Château Clarke Baron Edmond de Rothschild

The British-sounding name of Clarke may seem somewhat surprising on Médoc soil. Indeed, the estate called “Les Granges” was bought in 1771 by an Irishman, Tobie Clarke. At the time the estate covered a total area of 230 hectares, already including 17 hectares of vines.
In 1820, the Saint-Guirons family acquired this estate, renamed Château Clarke. This family built a château there in 1865, and the property remained in the hands of its successive heirs until 1955, passing directly down the female line: the Abiets, the Mermans, the Cantegrils and the John-Durands. At the end of the 19th century, Georges Merman and then his son-in-law Albert Cantegril created at Château Clarke one of the first white vineyards in the Médoc, marketed under the clever name “Merle blanc de Château Clarke”. This wine, combined with the existing red wine, contributed to the development and renown of Château Clarke, notably in the first half of the 20th century. During this period, the estate had up to 50 hectares of vines and produced up to 200 tonneaux (the equivalent of 240,000 bottles today, of which 40 to 60 tonneaux, or 72,000 bottles, were white wine in the early 20th century). The Second World War marked the beginning of the estate’s decline, and it was sold in 1955. The château was demolished by its owner and the wine estate was gradually abandoned.
After this time in the wilderness, Château Clarke was bought in 1973 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. An immense renovation project began under the baron’s leadership, resurrecting the estate. The vineyard was entirely replanted between 1974 and 1978 to regain an area of 54 hectares. The buildings were renovated and rebuilt. The first vintage of Château Clarke produced and bottled under the new era of Baron Edmond de Rothschild was 1978. In 1979, to celebrate its rebirth, Château Clarke hosted the prestigious Fête de la Fleur. The year 1997 ended with the death of Baron Edmond de Rothschild. From that date, his son, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, continued the development of the estate with a high standard of quality.
Thus, the rise in quality and in the image of the wines of Clarke has been confirmed, under the impetus of a dynamic team advised by Michel Rolland (since 1998). As the vines have aged, cultivation methods have evolved towards the control of moderate yields with a low environmental footprint. Vinification is now subject to precise control. Since September 2001 a wooden vat room has received a hand-picked harvest brought in in small crates, which is sorted on a belt and filled into vats by simple gravity. Modern tools such as punching down or micro-oxygenation are available to the winemaker. The wines are aged mainly in new barrels (60% depending on the vintage), where they refine over 14 to 18 months.
The result of a total quality approach, the wine of Clarke (dominated by the Merlot grape variety) now reflects the optimal expression of its clay-limestone terroir.