Haut Brion’s Fifth Wine – Chateau Quintus

Last summer Domaines Clarence Dillon, owners of Chateau Haut Brion, purchased Chateau Tertre Daugay in Saint Emilion and Decanter.com have reported that it is to be renamed Chateau Quintus. The name Quintus (meaning “the Fifth” in Latin) was chosen as it is now the company’s fifth wine:

The Gallo-Romans, creators of the vineyards of Saint-Emilion, had the habit of naming their fifth child Quintus … Domaine Clarence Dillon has decided to pay homage to its glorious predecessors by re-baptising their growth Château Quintus.”

The Second Wine is thought to be called Le Dragon de Quintus – presumably due to the fact that the chateau stands on the site of a watch tower built to defend the village of Saint Emilion.

The decision to buy the estate is based on realising its sleeping potential. Tertre Daugay was originally part of a much larger estate which lay over the Daugay Hill. The Daugay hill has given its name to 3 chateaux, Chateaux Tertre Daugay (at the summit of the hill), Daugay and Carteau Côtes Daugay (located on the south west slopes of the hill).

In the 19th century the vineyard had become very well known – between 1844 – 1848 it was included amongst the 14 most sought-after and most expensive wines of Saint Emilion; won a gold medal the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1867 and from 1868 onwards it was known as a Saint Emilion First Growth (as noted by the trade in Cocks & Feret books from 1868 – 1949).

In 1909 it seems the estate was divided into Daugay and Tertre Daugay. The recent history of Daugay is entwined with that of Chateau Angelus. In 1920, Maurice de Bouard de Laforest, owner of Angelus, purchased the 12 acres of Daugay with his sister Henriette and his brother-in-law Paul Romieux. The vineyard was absorbed into that of Angelus until 1985 when Daugay returned to being an autonomous château. Since 2006 Hélène Grenié de Boüard has run the estate – her husband, Jean-Bernard Grenié, also co-owns Chateau Angélus along with his cousin Hubert de Bouard de Laforest.

From 1909 Tertre Daugay passed through a couple of wine makers hands and from 1955 to 2006 was ranked as a Grand Cru Classé. However by 1978 it had fallen into neglect and was purchased at auction by Count Léo de Malet-Roquefort. The Malet-Roquefort family are one of the oldest in Saint Emilion and have owned the First GrowthChateau La Gaffeliere for over 4 centuries (they also own the Saint Emilion Grand Cru Château Armens, the Bordeaux Supérieur La Chapelle d’Aliénor – previously known as Château Maracan – and negociant Maison Malet Roquefort).

Quintus has nearly 40 acres of vines which neighbour Chateaux Matras, l’Arrosée and Fonplegade. The grapes planted are 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc – with some parcels having vines 100 years old. The chateau produces 60,000 bottles of the first wine and 13,300 bottles of the second label. The technical team at Haut Brion will oversee wine making at Quintus.

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