Nestled in the heart of the Graves appellation in Bordeaux, France, the Grand Enclos du Château de Cérons offers a rich heritage of history, craftsmanship and exceptional wines. With its unique terroir, centuries-old traditions and commitment to sustainable viticulture, this estate invites you to discover the art of winemaking at its best.

A few centuries later...

The origins of Grand Enclos du Château de Cérons go back almost 200 years, when the estate of the Marquis de Calvimont was split in two when a national road linking Bordeaux to Spain was built. This division gave rise to two vineyards from the original lands of Château de Cérons. Today, the Grand Enclos du Château de Cérons extends over some 9 hectares around the Directoire-style residence built in 1875, entirely enclosed by 3-metre-high stone walls. These 12 hectares or so are ideally located nearby, on the renowned terroirs of the Plateau de Podensac. More recently, the estate has acquired a powerful and passionate sponsor: Giorgio Cavanna, an Italian winemaker (Château di Alma) with deep Tuscan roots. Cavanna boasts major investments in high-quality winemaking facilities and a 20-year partnership with winemaker Xavier Dauba. Cavanna's friendship with world-renowned winemaker Patrick Léon (Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lascombes) and his son Bertrand Léon (Château d'Esclans, LVMH) has profoundly influenced winemaking styles, creating red and white wines of remarkable quality and considerable ageing potential.

A unique terroir...

An exceptional location

Graves, an origin dating back thousands of years, an alchemy of stone, sun and vine. They represent the oldest appellation in the Bordeaux region. It is estimated that the first vines were planted here over two thousand years ago. They form an enclave 50km long by 10km to 20km wide, stretching from the south of Bordeaux to Langon.

Bordeaux's Graves are protected from the elements by pine forests on one side, and protected from the rigors of the summer sun by the Garonne River on the other.

Finally, a landscape, almost flat, imperceptibly undulating, between forest and river, which is the very image of the Gironde vineyards.

"Las Grabas de Bourdeus

Bordeaux Graves in Gascon. Graves are the only French wines to bear the name of their soil. Their particularity lies in the very nature of the stones that make them up: they accumulate the sun's heat during the day and slowly release it again at night. This phenomenon enables the vines to ripen evenly, favoring an early harvest.

These miraculous stones also have other assets: they ensure good soil drainage by helping rainwater to run off. Last but not least, the poor quality of the lower layers of the soil means that the vines have to dig deep down to draw the nutrients they need from the subsoil.

Inside the Enclos and on the superb Plateau de Podensac, this mixture of pebbles, gravels and sandy deposits, with great wine-growing potential, lies meters and meters deep.

While Grand Enclos stands out for the quality of its dry Graves red and white wines, the terroir of Cérons, also a communal appellation for sweet wines such as Sauternes and Barsac, offers the unique feature of combining the same gravelly soil, in the heart of the ideal microclimate for the development of noble rot, with the production of a top-flight sweet wine with a freshness unequalled by its Sauternes peers. To find out more