Capian · Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux
Four centuries of history, with an eye firmly on the future
Château Suau has around 400 years of history behind it, but there is little sense of a property relying solely on its past. What stands out today is the willingness of their team to keep adapting: organic viticulture, sulphur-free and vegan wines, a more selective use of oak and, most recently, a new range designed for a more informal style of drinking.
Set at Capian in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, Château Suau has 66 hectares of vines in one adjoining block, on south-south-east-facing slopes rising to around 100 metres. From that substantial vineyard comes a broad range of wines: dry whites, rosé and red Bordeaux, Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, luscious Cadillac wines and, now, IGP Atlantique.
The property is run by Monique Bonnet, with Eric Chabot overseeing viticulture and Franck Noguiez responsible for operations and winemaking. Michel Rolland has been the consulting oenologist at Château Suau since 2014.
The origins of Château Suau reach back to the early 17th century, when the property was associated with Jean-Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon. It later passed to the Suau family, whose name became attached to the château, and by 1750 belonged to Bordeaux merchant Clement Gopp.
That history provides the background of their story, but it is not what defines Château Suau today. The more interesting chapter is how readily a property with four centuries behind it continues to change the way its wines are grown, made and presented.
One of Château Suau’s distinguishing features is having all 66 hectares of vines together in a single block rather than scattered across the surrounding countryside.
Merlot leads the red plantings, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, while Sauvignon Blanc dominates the whites alongside Sémillon and a smaller proportion of Sauvignon Gris.
Most harvesting is mechanical, with on-board sorting, while grapes for Cadillac and the top reds are picked by hand. White grapes are harvested at night or early in the morning, when temperatures are lower and cooler.
Vinification is adapted to each wine rather than applying one method across an entire range.
At Château Suau, the move towards organic viticulture began in 2007/08, with all production certified organic from the 2014 vintage.
In the vineyard, copper and sulphur are used for disease management, while cover crops are encouraged and individual plots are managed according to their specific needs.
Certification, however, was not the end of the process. Sulphur-free wines followed organic in 2016, and since 2018 the wines have also been vegan-friendly, using pea protein rather than animal-derived products for fining.
The decision to move to vegan production was influenced in part by the Indian export market – a good example of the team responding not only to changes in the vineyard and cellar, but also to the markets buying the wines.
Some of the clearest changes can be seen in the reds being produced.
The classic Château Suau red is now around 85% Merlot and represents more than 80% of total production. Additionally, oak is being used more selectively, not to be abandoned entirely, but rather the winemaking team is simply considering more carefully which wines benefit from it and how much they need.
As the team at Château Suau puts it:
“We have to adapt our production.”
It is a simple comment, but it gets to the heart of what is happening at Château Suau. The changes are not about rejecting tradition but rather responding to the way tastes and markets are evolving.
The range at Château Suau reflects that thinking.
Alongside the more traditional Bordeaux and Cadillac wines are smaller-production cuvées that are taking a different direction. Karma Suau is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon made without added sulphur and aged in new French oak, while Semper Viva is 100% Merlot, also sulphur-free, made as Vin Méthode Nature and aged in concrete.
The wines are not all intended to do the same job. Different cuvées are aimed at different drinkers, occasions and markets.
The clearest example is Atland, the new IGP Atlantique summer range. The white is an equal blend of Sauvignon and Sémillon with around 6 g/l of residual sugar, alongside a rosé and a 100% Merlot red made with a very short maceration.
Even the surfboard-style labels make it clear that these wines are intended to sit apart from the château’s more traditional presentation.
A new non-vintage 100% Merlot under screwcap has also been developed for the French market. Both developments start from the same practical question: how and when do people actually want to drink the wine?
After four centuries, Château Suau is still changing.
Organic viticulture led to sulphur-free wines and vegan production. Today, the changes are increasingly about style and the way the wines are enjoyed: less oak where it is no longer needed, more Merlot where demand is moving, and new wines created for different occasions.
There is plenty of history at Château Suau, but the team does not appear constrained by it. Their focus is simply dedicated to what the vineyard, the wines and changing consumer demand dictates.
← Meet the Producers of the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux Region
