Château Pontac-Monplaisir

Château Pontac-Monplaisir, sheltered from prying eyes by fine gates, is an elegant chartreuse that owes part of its name to the Counts of Pontac.
The Pontacs are one of the oldest and most illustrious families of Guyenne. Antoine de Pontac received from Charles V on 20 February 1375, by letters patent, the authorisation to bear for himself and his descendants the royal star for having driven the English out of Aquitaine. His descendants held important offices at the Parlement of Bordeaux for nearly three centuries (16th, 17th and 18th centuries).
Lords of many wine-growing places in the region, Saint-Estèphe, Queyrac, La Tresne, Roaillan, Podensac, Bisqueyton, “Montplésir”, or Haut Brion, they were the first to identify the wines of their estates, thereby creating a new dynamic (notions of growths, terroirs, origin) and a considerable boost for Bordeaux wine.
At the Revolution, the Monplaisir vineyard was broken up and belonged to various owners. During the 19th century, the estate was rebuilt with passion by Émile Lalanne and Château Pontac-Monplaisir regained its reputation on the markets.
In 1920, Auguste Maufras acquired the estate, which then comprised 50 hectares of vines. But during the Second World War, the estate was neglected.
In 1952, Jean Maufras, his son, undertook the restoration of the vineyard and of the various premises, cellars and vat rooms, for which nothing was forgotten. He entrusted the supervision of vinification to Émile Peynaud. The wines of Pontac Monplaisir gained an ever-growing renown with the trade and its clientele.
In the 1980s, after oenological training, Alain Maufras chose to work with his father, Jean, in order to perpetuate the family tradition. From the 1990s he took over the running of the estate and decided to practise vinifications similar to those of the great classified growths of the Graves. Each wine is made with care, the blends are rigorous and overseen by the oenologist Athanase Fakorellis.
Close to Bordeaux, Pontac Monplaisir is a magical place to discover, where the Maufras family will always welcome you with pleasure for a visit and a tasting.