History

CHÂTEAU & VINEYARD

The first recorded instance of the estate dates back to the 16th century, with the construction of a “noble house of taste” by Étienne de Rostéguy de Lancre, member of the Parliament of Bordeaux and Lord of Tastes and Saint-André-du-Bois. The property remained in the name of the Lancre family for two hundred years.

The Lancre family remains owner of the domain during two hundred years. The castle is let in 1780 to Catherine de Forcade, Baron of Malromé’ s widow, who marks the domain of her personality giving it his name.

In 1847, the castle is passed down to Jean de Forcade, President of the Council of State during Napoléon III’s reign, and his half-brother, the Marechal of Saint-Arnaud, Governor of Paris and Minister of War. They restored the castle in the style of Viollet-le-Duc.

In 1883, Countess Adèle of Toulouse-Lautrec acquired the Malromé castle along with the surrounding 34 hectares of vineyards from the widow of Forcade la Roquette. The Countess used her dowry to make this acquisition, in order to live away from her husband, Count Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was obsessed with hunting and horse-riding.

After her passing, the estate passed through the hands of several eminent personalities. One among them was Dr. Gabriel Seynat, who was Deputy Mayor to Jacques Chaban Delmas in 1947.
The castle was first opened to public visits through the efforts of André Sagne, an industrialist from La Réole. He carried out a series of renovation and refurbishing works in the castle, especially in the west wing, which was then in a state of ruin.

In 2013, Cambodian-born French-Chinese entrepreneur Kim Valéry Huynh acquired Château Malromé and its 43 hectares of vineyards. Mr. Huynh has lived in France for nearly 30 years and promotes French luxury goods in Asia. He came to France at the age of 16 to pursue his higher studies, and developed a passion for French wine, know-how and history. He always dreamed of one day being able to buy a Château of his own. Mr. Huynh works along with his Paris-based daughters Amélie and Mélanie to respect and conserve the heritage of the estate, even while giving it a new and undeniably modern lease of life.

Mélanie Huynh sees the Château Malromé as a convivial space: “We are delighted to open our doors to the public and give them a glimpse of the estate, but it is also a space we enjoy to get together with our friends and family.”

History

RENOVATION

Located in the South of Gironde in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, the domain is located in reality between two rivers: the Dordogne and the Garonne. Malromé is surrounded by fields, woods and vineyards in the town of Saint-André-du-Bois among other big castles.

In the middle of fifty hectares of a 14th century-planted park and its vineyards, the castle offers a main building with a big central and rectangular tower, two round towers at the ends and three wings surrounding a wide courtyard.

The first works in 2013 were aimed at renovating the vat-house so as to carry out the 2014 harvest in the best conditions. The concrete vats were refurbished and a new harvest reception facility was laid out. Much of the existing equipment was replaced in order to bring it up to modern technical and quality standards.

Next, the cellar was renovated and refurbished in 2013, with the purchase of new oak barrels and casks. A temperature control system was installed in order to ensure that the maturation process could be controlled as much as possible.

A restoration process was carried out by local firms over three years using historical techniques and materials to preserve its authenticity, and the castle was reopened in August 2017.

The octagonal courtyard, which is now a characteristic feature of Malromé, required long renovation and conservation works to restore it to its full glory. A raised deck flanks the east wing of the castle at one end of this courtyard, which also boasts a central stage. The stage has already served as the venue for concert recitals and been used to display a monumental artwork (Daughters by Prune Nourry) as part of an ongoing exhibition.

Estate

GRAPE VARIETIES & WINEMAKING EXPERTISE

Meanwhile, the east, north and south wings of the Chateau have been completely revamped in a contemporary, minimalist style. The halls, reception rooms, the Adèle restaurant and the gift shop have been turned into peaceful, light-filled spaces where soft colours blend discreetly with the natural oak furnishings.

Striking a balance between timeless heritage and contemporary design, Malromé’s unique aesthetic is the result of the combined vision of architect Laurent Negretti and interior designer Isabelle Stanislas (renowned for her redecoration of the Elysée palace halls and reception rooms).

