Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux estate with clay and limestone vineyards, underground galleries and Merlot led red wines.
The producer
Château Lamothe is a Bordeaux Right Bank estate whose vineyard foundations date to the 16th century. Its red wines use Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, while 17th century limestone galleries serve as underground ageing cellars. Damien Chombart works with sustainable viticulture and biodiversity measures that include oak trees inoculated with Tuber Melanosporum for black truffle production and Bee Hotels for wild pollinators.
Known for
Clay and limestone Bordeaux reds
Notable facts
Château Lamothe's vineyard foundations date to the 16th century.
The estate's core vineyard area covers 60 hectares on clay and limestone slopes.
The limestone galleries were carved as quarries in the 17th century and now serve as underground ageing cellars.
The estate received HVE environmental certification in 2018.
Château Manos was acquired in 1991.
The story
The Name on the Label
In the autumn of 2011, Château Lamothe put the year's harvest into tank with a new name waiting on the labels. The vines on the clay-limestone slope were not consulted: Merlot ripened when it always had, the picking crews went up the hill in the usual sequence, and fermentation followed the same path. What was different was in the storeroom, where the last rolls of Premières Côtes de Bordeaux label stock sat beside the first delivery of the new Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux versions — same address, same hillside coordinates, a different line of text across the front. The 2010 vintage left for export markets that autumn carrying the old name for the last time. Import buyers who had built a shelf position under one appellation heading had to relocate it. Some moved the wine without asking. Some asked whether the wine had changed. The answer was the slope: it had not.
From the atlas
Château Lamothe
Château Lamothe makes Bordeaux red wines in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, with clay and limestone slopes, underground limestone galleries and biodiversity work that includes black truffle cultivation.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Bordeaux Right Bank
Appellation
Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux
Core vineyards
60 hectares
Main grapes
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Bottles
Valentine Red, Château Lamothe Red Traditionnel
Cellar
17th century limestone galleries used for underground ageing
The Producer
Château Lamothe's vineyard foundations date to the 16th century. Damien Chombart works as vigneron, using sustainable viticulture alongside measures for wild habitat. The property has planted oak trees inoculated with Tuber Melanosporum for commercial black truffle production and installed Bee Hotels for wild bees and other pollinators. HVE certification followed in 2018.
Château Manos was acquired in 1991. The estate's red range includes Valentine Red and Château Lamothe Red Traditionnel, linking Bordeaux grape varieties to a property whose cellar history is cut into limestone.
Place
On the Right Bank just southwest of Bordeaux city, Château Lamothe sits among clay and limestone slopes in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux. The appellation places the bottles within Bordeaux's red wine tradition, while the ground controls water and heat around the vine.
Clay can retain water and release it slowly, supporting ripening during dry weather. Limestone drains excess water and can contribute a firmer, fresher feel, while slope runoff adds variation in moisture. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc therefore meet different balances of ripeness, acidity and tannin across mixed ground.
Wines
Valentine Red 2022 is a red Bordeaux wine from Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Morello cherry gives the wine its fruit profile, while the palate is fleshy and delicate with evolution through the finish.
Château Lamothe Red Traditionnel is built from 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Cherry, blackcurrant and blackberry sit beside floral notes and cocoa.
Final Word
Château Lamothe brings together Bordeaux red varieties, 16th century foundations, a cellar carved in limestone and biodiversity work that extends beyond the vines.