Château de Malle is a magnificent 17th-century vineyard château of harmonious proportions, listed as a Historic Monument, as are its famous terraced Italian gardens with nymphaeum, statues, ponds, etc. A visit to this unique estate in the south-west, where everything is about vines and wine, is particularly recommended (Malle is open to visitors on weekdays), as few places so perfectly evoke the true respect for a long tradition of quality and refinement. But Château de Malle is above all a Sauternes Grand Cru, classified in 1855. Its wine is fruitier rather than sweeter, with the sap of Barsac and the distinction of Sauternes. It is a “traditional” wine, made from a vineyard that was completely renovated after the terrible frosts of 1956, and deliberately kept smaller than in 1855.
Its production, around fifty barrels a year, is the excellent result of a highly restrictive quality policy begun by Jacques de Malle, followed by several generations of Lur Saluces and by its owner, the Countess de Bournazel, who continues a family tradition unbroken for 500 years.
The classic grape varieties (Semillon and Sauvignon with a little Muscadelle), light manuring based on organic matter, restrained pruning, harvesting by successive selections spread throughout the autumn, the use of new Merrain oak barrels acquired each year, and a very rigorous selection of the cuvées destined for the “mise du château” blend, all contribute to producing a wine of the highest quality, attested to by the satisfaction of its buyers, most of whom are foreign.
The vineyards of Château de Malle are joined by those of Château de Cardaillan, owned by the same proprietor, in the commune of Toulenne, in the Graves region, which also produces a white Graves under the name of “M de Malle”.
