Chateau Soutard St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Soutard St. Emilion 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 Soutard History, Overview

Chateau Soutard is one of the oldest estates in the Right Bank as it dates all the way back to 1513. In those days, the estate was used as a farm and mill. This was well before Soutard became known as a Bordeaux wine producer. Chateau Soutard began earning fame as a Saint Emilion vineyard in the middle of the 18th century.

It was during those early days that Chateau Soutard first began practicing the novel approach of planting vineyards in rows. While it’s natural for us today, 300 years ago, it was less common in the Right Bank, when things were more primitive.

The 18th-century chateau is one the largest and most regal chateaux in all of Saint Emilion. In fact, it would not be at all out of place among the best chateaux in the Medoc!

During the 20th century, Chateau Soutard remained the property of the same family, the de Bogeron’s. In fact, the de Bogeron family managed Chateau Soutard from 1890 until 2006.

In 2006, Chateau Soutard went from being a family-owned estate, to part of a large, corporate empire when it was purchased by La Mondiale, the French insurance company.

La Mondiale was already well-versed in the Bordeaux wine trade at the time of the transaction, as they already owned Chateau Larmande and Chateau Grand Faurie.

The new owners quickly began bringing the estate up to date with a massive construction project. Until 2014, Chateau Soutard was managed by Claire Thomas Chenard with the help of their consultant Michel Rolland. Claire Thomas Chenard is no longer with the estate.

Chateau Soutard Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 30 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Chateau Soutard is planted to 63% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Malbec. The vineyard has a terroir of limestone, clay, and sandy soils with gentle hillside slopes on their best terroir.

The topsoil is thin, before you reach a hard limestone soil, just before the surface. The vines are on average, 35 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 6,500 vines per hectare.

The wine is vinified in gleaming, new, stainless steel vats of various sizes. The wine is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months. There is a second wine, Jardins de Soutard. Close to 12,000 cases of Bordeaux wine are produced by Chateau Soutard in an average vintage. There is a second wine, Jardins de Soutard.

The Best Vintages of Chateau Soutard are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

Chateau Soutard was completely renovated and modernized from top to bottom for all its wine-making facilities, vat rooms, and cellars. The new design was created by the well-known architect, Fabien Pedelaborde who followed that up with his work at Chateau Marquis dAleseme in Margaux.

The work on Chateau Soutard created a new, state-of-the-art, gravity-fed, wine-making facility complete with glass elevators transporting you to the cellars. The construction project was finished in time for the 2011 harvest.

The new, larger vineyard of Chateau Soutard was just increased in size following the results of the 2012 St. Emilion classification. The increase in vines came from the addition of land from Chateau Cadet Piola, which was merged into Chateau Soutard. Chateau Soutard is located not far from the village of St. Emilion.

When to Drink Chateau Soutard, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Soutard is better with at least 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Chateau Soutard is best enjoyed in the first 5-20 years of life.

Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 hour to 90 minutes. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau Soutard with Wine, Food, and Pairing Tips

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

Chateau Soutard is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Soutard is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.

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