At the end of a majestic corridor of linden trees, Chateau Soutard looks resplendent with its proud 18th century façade and 16th century limestone wings, typical of traditional Bordeaux farm buildings. This mansion house can live in complete self-sufficiency with its wash house, vegetable garden and barnyard. The farm has kept its bread oven and its pigeon loft, evidence of past privilege. The first evidence of Soutard dates back to 1513 with the mention of Bourdieu (a Gascon estate surrounding a farm and a windmill) of Mayne de Soutard. Jean Couture, a Saint-Emilion Jurat, bought the property in 1699 and his daughter Marie built the chateau in 1741. Their descendants made the dwelling more beautiful, devoting themselves entirely to the vines. Soutard became one of the first chateaux to plant their vines “in rows”. In the 19th century, Jean Lavau, one of the biggest landowners in Saint-Emilion made the estate prosper. Then it was handed over to Michel des Ligneris in 1919, whose descendants ran the property for almost a century. In 2006, Chateau Soutard was acquired by La MONDIALE, part of AG2R LA MONDIALE, the number one social protection group in France and already owners of Chateau Larmande and Chateau Grand Faurie La Rose.
The 2016 Soutard has a tightly wound blackberry and marine-tinged bouquet, touches of iodine infusing the fruit, perhaps a little more backward than recent vintages have shown at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, good acidity, quite fresh with a touch of orange sorbet that brightens up the pretty finish. Soutard has been threatening to make a wine as good as this! Recommended.