In 1909, Joseph Ballan bought the Château at an auction that was owned by Monsieur Louis Sarraute at the time. He had two daugthers, Reine and Renée. Passionated by her father’s work, Reine took over the company quickly after him. In 1943, Reine got married with Joseph BRAVO who directed the work in the vineyard until the end of his life in 1990. Since 1997, Joseph BRAVO’s daughter, Marie-josée, has been the new owner of Château Caillou and with her husband’s help, she manages the over all running of the property.
The Château and its vineyard :
Château Caillou has a surface of 16 hectares and is located in the region of “Haut-Barasc” at 30 minutes drive from Bordeaux. 13 hectares are classified as a Grand Cru Classé in 1855. Château owes its name to its underground composed of chalky and clayey plateau mixed with red sand rich in flagstones and rocks which bring the wine its delicate flavour. The vineyard is composed of two grape variesties ; Sémillon (90 %) and Sauvignon (10%). Sémillon is known for developing ” the botrytis cinéréa” also called the “noble rot” and gives the wine a fine and sweet taste with honey, amada and cinnamon aromas. The 10 % left (Sauvignon) brings more freshness to the wine and adds some citrus, lemon and exotic fruits aromas. The entire harvest has to be made by hand. The famous “Botrytis Cynerea” grows gradually, involving three or four “hand picked sessions” throughout the season. This special reason explains why the picking stage can last until the middle of November. Every day is planned in order to harvest a “large number” of grapes in order to obtain a must concentrated in taste and aromas. Their purpose is to be able to select the most “botryisés” by looking for the closest association of freshness, fineness, pureness and balance. These four words describes perfectly the reputation of Château Caillou.