The estate is located in the commune of Margaux in the area of the same name in the Médoc (Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux). In 1661, a large estate was bought from the de Gassies family by the merchant Pierre des Mesures de Rausan (Rauzan). This subsequently gave rise to the Château Desmirail, Château Marquis-de-Terme and Domaine de Rauzan. The Domaine de Rauzan was divided into two parts in 1763 for inheritance reasons and the Château Rauzan-Ségla and Château Rauzan-Gassies wine estates were created. The latter was visited in 1787 by the later US president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) on the occasion of a visit to Bordeaux (at that time ambassador of the USA in France) and classified as "second category". Château Rauzan-Gassies was classified as Deuxième Grand Cru Classé (2nd rank) in the 1855 Bordeaux classification.
After numerous changes of ownership, the estate was acquired by Paul Quié in 1946. Today, the Quié family also owns the Château Croizet-Bages and Château Bel Orme Tronquoy-de-Lalande estates. In the 1980s, the oenologist Professor Émile Peynaud (1912-2004) was hired as a consultant. In 2003, the twins Anne-Francoise and Jean-Philippe Quié took over the management of the winery. Eric Boissenot is responsible as oenologist.
The vineyards cover 30 hectares of vines on sandy gravel soils, encouraging natural drainage. They are located in the middle of an equally large landscape with endemic plant species as well as habitat for wildlife. The varieties cultivated are Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (40%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The vine density is 10,000 vines/hectare and the average yield is 40 hectolitres/hectare. Management includes mechanical tillage, a cover crop between vine rows and intensive foliage management with defoliation before harvest.
The long-lived Grand Vin under the AOC Margaux is aged for 12 to 14 months in French barriques. The second wine is called "Gassies" (until 2008 "Chevalier de Rauzan-Gassies"), whose grapes come from younger plots. Another red wine under the AOC Haut-Médoc called "L'Orme de Rauzan-Gassies" is made from a 28-hectare vineyard of Merlot (65%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (35%) and is aged for 12 months in barriques.
Pictures: Famille Quié
