OUR HISTORY
Who are we ?
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"The grandfather plants the vineyard, his son makes the wine, his grandson will know why ..."
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- French proverb -
Visites et dégustations
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Our estate: a family story
In the heart of Entre-deux-Mers, Château Garrineau , formerly called Domaine de Marmand is a small family property of around twenty hectares that my great-grandfather had received as a dowry during his marriage.
Since 1863 , four generations have followed one another and passed on their know-how. It was in the 1970s, when my father was at the head of the property, that the estate was named Château Garrineau.
I resumed the family estate in 2007, after a 15-year stay in Réunion where I was responsible for the rehabilitation of the Cilaos vineyard.
My youngest son has been helping us on the property for several years: the succession seems assured!
When Guy Combefreyroux took over the reins in 1953, he quickly developed the vineyard to make it the sole activity of the Domaine de Marmand. In the 1970s, Guy and Nicole (his wife) stopped the ancillary activities (breeding and cereal crops), bringing the wine-growing areas to 19 hectares and increasing the capacity of the existing cement vat room.
In 1980, a stainless steel vat was fitted out in the old barn adjoining the cement cellar and offered new winemaking capacities to Guy.
The boom in the bulk market made the vineyard prosper. Until then, the entire production was sold in bulk and the "Château Garrineau" will therefore be offered in bottles, it is the beginning of a new era where the quality of the wine is at the heart of the winemaking process.
It was in 2007 that Thierry Combefreyroux took over from his father after a 15-year stay on Reunion Island where he notably developed the Vineyard and the Chai de Cilaos, the only wine production on the Island.
Thierry's installation is a new direction for the property, he and his wife Sandrine expand the range of wines year after year. This is how 3 new wines appeared in 5 years, the rosé "Envie d'Été", the crémant rosé "Perles de Garrineau" and the woody red (now matured in casks) "Le Cabaley". The clientele grew and, very quickly, Château Garrineau was sold exclusively in bottles.
In 2021, Aymeric, the youngest son of Thierry, settles on the property with a new project for the vineyard. After having vinified and learned a few secrets in New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia and Chile, Aymeric wants to bring white wine back to Château Garrineau. The vineyard puts an end to an 85-year partnership with the cooperative cellar of Sauveterre de Guyenne and recovers the production of its 6 hectares of white grapes.
The machine is launched and a new, more modern vat is born to accommodate the entire 2021 production of Château Garrineau.
The vinification of the white plots leads to the creation of 4 new cuvées, le Château Garrineau blanc, the white crémant “Perles de Garrineau”, the Cabaley Blanc (vinified and aged in tuns) and the sweet “Les Larmes De Mes Terres”.
The old winery now serves as the home of the wood and cement aging winery as well as the latest project of Thierry, Sandrine and Aymeric: The Wine Bar “A Bouchons Tirés”.