per hectare. An ambitious programme involving uprootin...

Château Le Pape practises sustainable viticulture. Every season, workers plough the soil and perform all of the many traditional vineyard operations (trellising, removing side shoots, green harvesting, etc.). Pruning is of the utmost important for the vines' longevity.

The grapes are all hand-picked and each plot is harvested at optimum ripeness. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled concrete vats at moderate tem...

The 18th century manor house and gardens at Château Le Pape are currently being restored. Agence de l’Arsenal, in charge of renovating Château Haut-Bailly from 2000 to 2004, were asked to make the most of Château Le Pape's charming, elegant architecture and privileged location. Landscape artist Camille Muller is responsible for restoring the garden's original lustre and showcasing the château. Work should be finished by spring 2015.

Ma...