The Malromé vineyards have been producing wine for five centuries. They occupy an exceptional terroir consisting of clay and gravel alluvium brought about by the formation of the Pyrenean valley through which the Garonne river flows. The estate has eight different grape varieties spread over 42 hectares of land. The red grape varieties account for 36 hectares of production, and include the following: Merlot (64%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Malbec (3.5%), Petit Verdot (1.5%). The white grape varieties account for 6 hectares of production, and include the following: Sauvignon Blanc (75%), Sémillon (22%), Muscadelle (3%).

Château Malromé is one of the oldest winegrowing estates still in operation. The Château’s vineyards have been entrusted to cellar master and estate director Charles Estager, who has lent his expertise to other prestigious wine brands and whose superior expertise has received wide acclaim. He is assisted by the oenologist Bruno Lacoste.

At Malromé, we have consciously decided to use a sustainable approach to winegrowing in order to produce great wines that are also environmentally-friendly. Sustainable practices include using organic materials to fertilize the soil, natural methods to control production and keeping the use of pesticides to a minimum.

The domain possesses five wines regularly rewarded by professional prices:

Château Toulouse-Lautrec – AOC Bordeaux Supérieur

Château Toulouse-Lautrec – AOC Bordeaux Blanc

Esprit de Malromé – AOC Bordeaux Supérieur

Esprit de Malromé – AOC Bordeaux Blanc

Esprit de Malromé – AOC Bordeaux Rosé

A five-century-old tradition of winemaking

Our wines feature on the menus of the following restaurants close to the estate: Le Médieval, Le Pampaillet, L’Épicurien, Le Nord Sud and Les Pélerins, but also these restaurants in Paris: L’Avenue, Le Voltaire and Le Relais de Gascogne.

Estate

HONEYS

The Estate has also placed twenty beehives in the heart of the surrounding forest to produce its own range of honeys. The project is run by beekeeper Valérie Doussin, president of ‘Apiculteurs en Aquitaine’, who advocates and practises traditional methods of honey collection and lives only a few kilometres from Malromé.

At Château Malromé, we are committed to producing natural, non-modified honey. To achieve this, we have planted nectar-containing flowering plants in fallow areas to enhance the environment and allow our bees to forage in the best conditions.

Guided tour

VINEYARD

For the first time, Château Malromé is opening the doors of its historic vat-house and cellars to satisfy the curiosity of wine enthusiasts and the general public. Our guide will let you in on all the inside secrets of our winemaking process as she takes you through the fully renovated vat-house and ageing cellar. The perfect opportunity for us to tell you the story of the historic vineyard, peppered with anecdotes on the life of painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was a great lover of wine himself.

Did you know that he had wine specially delivered from the Malromé estate to his home in Paris?
End your guided tour with a commented tasting of the white, rosé and red wines produced on the estate. A sensory experience that helps you explore the visual cues, aromas and flavours of each wine.

We welcome individuals as well as groups and school groups.
Information on booking, opening hours and fees.

Private booking

OUR SPACES

Château Malromé has several spaces that can be used for a variety of professional events:

– The ‘Salon Henri’ is a light-filled reception room, with its luxurious wooden panelling and French windows overlooking the central courtyard of the Château. This is the largest room of the Château, with its Frontenac stone floor, large antique mercury mirrors, ultra-modern lighting and integrated sound system effortlessly combining the classic and the contemporary. With a surface area of 238 square metres, it can hold up to 220 people in a cocktail-style arrangement and 120 people in a fully seated arrangement. An amphitheatre-style set-up is also possible for conferences.
If the weather allows, you can even have a cocktail on the adjoining terrace, so guests can take in the view of the central courtyard and the main building.

– With its exposed natural wood beams, ‘La Galerie’ is an excellent space for conferences and large meetings. It is flooded with natural sunlight and has a surface area of 186 square metres.
– The ‘Salon Lautrec’ has an area of 100 square metres, and is a bright space with beautiful wooden beams. The adjoining ‘Espace Toulouse’ can be used for coffee or cocktail breaks if needed (area: 82 sq.m.)
– The lawns and the west terrace afford a splendid view over the entire estate, the gazebo and the gorgeous sunsets of the region.
– The cellar area, with its huge barrels and casks, can also be a lovely setting for an elegant cocktail or dinner.

We can provide microphones, video-projection equipment, chairs, tables as well as flip charts and more to meet all your conference needs.

Contact:
evenementiel@malrome.com