Overview

Chateau Maucaillou dates back to at least 1871 when the estate was created by the Petit Laroche family and the Chateau was constructed in 1875.

The name of Maucaillou translates to bad stones and came about because of the poor, rocky soils which were too harsh for planting anything other than grape vines. The Petit Laroche family were successful negociants and chose the location due to its proximity to the new railway in Moulis which allowed them to ship wines faster.

Chateau Maucaillou struggled during the great depression and was sold to the well-known Dourthe group, the established negociant company. Dourthe now owns several estates in the Medoc, Pessac Leognan and St. Emilion, as well as the large negociant house, CVGB.

Chateau Maucaillou has a large 86 hectare vineyard on a terroir of gravel based soils. The vineyard is planted with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Vines are harvested using a combination of machine harvesting and manual pickers. Maucaillou is vinified in temperature controlled, stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. The wines are aged in about 60%, new, French oak barrels for average of 18 months prior to bottling.

There is a second wine, Le No 2 de Maucaillou. There is also a 3rd wine, Maucaillou Haut Medoc.

The production of Chateau Maucaillou averages 40,000 cases of wine per vintage. It is worth noting that the chateau houses a well respected wine museum and gallery of wine related art work which is worth a visit.