Chateau Charmail, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, FR, 2015

What we know of today as Chateau Charmail dates back to the 1500's, when it was founded by the Trevey de Charmail family. Vines were not planted until the 17th century, about one years later, give or take. However, the modern era beings in 1982, when Olivier Seze purchased the Haut Medoc estate.

By the time Olivier Seze purchased Chateau Charmail, Olivier Seze was already well established in the Bordeaux wine community, due to his experience as an agricultural engineer.
Chateau Charmail and Olivier Seze are best known in the Bordeaux wine trade for being the first chateau to practice the now common and popular, technique of pre fermentation, cold maceration, whereby the temperature of the fruit in the tanks is dropped to as low as 5 degrees Celsius and the berries are held in the vats for as long as two weeks. Olivier Seze sold Chateau Charmail to Bernard and Marie d'Halluin in 2008.

The 27 hectare vineyard of Chateau Charmail is planted to 37% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 12% Petit Verdot. This shows a big change in the vineyard over the years, with a large increase in the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon planted here.

The vineyards are situated not that from Chateau Sociando Mallet in the northern part of the Left Bank. The vineyards of Chateau Charmail are planted to a vine density that ranges between 6,666 to 8,700 vines per hectare. Newer plantings are done at the high level of vine densities.