The history of Chateau Pontoise Cabarrus has been written over three centuries. The plots and the vines follow on from one another, sometimes welcoming great figures of both history and wine in the Haut-Médoc. Today, the Tereygeol family proudly recounts its heritage and know-how.
The history of Château Pontoise Cabarrus began in 1795 when Joseph Hector de Brane, owner of the Mouton-Rothschild (famous today) and de Pontoise estates ceded the latter to Jean Valère Cabarrus, a Bordeaux merchant. He added his name to the estate in order to further personalize it: the vineyard of «Pontoise» became «Pontoise Cabarrus».
The Cabarrus are descended from a family originating from Bayonne belonging to a long line of influential and wealthy merchant sailors.
At the time when the Cabarrus family settled, one of the most illustrious members of the family was Thérésia Cabarrus, their little cousin.
Famous wife of the parliamentarian Tallian, she was a figure of the French Revolution of 1789. Nicknamed «Our Lady Saviour» in Bordeaux, she used her influence to save the heads of many nobles and even participated in the fall of Robespierre.
A few years later, she met the young general Bonaparte whom she took under her protection and attended his marriage to Josephine de Beauharnais.
This is how Jean-Valère then his son Jean-Adolphe (1795-1862) came to run the Domain.
A few decades later, the Haut-Médoc appellation made up part of the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
The first Bordeaux rankings came under Napoleon III in 1855, when the Bordeaux vineyards made an extraordinary showing. In this vein, other official rankings were created such as the Cru Bourgeois. Château Pontoise Cabarrus appeared in the first edition of Cru Bourgeois in April 1932.
Émile Tereygeol bought the estate in 1959. Originally from the Corréze, Émile returned to France after 20 years in Morocco.
What he didn’t know about running a vineyard, he made up for in his willingness to work hard and his spirit of discovery and perseverance.
Thanks to his efforts, Émile Tereygeol bequeathed to his son François a vineyard of 12 hectares that he continued to tend.
During the 1980s, the estate continued to develop. The plots were home to quality grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot. The cellars were modernized, enlarged and the wine-making equipment was updated.
The estate, which then reached 27 hectares of vineyards facing the river, came up with its historic offering: the Château Pontoise Cabarrus wine.
In 2003, production was enriched and a new wine was created: Château Hauts de Plaisance or Côté Pontoise.
In 2010, François gradually passed on the succession to his children and his son Laurent took the reins.
This new generation relies on the excellence of yesterday and the challenges of tomorrow to offer you top level wines.