Sainte-Marie
A source of Passion

Château Sainte-Marie dates back several centuries. Already in 1874, the legendary “Feret” Bordeaux wine bible commented that Sainte-Marie produced 8 tuns of red and white. It used to be run by the monks of La Sauve Majeure Abbey, one of the oldest in France, located just 4 km (21/2 miles) from the estate. This fine manor house fell foul of fire in the 18th century.

The Oral Tradition tells us that when Saint-Gérard was appointed to the Abbey of La Sauve Majeure in the 12th century, he dedicated the cult to the Virgin Mary. Not far from there, a hermit had also dedicated this cult in his building : Château Sainte-Marie, where we can still find many statues of the Virgin Mary on the property, particularly in the cellar.

The Abbey was built for religious worship but also as a hospital and hostel because it is located on the road to Santiago de Compostela. The Jacquets (pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela) stopped at the abbey to gain strength before tackling the harsh crossing of the Landes, once a swamp populated by mosquitoes and bandits.

"A plot of more than a hundred-year-old Semillon and Merlot vines."

On their return from Compostela, after being looted in the swamps, the Jacquets stopped at Château Sainte-Marie because it has a miraculous source of water. This stage gave them the courage to return home because Sainte-Marie, one of the highest points of the Gironde, had a view of the abbey of La Sauve Majeure located below. For years, a mass was celebrated by the Abbey priest in Château Sainte-Marie in front of the pediment and the Virgin Mary, the last mass having taken place in May 1997.

The 4-hundred-year-old redwoods and the commons are the last living remains from the time of the French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne and the great explorers.

The Dupuch-Mondon family has run the property since 1956 with passion and determination, while striving to express the distinctive character and uniqueness of these soils.

The fruit, whose amazing quality improves continuously, is picked from old vines, whose yield is carefully controlled, including a plot of more than a hundred-year-old Semillon and Merlot vines.

In 1936, Edouard Mondon bought the domain in order to use lands for his cows and make wine in bulk. Never having had a child, he was very close to his nephew who, like him, was passionate about agriculture and more particularly multiculture : the exploitation of cows and vines. He trained him and taught him during the last 10 years of his life and left all his exploitation to his nephew Gilles Dupuch upon his death.

Gilles Dupuch, inherits of the property in 1982 from his uncle Edouard Mondon. After discovering the capacities of the Entre-Deux-Mers terroirs and their potential to produce great wines, Gilles led the wines of this Château to a higher quality. Falling in love with oenology and viticulture, he was devoted to the success of the estate and its appellation by later becoming President of Entre-Deux-Mers. Today he has bequeathed the company to his youngest son, Stéphane, but continues to assist him in the manufacture of our products.

Stéphane Dupuch took over the family property in 1997 with the same passion and dedication as his father. Because of his love for this unique terroir combined with his desire to share the source of his passion, Stéphane wants to show in his wines all the possibilities of his region.

His interpersonal skills served the estate as it allowed to gain greater international recognition. His ambition has led him to develop the family property by diversifying with new products that now include Crémant de Bordeaux and wines made of Syrah. After more than 20 years at Château Sainte-Marie, the property no longer holds any secrets for him.

Laurence Dupuch, the wife of Stéphane, arrived at the property in 1996. She started working in the vine and the chai during her first years of work at the Château Sainte-Marie before focusing on the administrative, financial and salary aspects of the family business. Passionate about viticulture, she helps her husband to develop this property which is evolving day by day. Laurence also loves to welcome guests to the property in order to make them taste our wines and discover the history of the Château with elegance and friendliness.

« The passion of men and
women working on the land »

After a long search, the Dupuch family fell under the spell of Château Peyredon Lagravette and bought the property in 2009.

« Cru Bourgeois
since 1932 »

A property of the Hostein family for two centuries, the origin of the property go back to 1735. At that time, the estate was under the control of Lord Gaston de l'Isle of the noble house of the Poujeaux-Moulis room, now Château Poujeaux.

Paul Hostein, the last owner and operator, made it a flagship of the A.O.C. HAUT-MÉDOC appellation, classified as a Cru Bourgeois in 1932.