Chateau La Commanderie St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

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

Chateau La Commanderie History, Overview

Chateau La Commanderie is a semi-obscure St. Emilion chateau with a long history dating back all the way to the 13th century. At the time, the vineyards were planted to provide wine for the Commanderie of Knights and Monks of St. John of Jerusalem.

Skipping ahead several centuries, Chateau La Commanderie was obtained by the current owners, Thibaut Decoster and Magli Decoster who also own 2 more Saint Emilion estate, Clos des Jacobins, in 2004, when it was purchased by Bernard Decoster from Gerard Frydman. In 2017, the Decoster family added to their holdings in the appellation when they purchased Chateau de Candale.

Once the purchase of Chateau La Commanderie was finalized, the Decosters conducted a complete renovation of the cellars and wine-making facilities.

They also changed how the vineyards were being tended. They began an organic, sustainable farming approach. The wine-making and vineyard management of Chateau La Commanderie is consulted by Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus.

Chateau La Commanderie Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 6 hectare Right Bank vineyard of Chateau La Commanderie is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The terroir is sand, gravel, and iron deposits in their soil. This is typical of that part of the St. Emilion appellation, located just before the village.

However, they also have about one-third of their vines located close to Chateau Figeac and Chateau La Dominique, which is not far from the border of Pomerol and St. Emilion.

There you find more gravelly soils. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 8,500 vines per hectare.

To produce the wine of Chateau La Commanderie, vinification takes place in 80-hectoliter, concrete vats. The wine is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling.

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

On average, the production is 2,500 cases of wine per year. There is a second wine, Les Chemins de la Commanderie.

When to Drink Chateau La Commanderie, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau La Commanderie needs just a bit of time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau La Commanderie is usually better with at least 3-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. The wines offer their best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 4-12 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau La Commanderie with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau La Commanderie is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau La Commanderie is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau La Commanderie is also good when matched with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and a diverse array of both hard and soft kinds of cheese.

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