Le Chai au Quai
Here you can find out all about Le Chai au Quai ('Shay OK') our wonderful old cellar warehouse on the quayside at Castillon, in Bordeaux … built in 1856 and today
allowing us to select special parcels of premium wine – age them, care for them, 'finish' them – and, crucially, as many customers have already discovered, bring fine wine prices down to earth. |  |
Chapter 4: It was the greatest trade the world had ever seen.
Magnificent clarets from riverside 'chais' across Bordeaux, taken downriver by 'gabares', to meet fleets of sea-going 'cogs' - bound for thirsty Britain and beyond. Hundreds of vintages came and went this way ...
A history I learnt 40 years ago, sitting on the floor of this very cellar in Castillon, hand-bottling wine for Monsieur Appelghem. So when we were looking for a place to produce and mature special new wines for our customers, this beautiful old building was the perfect choice. 'Le Chai au Quai' had lain empty for some years ... and we've worked hard restoring it.
I certainly believe we have the wines to do it justice! Classics from local vineyards and many wonderful regions beyond. If we're to bring back the golden days of the great Bordeaux merchants, we will have to be inventive, to work on new wines and try new ideas. It'll be quite a challenge!
Very best wishes,
Tony Laithwaite
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 | Code Name GG ... a rich, golden barrel-fermented 'thoroughbred'!
Made with an ultra-rare white grape - GG is packed with luscious aromas of peach & a hint of toasty spice
Click here to read more about this wine |
|  | Code Name VO ... NEW vintage of Le Chai’s great white success story!
100% pure Verdejo, V.O tastes like a turbo-charged Sauvignon ... electrifying freshness in every glass!
Click here to read more about this wine |
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Our doors are open most days of the year, as wine isn't a 9-to-5 thing. Always best to call first though as we're often out tasting - but please do visit and check we're doing all we said we would!
Le Chai au Quai, 7-9 Quai Camille Pelletan, 33350 Castillon-La-Bataille
Tel: 05 57 401 331 |
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 | 'Le grand Chai' releases
The very first wines to emerge from Le Chai are those of Laithwaites' adopted Bordeaux homeland.
Friendships and contacts, built up over decades, give access to the really good stuff ... small parcels, from Pauillac
to Pomerol, too good to be blended away. These gems are then matured in the best oak barrels France
has to offer, to be bottled under Le Grand Chai label for release when ready to drink.
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 | Wine ideas and innovation
Le Chai also serves as a workshop for tiny production 'specials'. Here Bordeaux-born, Château Haut Brion-trained winemaker
Jean-Marc Sauboua and his hand-picked team will be able to push forward the frontiers, break down age-old preconceptions as to what
can and can't be done. They may have to sacrifice putting regions and grape varieties on labels but they don't mind, so long
as they are the best they can possibly be.
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 | The Laithwaite Label
The first Laithwaite label appeared in 1988, an oak-aged Laithwaite Sémillon - a daring style
back then. Today, the top seller is the Laithwaite Sauvignon, made each year by Jean-Marc Sauboua.
2003's heatwave gave fruit rich and ripe enough to finally make a Laithwaite Merlot
and a Merlot rosé joined the range in 2006. Outside Bordeaux, a Viognier
and Syrah complete the line-up ... for now! Le Chai is the ideal place to push the quality of these pride-and-joy 'house' wines to new highs.
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