Chateau du Tertre

Margaux, Bordeaux

French Wines

Chateau du Tertre
Although the chateau at du Tertre dates only from the 18th Century, the origins of the estate are ancient, as it once belonged to the Seigneurie d'Arsac. The estate belonged to the Seigneurie of Arsac as far back as the 12th c. Thomas de Montaigne, the brother of Michel Montaigne, on his marriage to Jacquette d’Arsac in 1590, became the “seigneur of the Noble Houses of Arsac and of Castéra and others in Médoc.” In the 17th c. the seigneurie passed from the house of Montaigne to the house of Arrérac and to the Ségur family. In the mid-18th c. the estate belonged to Mr. Mitchell, an Irishman, who was in fact the first bottle manufacturer in the Bordeaux area. In the city of Bordeaux there is square where he had his glass works which bears his name. This is one of the oldest of the Médoc's noble families, very early records revealing the presence of a Guillaume Guiral d' Arsac in 1143. The family, which was allied to the English during the Hundred Years War, had a stronghold at Arsac, which was held by Guillaume Guiral's descendents until the 16th Century. At this time the current Seigneur d'Arsac had two daughters, Jacquette and Marguerite; Jacquette married Michel Montaigne, and it was Michel's brother Thomas de Montaigne that assumed the title of Seigneur d'Arsac. The original Arsac stronghold was destroyed during the Revolution, but subsequently rebuilt, and is what we now know as Chateau d'Arsac, the Margaux cru bourgeois estate. What became the Chateau du Tertre of today was brought into the seigneury by the Montaigne family. Eric Albada Jelgersma, a Dutch businessman, owner of S.A.E. Château Giscours since 1995, purchased Château du Tertre in 1997. The château building, a fine example of a proprietor’s residence in the Regency style which overlooks the whole vineyard, has been completely renovated.

Chateau du Tertre
The estate of château du Tertre borders onto châteaux Cantenac-Brown and Brane-Cantenac to the north and château Giscours to the east. It is situated on one of the highest hills in Médoc which is where its name comes from (Tertre means knoll). It has a surface area of 80 hectares. Its 50-hectare vineyard, all in one piece, is remarkable for its excellent exposure, the composition of its fine gravel soil and the choice of grape varieties predominantly Cabernet-Sauvignon. The wines is typically a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc which show great finesse, are outstanding for their lovely color and their perfumed aromatic savor. Major investments have been made in renovating the cellars and the vineyards in order to create a more efficient winemaking facility that can bring out all that the terroir has to offer. 

Margaux Appellation
Margaux lays on a soil of white graves - a special kind of gravel brought from the mountains by the river. Margaux is the quintessence of the terroir and of the winemaker's work. That is probably the reason why the best châteaux produce also the best wines! They are 18 Grands Crus Classés (first growths) in Margaux. The most famous, Château Margaux produces the most delicate wine of the Médoc.

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