The estate
Nestling in the heart of the medieval village of Saint-Émilion, Château La Clotte discreetly watches over its vines from a unique limestone promontory. The 4 hectares are carefully cultivated, set against steep hillsides and surrounded by low dry-stone walls. This confidential estate, with its strong identity, embodies the discreet elegance and depth of a great terroir, where nature sets the pace.
A history rooted in rock
The name ‘La Clotte’ evokes the natural shelter formed by the limestone cliffs, in which underground galleries dug into the rock in the 11th century still bear witness to a centuries-old winemaking tradition. This particular relief has always shaped the history of the area. The estate joined the spirit of Château Ausone in 2014.
A terroir sculpted by time
The uniqueness of Château La Clotte lies in its almost exclusively limestone terroir, typical of the finest plateaux in Saint-Émilion. These demanding, skeletal soils give the wines remarkable tension and finesse. The south-south-east exposure and the immediate proximity of the village protect the vines, creating an ideal microclimate for slow, complete ripening.
Merlot in majesty
The estate’s grape varieties are dominated by Merlot (85%), complemented by Cabernet Franc (15%). On these limestone soils, Merlot expresses its natural freshness, silky texture and great aromatic depth. The vines, which are on average 50 years old, are cultivated with respect for their environment, with attention paid to each individual vine.
Patient craftsmanship
Every gesture in the vineyard is guided by observation and precision: gentle pruning, natural grassing, minimal tillage, sparing treatments… At Château La Clotte, viticulture is seen as a conversation between man and soil. The hand-picked, parcel-by-parcel harvest brings out all the purity of this mineral terroir.
The art of blending
In the cellar, carved out of the rock, vinification is carried out on a parcel-by-parcel basis, in human-sized vats. Fermentation is gentle, to respect the integrity of the fruit. The wine is matured for around 20 months in French oak barrels, in a discreet but structured way. At the end, the wine reveals a crystalline expression of limestone: precise, straightforward, long on the palate, true to the soul of Saint-Émilion.
