Chateau La Serre St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau La Serre St. Emilion, Bordeaux 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 La Serre History, Overview

Chateau La Serre is located just outside the village of Saint Emilion. It is situated exactly across the street from Chateau La Couspaude. Chateau La Serre takes its name from its south-facing position, as La Serre can be translated to, greenhouse, which the vineyards receive, due to its sunny exposure.

The chateau was constructed towards the end of the 17th century. During the late 1800s, the property was purchased by Albert Macquin, who also owned the neighboring Chateau Pavie Macquin. Chateau La Serre was purchased in the 1950s by the d’Arfeuille family, which also owned Chateau La Pointe in Pomerol at the time.

The d’Arfeuille family continues to own and manage the estate today. Although, winemaking, vineyard management, and marketing are handled by Ets. Moueix. In 2003 the cellars and vat rooms of Chateau La Serre were modernized. They removed their stainless steel tanks and moved to new, concrete fermentation vats.

Chateau La Serre Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 7-hectare vineyard of Chateau La Serre is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is planted in 1 large block of vines. The vineyard has been going through slow and steady replanting. The terroir is chalk, clay, and sand soils. The vines in their best terroir are not that far from Chateau Pavie Macquin, Chateau Villemaurine, and Chateau Trotte Vieille. The average vine age in their Saint Emilion vineyard is 35 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 6,000 vines per hectare.

To produce the wine of Chateau La Serre, vinification takes place in traditional concrete vats. This Right Bank wine is aged for an average of 16 months in 50% new, French oak barrels. On average, 2,000 cases of Chateau La Serre are produced each year.

The best vintages of Chateau La Serre are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

There is a second wine, Les Menuts de La Serre. However, the second wine is only produced in select vintages.

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

Chateau La Serre needs some time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour or more. 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 Serre is usually better with at least 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Mangot offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 4-12 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau La Serre with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau La Serre 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 Serre 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 Serre is also good when matched with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

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