Located 15 minutes outside of Bordeaux, France's capital city, in the Médoc village of Ludon-Médoc, Château D'Agassac is a Haut-Médoc wine estate. Its red wine is a Cru Bourgeois classified in the old Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1932 as "Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel." The location excels in ecotourism as well. History A Latin inscription discovered in the Château's underground chambers, according to local lore, dates the building to the 13th century. Yet Guillaume-Raymond d'Agassac, Lord of Blanquefort, was the first of its known lords, ruling in 1172. The seigniory of Agassac, which included more than 800 hectares, was owned by the Gaillard de Gassac Family starting in 1238. The lord served as the king of England's vassal. Arnaud Amadieu I, Charles II of Albret, and Jean II of Albret were among the family members who travelled to Agassac after the seigneury was sold to the lordship of Albret in 1357. The Pommiers Family owned the land from 1580 to 1841. The President of Guyenne Parliament House was one of its members. The winery was established and the first vines were planted in 1792. A French agricultural engineer named Marcel Richier bought the land in 1841. Wines from the estate were exported during the 19th century under the names Château Ludon and Château Pomiès. Philippe Capbern-Gasqueton and Henry Capbern-Gasqueton, two members of the Capbern-Gasqueton family, bought Château D'Agassac in 1961. At the same time, Philippe Capbern-Gasqueton was the proprietor of Château Calon-Ségur, one of Saint-18 Estèphe's Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths), and Château du Tertre, one of Saint-14 Estèphe's Troisièmes Crus Classés (Third Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The worldwide insurance company Groupama bought the winery in 1996 and immediately started upgrading the property. Geology and Terroir The estate is situated in the southern part of Ludon-Médoc between two gravelly outcrops and an area of sandy gravel. The first outcrop consists of extremely fine gravel from the river and is characteristic of the commune of Ludon-Médoc. This gravelly structure, which can reach depths of up to 3 meters, lends itself to draining of water and results in a considerably early ripening of the grapes in this part of the vineyard. The second outcrop is made up of large Gunz gravel which forms a carpet 6 meters deeper than the first outcrop. However, given the greater proportion of clay, it lends itself to full-bodied wines with a more firm