Charles Baudelaire and Lord Byron are among this wine’s most enthusiastic and famous ambassadors, which has become one of the most representative crus bourgeois from Médoc. The vines have an average age of 30 years and grow on the best plots on the Grand Poujeaux hilltop in deep gravelly soil. After manual harvests, the winemaking process takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks. The wines are then aged in the traditional style for 12 to 14 months in oak barrels (40% renewed each year). The wines are bottled at the château after being fined with egg whites. The Château was not included in the 1855 classification because the owner at that time, Madame Castaing, was still establishing the vineyard, following an inheritance. However, Chasse Spleen was made a Grand cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 1932. This status was confirmed in the revision that took place in June 2003.

L’Oratoire de Chasse-Spleen is the domaine’s second wine and is crafted from the property’s finest Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot parcels. Traditional viticultural methods are used on the vines that grow in sand, gravel, limestone and clay rich soil. Once picked by hand, the grapes are vinified in thermoregulated stainless steel or concrete vats before being raised in oak barriques (5% new). In the glass the wine has a ruby robe and aromas of blackcurrant and redcurrant as well as more complex layers of spices, wood and menthol from the oak ageing. Its fine tannic structure offers great density and the long finish makes it a perfect match with local dishes. Consider carafing the wine for at least an hour before serving.