Chat with Vinny
About the estate
40 years ago, Tony Laithwaite bought Château La Clarière in Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux. He'd always firmly believed that the wines of Castillon could equal or surpass those of next-door Saint-Emilion. Same soil, same grapes and climate. Tony has spent the last 40 years proving that point with his red wine, winning over 80 Golds and four Trophies along the way. Now he’s doing the same with his supreme, Trophy-winning, estate white. He has only been able to do this with the help of his vineyard partners, he calls his Confrères. Confrères share not only the award-winning wines, but the château too … tour the estate, you can even stay there.
Castillon is essentially a red wine appellation, but it used not to be and the Clarière team are proving how good its whites can be. All estate-grown grapes from their 4-hectare vineyard – Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris – barrel fermented, lees stirred and cask aged.
All the methods you’d expect of a Grand Cru Classé white, it’s rich, long and complex, with grassy, creamy, lemon and peach notes layered with gentle oak spice. It improves with a bit of age too.
Come and see for yourself!
If you are in the area on holiday, please do drop in. The team at the château would love to show you round – enjoy a tour of the winery and its vineyards, taste the wines from barrel. You can even book the château and stay if you like.
Latest News
Your white Grand Vin from Château La Clarière in the 2023 vintage is certainly worth the wait. Discover the vintage, what you can expect from your wine and how long you can go on nurturing it in your cellars, should you wish to.
Latest on vintage 2023
October 2023
The white grapes for 2023 were all in by 25th August. Tony Laithwaite was out there during harvest to see these grapes coming in. There’s news just in from Jean-Marc on the red grapes too. Read both of their report here.
It’s your château – now you can stay there too!
We're delighted to offer Vineyard Partners the opportunity to book Château La Clarière with its two luxury ensuite bedrooms (maximum four guests), with full use of a smartly furnished, modern kitchen and the beautiful, spacious Great Hall. You'll have the entire place to yourselves!
The château is available exclusively to Vineyard Partners and their guests for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 nights.
Find out more about La Clarière
Welcome
Take a look around the Château
Your 2020 update
Tony Laithwaite checks in with winemaker Jean-Marc Saboua
Meet the team!
Head winemaker Jean-Marc Saboua and his team look forward to your visit
Image gallery
Mustard plants are sown between the vine rows to plough back and enrich the soil
The Great Hall at Château La Clarière
The barrel hall at the château
The wine library, with bottles of La Clarière from every vintage since 1984
The team, with winemaker Jean-Marc second left and estate manager Vincent, centre back
The luxuriously furnished upstairs bedroom
Vintage information
We will update our vintage information regularly to tell you what you should be drinking now and what you should still keep. Unusually for whites, these wines improve with some age, showing well 18 months after vintage and long afterwards. They are best opened early and decanted. They will become more complex with further cellaring, but are still very pleasurable to drink now.
Vintage |
|---|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Drink/Keep |
|---|
Drinking well now, until 2030 |
Drinking well now, until 2031 |
Best spring 2023 until 2032 |
Run out of your partnership bottles?
You can stock up here or place an order with your Wine Guide. Naturally at the same special bottle price you paid for your partnership case.
Contact the team about visits and stays
Château La Clarière
8 Route de Sainte-Colombe
33350 Saint-Magne-de-Castillon
France
