Château La Hourqueyre
Located in Saint-Yzans-en-Médoc on a rocky limestone plateau to the west of the village, Château la Hourqueyre enjoys a unique terroir. Founded in the 17th century by the Artigarum and Batailley families, it is situated at the crossroads between Saint Christoly and Saint-Yzans. The name “Hourqueyre” comes from the word “Hourqua,” meaning “fork.” Despite its production being pretty limited today, the Château retains a distinguished reputation inherited from its past. In 2023, three friends passionate about Médoc wines teaed up with the Batailley family to relaunch the vineyard, focusing on a selection of the estate’s best parcels.
Terroir between Heaven, Sea and Estuary:
Soil: The La Hourqueyre vineyard is spread across two complementary terroirs: a limestone area where the rock sometimes comes to the surface, giving distinction and minerality, ideal for Cabernets. A clay-sand area richer in nutrients, which produces exceptional Merlots.
Climate: The northern Médoc, in the villages of Ordonnac and Saint-Yzans-de-Médoc, has a climate strongly influenced by the Gironde Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary mitigates the extreme characteristics of our climate, and the sea tempers the excesses of summer with a light breeze. It is widely recognized that the best terroirs of the AOC Mèdoc are located along the estuary.
Vinification in Our Cellar
We strive to create authentic wines, where each vintage is a snapshot of our terroir, reflecting our soils, microclimate, and classic grape varieties. Each year leaves a unique mark through the sun, rain, moon, and seasons—a living process that we follow with precision and respect
In our winery, we place the grapes on a long sorting table for rigorous manual selection. Then a conveyor belt lifts the grapes to the top of the vats (both concrete and stainless steel). This “gravity-flow winery” respects the grapes’ fragility and provides a much gentler process for moving them without the use of pumps or other tools that can affect their quality. It also allows for maceration at a regulated temperature and better control of extraction. We employ also”Integral Vinification” in double French oak barrels for our best vintages, which involves fermenting red grapes directly in barrels.
The Three Associates of Château La Hourqueyre
Dr. Jim McDermott,
a former U.S. Congressman and psychiatrist from the Seattle, WA area, moved to Medoc after his retirement and became inspired to join the Chateau La Hourqueyre team.
Guy Durand Saint Omer, who chose to become Médocain after a long career in the service of worldwide wine distribution
Dr. Tobias Paul, a German Physicist, true lover of the Médoc and its wines, who has become a faithful visitor of La Hourqueyre since a long time
Our Oenologist
Athanase Fakorellis is a renowned internat-ional oenologist who accompanies classified “Grand Crus” wines and shares our passion for exceptional wines