Château La Clotte

The vineyards of La Clotte are home to one of the oldest wines of Saint-Émilion. As of the early 16th century, a considerable amount of the vineyards belonged to the famous Grailly family. In 1912, Sylvain Chailleau, the great-great-grandfather of the current owners, acquired the property, and originally called it La Clotte Grailly (in the Gascon dialect clotte designates a small cave dwelling). He renamed it Château La Clotte in 1913. And in 1930, he passed it down to his son Georges Chailleau, a charismatic character who traveled diligently throughout France and Europe fervently promoting the Saint-Émilion appellation. When he became too old to run the estate, he ended up renting his vineyards to neighboring domaines. But in 1990, Nelly Moulierac, one of his granddaughters, decided to take over and remake the estate wines with the help and support of her cousins Dominique Tord and Odile Plantade. Today, it is a tiny estate - only 4 hectares - and produces a well-priced and underrated wine.