Château Prieure-Lichine

With the motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”, the French Revolution was declared in 1789 and with it, a profound reform of the Church that affected two aspects: the ideological and the socioeconomic. On the one hand, religion was placed at the service of the state and its power in culture, education and thought was limited. On the other hand, the properties were given over to the state and were sold to alleviate a deep financial crisis inherited from the Ancient Régime. At that time the bourgeoisie had the economic power, and without thinking twice, they bought all these nationalised properties becoming coveted owners. So, like many other estates, Château Prieure-Lichine went from being a winery run by Benedictine monks producing Bordeaux wine for dinners and religious ceremonies, to being seized, divided and sold by numerous Châteaux belonging to the Margaux denomination. But it was Alexis Lichine in the 20th century who saw the potential of the land and elevated it to the status of a château. And since 1999 it has belonged to Groupe Ballade, a group specialising in Grands Crus Classés that concentrates on the production of high quality wines, like this Château Prieure-Lichine.

Made from 30-year-old vines of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot varieties, the quality of Château Prieure-Lichine comes mainly from the gravel soils deposited by the river during successive glacial floods in the Quaternary era. In order to maintain its full quality, a respectful agriculture is practiced with a yield of 30 hl per hectare and the grapes are harvested by hand at the optimum point of ripeness. In the winery, the wine is vinified in cement tanks at controlled temperatures and then aged in French oak barrels, 55-65% of which are new, for 16 months.

Part of the group of great Margaux wines, Château Prieure-Lichine is elegant, fine and pure. A wine with pedigree thanks to exquisite soils that have been the object of desire throughout modern times and that allows us to predict the best results before and after the wine is made.