Château Clarke
Encyclopedia
Château Clarke is a wine property of Bordeaux
of 54 hectares (133.4 acre) based in the Listrac-Médoc AOC and classified as Cru Bourgeois
.
Following the change of ownership the neglected vineyard was re-planned, and then completely recreated between 1974 and 1978, to attain a final wine-producing area of 54 hectares. Today, the vines are planted on clay-limestone hilltops, the optimum soil and environment for the Merlot grape. Benjamin de Rothschild
and Ariane de Rothschild
have taken back the property.
(48%), Merlot
(42%), Cabernet Franc
(8%), and Petit Verdot
(2%), planted on a limestone ground calcareous eocene and calcareous clay (spacing: 6060 vines/ha). It is a traditional vine training, and the pruning is in Double Guyot. The entire surface area was drained prior to planting and again when the vines had matured between 1987 and 1989. The plantations began in 1974 and were completed in 1978.
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
of 54 hectares (133.4 acre) based in the Listrac-Médoc AOC and classified as Cru Bourgeois
Cru Bourgeois
The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the high quality wines from the Left Bank Bordeaux wine regions that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classed Growths, or Grands Crus Classés...
.
History
In the 12th century, the Cistercian monks of the Vertheuil Abbey established the first grapevine. The estate would permanently bear Tobie Clarke’s name in 1818, when the knight Clarke purchased the land. Baron Edmond de Rothschild became the landowner in 1973.Following the change of ownership the neglected vineyard was re-planned, and then completely recreated between 1974 and 1978, to attain a final wine-producing area of 54 hectares. Today, the vines are planted on clay-limestone hilltops, the optimum soil and environment for the Merlot grape. Benjamin de Rothschild
Benjamin de Rothschild
Benjamin de Rothschild is a Swiss banker, the chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Group, a private bank established by his father and owned by the family...
and Ariane de Rothschild
Ariane de Rothschild
Ariane de Rothschild, , is vice-president of Edmond de Rothschild Holding SA since 1999. Mother of four daughters, she is the wife of Baron Benjamin de Rothschild.-Career:...
have taken back the property.
Soil
The vineyard is made up of Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
(48%), Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
(42%), Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
(8%), and Petit Verdot
Petit verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavour to the...
(2%), planted on a limestone ground calcareous eocene and calcareous clay (spacing: 6060 vines/ha). It is a traditional vine training, and the pruning is in Double Guyot. The entire surface area was drained prior to planting and again when the vines had matured between 1987 and 1989. The plantations began in 1974 and were completed in 1978.