A LEGENDARY LEGACY
Chateau Lagarosse stands on the slopes of Tabanac, on the right bank of the Garonne, 20 km southeast of Bordeaux. Built in the early 16th century, it occupies the site of the old Lagarosse family manor. The chateau has been home to a number of distinguished families including those of the Marquis de Fayet and the Verthamons. In 1787 it was sold to Dame Felicity Riviere and partially damaged in the early 19th century. Gaspard de Gaulne restored the estate, bringing it close to its present condition.
De Gaulne’s picturesque chateau, with its four symmetrical towers, is characteristic of Napoleonic architecture of the period. What had earlier been a simple manor house had now become a landmark, nicknamed the “Haut Brion of the Cotes de Bordeaux”. Lagarosse subsequently became the residence of the Earls of Lastic, a venerable aristocratic family whose ranks include a member of the local governing council, the Conseil Général of the Gironde department.
Illustrious guests included Princess Clotilde Napoléon, daughter of Victor Emmanuel of Savoy (later King of Italy) and cousin of France’s last monarch, Emperor Napoleon lil. In September 1867, the princess admired the remarkable estate, with its charming English garden, on a visit to the Lastic family, which traces its ancestry back 1,000 years and survives to this day.
Over succeeding decades, the noble winegrowing tradition of Chateau Lagarosse, featuring both red and white wines, continued under the stewardship of some of the greatest families of the area. In the early 1940s the Vincent brothers acquired and completely restructured the estate, raising Chateau Lagarosse to national prominence for its award-winning white wines.
In the 1980s Chateau Lagarosse passed into the hands of the Rochas family, world-famous makers of designer clothing, luxury accessories, and perfume since 1925. In a move designed to enhance market impact and expand the scope of international sales, the Rochas family halted production of white wine, focusing exclusively on Chateau Lagarosse’s distinguished red wines, with no loss to the estate’s reputation.
In 2000, Stephen Adams (45th on the Forbes list of philanthropists) added Chateau Lagarosse to his French portfolio, known as The Adams French Vineyards, which comprised nothing but prestigious properties and included some of the finest Bordeaux estates, such as Grand Cru Saint-Emilion Chateau Fonplégade.
In the decade that followed, Stephen Adams expanded the estate’s fame beyond France’s borders, attracting the attention of Steve Loo as far away as China. Mr. Loo, head of Carlico International Group Holdings Limited, an importer and distributor of fine wines in Hong Kong and mainland China since 2007, recognized that the 4oo-year-old Lagarosse estate would be a key asset serving his aim of bringing China a whole new world of good taste, and purchased it in October 2010.
By gaining a place in one of the world’s most storied winemaking regions, Hong Kong-based Carlico has made another major stride on the road perfection, learning the intricacies of wine first-hand, down to the most minute details. As part of its drive for quality, tradition, and authenticity, Carlico is committed to perpetuating the legendary history of Lagarosse, while adding state-of-the-art facilities consistent with the demands of modern winemaking.
By embracing innovation, Chateau Lagarosse has adopted today’s best viticultural methods to craft outstanding wines worthy of its long-standing prestige.
Chief
A Unique Terroir
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Château Lagarosse is located in Tabanac, a half-hour drive from Bordeaux, at the heart of the region where the Romans first planted vines 2,000 years ago. The town is named after Tavanus, the Roman landowner of that age. Numerous neolithic and Gallo-Roman vestiges attest to the antiquity of the site. In the 11th century, Tabanac became the rallying place of an important lordship. In the middle ages it had many fiefs under the provost of the Entre-Deux-Mers. It was graced with a significant number of aristocratic houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, Tabanac is a picturesque, traditional French town, with only six remaining old châteaux. One of these is Lagarosse.
Château Lagarosse occupies prime winegrowing land, with 25 hectares of vineyards covering the region’s sunniest slopes. The naturally drained, stony terrain features an interesting variety of soils, ranging from limestone-clay at the highest elevations to clay-gravel along the hills. The vines have an average age of about 30 years. Natural conditions, influenced by the adjacent Garonne River, give Château Lagarosse’s powerful wines a balanced palate that is rich in touch.