The winery is located in the municipality of Preignac in the Sauternes region (Graves, Bordeaux). It was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by the eponymous Jacques de Malle, a president of the Bordeaux parliament, who was related to the famous Lur-Saluces family. The château built at this time is one of the most prestigious in Bordeaux. Surrounding the château are six hectares of gardens in the Florentine style. The many statues symbolise work in the vineyard, mythological figures and characters from the Commedia dell'arte.
The family descendant Pierre Bournazel inherited the dilapidated estate in 1950. In 1956, he replanted the vineyards that had been destroyed by frost, renovated the château and took the estate to new heights. After his death, it was managed by his widow Comtesse Nancy de Bournazel from 1985. The estate was then taken over in 2024 by Luc Planty (former director of Château Guiraud) and his wife Clémence, who are focussing on promoting and exploiting its tourism potential. The new owners are planning to switch to organic farming.
The estate's vineyards cover a total of 56 hectares of vines, half of which are located in the two areas of Sauternes and half in Graves. The Sauternes part was classified as Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. These 28 hectares of vineyards are planted with the white wine varieties Sémillon (69%), Sauvignon Blanc (28%) and Muscadelle (3%). The long-lasting, noble sweet white wine is matured for 20 to 24 months in barrique barrels, one third of which are new. The second wine is called "Château de Sainte-Hélène".
The vineyards in the Graves area cover 28 hectares in the municipality of Toulenne. Of these, three hectares are planted with red wine varieties. The red wine "Château de Cardaillan" is blended from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and matured for 12 to 18 months in 100% new barriques. The white wine "M. de Malle" is made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc (50% each) and matures for six to nine months in one third new barriques.
Image: by Club75 - Own work, Public Domain, Link
