Château Crabitey

Château Crabitey is one of the flagship estates of the revival of the Graves appellation. Since 1872 and the opening by Franciscan sisters of an orphanage of the Société des Providences Agricoles, vines have been grown there where a chestnut grove once stood.
Located on the heights of Portets, the estate has always enjoyed a good reputation. The orphanage school taught not only the boarders but also several neighbouring children. Mass was celebrated in the small chapel, built partly (the roof frame and floor) thanks to the two immense plane trees that flanked the house… And the exceptional quality of the terroir has at all times made it possible to obtain a wine that is remarkable in the first sense of the word.
The nuns left more than ten years ago, but of their presence here there remains no doubt a humanity that can still be tasted in the wine of Crabitey. It seems that, before any other know-how, the love of work well done has been preserved. The expression “beau travail” (“fine work”) recurs, moreover, frequently in articles praising the quality of the estate’s wine.
The sisters and their apprentice boarders were thus the first to work the vines on this land, alongside the vineyard managers.
With time it became necessary to surround themselves with people of the trade. In 1985, they therefore called on Jean-Ralph de Butler to head the estate. An agricultural engineer by training, he professionalised the work of the estate. At that time, only 13 hectares were planted with vines. A waste, considering the quality of the estate’s 31 hectares in a single block! His first task was to bring the vineyard back into condition. It was necessary to select the vines and rootstocks, modernise the tools and machinery, then plant new plots and rebuild the cellar.
His son Arnaud took over in 1998 but kept his father at his side, praising this renewed complicity around the vine arbour… Thanks to everything that has already been put in place, Arnaud can devote himself more particularly to improving quality. His idea is simple: the better the grape, the better the wine! He has therefore focused on tending the vines, working the soil by ploughing and not hesitating to disbud, raise the trellising and green harvest, and practises sustainable farming. With 360 barrels, a third renewed each year, and the construction of a more modern cellar in 2001, he has enabled the wine of Crabitey to be remarkable, this time in every sense of the word! It is a powerful and round wine, with a nose of red fruit and silky tannins. It is a delicious wine that can be enjoyed without waiting.
In 2008, Arnaud de Butler bought the property. For the future, he naturally wishes to continue along the path of quality. He is thinking in particular about everything to do with the estate’s environment: its appearance, its web presence, its way of communicating… Modernisation in continuity sums up the art of wine very well!