Domaines Barons de Rothschild Chateau Odilon

In 1979, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who already owned the neighboring estates of Châteaux Clarke and Malmaison, acquired this property. This marked the beginning of a new era, which started with a complete restructuring of the vineyard and the restoration of the buildings. Château Odilon is now part of the estate led by Benjamin de Rothschild, the son of Baron Edmond. Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite has been handling the distribution since 1993. Previously known as Château Peyre-Lebade due to its geographical location, the estate was renamed Château Odilon in honor of the artist Odilon Redon, who spent his childhood and a large part of his active life at this estate. His most famous paintings were inspired by the bucolic landscapes of the Médoc, scattered across heather-covered moors and marshlands. Château Odilon is located in the Listrac-Médoc appellation, on a limestone plateau, away from the Gironde estuary. The terroir thus benefits from a relatively sheltered environment. The clay-limestone soil provides remarkable resilience to periods of dry weather. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean brings an element of freshness, which is reflected in the bright, fresh aromatic style of the wines. The terroir proved particularly suitable for Merlot in a region where Cabernet Sauvignon traditionally dominates. As a result, Château Odilon has a very distinctive character for Médoc wines. 2018 will undoubtedly be one of Bordeaux's greatest vintages, despite some particularly capricious weather conditions: an exceptionally rainy winter and spring led to an unprecedented threat of mildew, unprecedented in living memory. Then May and July brought destructive hail showers, which destroyed up to 80% of some vineyards. Fortunately, the situation improved dramatically over the summer, which was the hottest since 2003. Conditions for grape ripening were ideal: the contrast between warm sunny days and cool nights led to good aromatic concentration and an excellent balance of sugar and acidity.