Château Luchey-Halde

Located within the Bordeaux conurbation, in the prestigious Pessac-Léognan appellation, Château Luchey-Halde is a direct heir to the very old tradition of vine growing in Bordeaux: it was in Roman times that the vines of Luchey-Halde were planted on the gravel rises surrounding the historic city. Over the centuries, the quality of the terroir and the reputation for excellence of the Graves wines have meant that the lands of Luchey were highly protected. The noble houses of Luchey and Saint Angel (the name once given to Halde) appeared on the Cassini map surveyed in 1760. Château Luchey was ranked as a premier cru of the commune of Mérignac and its wines were highly esteemed, “fine, smooth and pleasant, acquiring a very pleasant bouquet as they age”. This is how the estate was classified by the journal “Le Producteur” in December 1840.
With the advance of urbanisation and the succession of wine crises, many estates near Bordeaux disappeared during the 20th century in favour of urban housing. Bought by the army from the André Meller family in 1919, Luchey was saved from the growth of residential estates. The same was then true of Halde, at that time the property of a Bordeaux négociant, the Russian Consul. In 1919, the army grubbed up the vines of Luchey and Halde to establish a ground for sporting activities and training.
It was in 1999 that ENITA de Bordeaux (the École nationale d’ingénieurs des travaux agricoles), which became Bordeaux Sciences Agro in 2012, the present owner, bought back these lands and replanted the vines to re-establish the top-quality wine estate of Château Luchey-Halde on an exceptional terroir formed several million years ago by variations in the ocean shoreline and the wanderings of the Garonne river. This terroir extends over 3 rises made up of 5 to 8 m of gravel interspersed with clay, and offers essential assets for vine growing, with very good sunshine and natural drainage thanks to gentle slopes. In order to take maximum advantage of the soils’ potential by adapting the vine plants, a pedological map of the land was produced using innovative techniques. Château Luchey-Halde today has modern, high-performance facilities built in 2002 next to the old chartreuse and its 18th-century vaulted cellars: the contemporary architectural complex comprises a semi-underground circular vat room, underground cellars and the estate’s offices.
The making of the Luchey-Halde wines thus combines traditional practices with the most up-to-date technologies used by the ENITA staff. Vine management favours cultivation techniques that lead to the production of the grape berry best suited to making a great wine. No weedkiller is used, in order to protect the environment. Harvesting is by hand and only berries at optimal ripeness and free of disease are selected through successive sortings. Vinification seeks quality through colour, respect for aromas, and the balance and finesse of the tannins. Ageing is carried out in oak barrels. The estate produces, in red and white, Château Luchey-Halde as well as a second wine, Les Haldes de Luchey: wines all in finesse and balance, powerful and elegant, raised to the highest level thanks to the complexity of their aromas.