Chateau Maucaillou Haut Medoc Moulis Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Maucaillou Moulis with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, the history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Maucaillou History, Overview

Chateau Maucaillou dates back to at least 1871 when the estate was developed by the Petit Laroche family. The name of Maucaillou can be translated into bad stones. The name was perfect for the estate because of the poor, rocky soils which were too harsh for planting anything except grapevines.

The Petit Laroche family were successful negociants at the time. They chose the location, due to its close proximity to the local railroads in Moulis, which made shipping their wines easier. They built the chateau in 1875.

However, the modern era for Chateau Maucaillou starts in the depths of the great depression, when the property was sold to the well-known Dourthe group, which already was an established negociant company by that time. Dourthe owns several estates in the Medoc, Pessac Leognan, and St. Emilion, as well as the large negociant house, CVGB.

Chateau Maucaillou Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The large 86-hectare Left Bank vineyard of Chateau Maucaillou has a terroir of gravel-based soils. The vineyard is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. This shows a small increase of Cabernet in the vineyard The vines are harvested using a combination of machine harvesting and pickers.

Their best terroir is located on gravel soils close to the chateau. All the work in the vines is self-sustaining.

The wines are vinified in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tanks. The wines are aged in about 60%, new, French oak barrels for an average of 16 – 18 months prior to bottling. There is a second wine, Le No 2 de Maucaillou. There is also a 3rd wine, Le Haut Medoc de Maucaillou Haut Medoc, which as the name suggests comes from vines planted outside of Moulis, in the Haut Medoc appellation.

In addition, the estate produces a white Bordeaux wine from Sauvignon Blanc, Le B Par Maucaillou Brut which is sold as an AOC Bordeaux Blanc, and sparkling wine, Tentation par Maucaillou, making them one of the few Left Bank chateaux making a Cremant de Bordeaux.

The production of Chateau Maucaillou is large as they make close to 40,000 cases of wine per vintage.

Aside from a chateau, vineyard, and winery, there is another reason to visit Chateau Maucaillou. They have a wine museum and a gallery of wine-related artworks.

The owners of Chateau Maucaillou also produce Chateau Duplessis Fabre, Chateau Cap de Haut Maucaillou and Chateau Maucaillou Felletin from 26 hectares of vines that are also planted in the Haut Medoc appellation.

The best vintages of Chateau Maucaillou are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, and 2009.

When to Drink Chateau Maucaillou, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Maucaillou is better young with 1 hour or so of decanting. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Maucaillou is usually better with at least 2-4 years of bottle age.

Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Maucaillou offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 3-12 years of age after the vintage.

Serving and Decanting Chateau Maucaillou with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Maucaillou is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The wine of Chateau Maucaillou is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Chateau Maucaillou Barton is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.

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