Description
Ampélia’s story is the fruit of an encounter, a challenge, a conviction.
In 1996, three years before acquiring Ampélia’s land, François Despagne was entrusted by his family with the property of Grand Corbin-Despagne, representing the seventh generation of the same family on this Saint-Emilion country.
Then there arises in him the desire to challenge himself: to create a new vineyard. But this time, not in Saint-Emilion, but in Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, the neighboring appellation.
Ampelos, the vine.
After having surveyed this region, François Despagne is attracted by the privileged location of the vines that dominate the plateau of Saint-Philippe d’Aiguilhe, highest point of all Bordeaux to more than 110 meters of altitude. Very quickly, he is convinced by the strong potential of this terroir and by the possibility of elaborating Great Wines on the appellation Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux.
Thus in 1999, François Despagne, accompanied by his wife Murielle, acquires nearly 5 hectares of vines on which they were going to create their vineyard. They gave it the name of Ampelia – the Greek “ampelos”, the vine – to echo their passion : Ampelology. A fine tribute dedicated by this Great Wine from the assembly of parcels of old vines of the property. “This is not a vintage, says the master of the place. This is the optimum quality of this terroir. The Château Amplélia offers a wine with the freshness and the mineral character brought by the calcareous soil of Castillon, in Côtes de Bordeaux, on which it blooms. Pleasant even in its youth, this wine will charm the impatient.”
