Since 1868, the Rothschild family has stewarded some of the most celebrated properties in France's iconic Bordeaux region. The stories these incredible estates tell are unique, but united by the common threads of legendary terroir and sustainable farming of the land. Though Château Odilon has only been in the Rothschilds’ care for a few decades, the estate has a long and rich history …
Once upon a time, this bucolic haven in the Haut-Médoc was called Château Peyre-Lebade. It has an interesting origin, with records dating back to the 12th century when Cistercian monks at the Abbey of Vertheuil tended vines on the land. Many centuries later in the late 1800s, the great French painter Odilon Redon also lived here and captured many of his most famous works gazing out on the undulating hills. In 1979, the forward-thinking Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who already owned the neighboring Châteaux Clarke and Malmaison, acquired the property and began to restore it to its former glory, as he saw something that had been overlooked by others in the past.
Anomalous for the Haut-Médoc (where cabernet is king), Château Odilon’s vineyard in the Listrac-Médoc district is planted mainly to merlot, along with smaller plantings of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. The property’s unique terroir is better suited to the cultivation of merlot than cabernet, and the wines have a beautifully bright, aromatic style. Technical Director Fabrice Darmaillacq has been leading this special winery in Listrac to ever-higher heights of quality since taking up the reins — and the future here has never looked so bright.
