The major part of our land has been in the hands of our family since the 19th Century.
On 10th August 1812 in the presence of Imperial Notary Antoine Cieux, the Cailley family acquired for 600.00 F in "metal coins", a parcel of land that was later to become Château Le Maine Martin. Since that date many generations of winegrowers have passed down from father to son their experience and passion for winemaking.
In 1956 the vines were badly damaged by frost and the property was very slowly replanted, representing only 13 hectares in 1979. At this time Alain decided to join his father Yves in the family business. He started by recomposing and enlarging the vineyard and subsequently acquired 22 hectares in the Graves de Vayres area, the vineyard of Château Toulouze, thus increasing the family vineyard to 50 hectares.
In the 19th Century this particular property represented a much larger area. In the 5th edition of the Guide edited by Féret & Fils in Bordeaux in 1886 the Château was said to have produced a harvest of 60 barrels of red wine and 25 barrels of white wine. The wines were highly reputed. Unfortunately, due to problems of succession the property was split up and much of the vineyard was repossessed for other purposes. The land was mainly used as grazing pastures, but wine continued to be produced at Château Toulouze as indicated in the first editions of the "Féret". However good are the soil, the climate and the grapes, they alone are not sufficient, and to produce a good wine one needs men.
Not only do we have the experience of our ancestral winemaking traditions, but we also make use of the most modern winemaking techniques. In this respect we consider ourselves to be real artisans, men who are striving to maintain a tradition. We have inherited a tradition to which we have devoted our lives and which we deeply respect. For generations we have chosen to use the most straightforward and simplest of techniques, those that are most suited to our soil and that we know will bring out the best in each particular vintage. We make every effort to keep to the traditional wine growing methods that most respect our environment. That does not mean however that we close the door to modern wine making technology.
Châteaux Cailley is above all a small group of men and women fired by the same enthusiasm :
- by striving to produce wines that will reflect the originality of our vineyard, employing the traditional, artisanal winemaking techniques.
- in proposing to our customers a range of unique and original wines
- We have chosen the way of the artisan rather than that of the agricultural industry
- We have chose tradition rather than fashion
- We have chosen to remain a small family domain rather than to become a gigantic business
This choice is reflected in all of our different activities whether in the vineyard or in the cellars.
