Château Prieuré-Lichine is located in the small town of Cantenac in the Margaux appellation. Its origins go back to the 16th century, when Benedictine monks from neary Vertheuil Abbey grew grapes on a 4 ha plot to make their communion wine. The vineyard was confiscated by the government during the French Revolution and subsequently re-sold. Domaine Prieuré Cantenac – as it was then known – had a string of different owners, and gradually feel into a sorry state. In 1951, Alexis Lichine bought it, and appended his name. By the time Alexis died in 1989, Château Prieuré-Lichine had amassed more than 70 hectares of vines. His son, Sacha, ran the estate following his death before selling it to the current owners, the Ballande group.

Prieuré Lichine has fifty-two hectares of vines in the Margaux appellation and 16 are in the Haut-Médoc appellation, from which Le Clocher du Prieuré is produced. Since 1990, 1.5 ha of white grapes (80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon) produce a white wine sold under the Bordeaux appellation. The soil at Prieuré Lichine consists mainly of well-drained Güntz gravel deposited by the nearby Gironde. The vines are Guyot double pruned. Leaf thinning and green harvesting take place in summer.

The grapes are hand-picked into small crates and sorted in the vineyard. They are sorted two more times in the cellars before going into temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks. Cold pre-fermentation carbonic maceration (10°C) is carried out, and the wine is regularly pumped over for three or four weeks during alcoholic fermentation. Where necessary, a micro-oxygenation system is employed to extract the ideal amount of fruit and tannin.

Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by aging on the lees for approximately 16 months. The wine is stirred with a stick (bâtonnage) for a richer texture. To avoid an over-oaked flavour, only 40-60% of Prieuré-Lichine is aged in new barrels, with little or no racking. The wine is fined and lightly filtered approximately two months before bottling.

In the Bottle

Château Prieuré-Lichine went through a decade of relative mediocrity after the death of Alexis Lichine during which yields increased considerably at the expense of quality. In 1999, the new owners, Groupe Ballande, began once again producing high-quality wines, with much greater depth.

This return to form paid off with a fantastic Prieuré Lichine 2000 vintage, which was followed by the highly successful 2003, 2005, and 2006, putting Prieuré-Lichine well above average in its appellation. Sold at an affordable price for a great growth, Château Prieuré-Lichine's wine offers great value for money.

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Prieuré-Lichine, Château de Clairefont / Le Cloître du Château Prieuré-Lichine (second wine), Blanc de Prieuré-Lichine