Château Castera

The Château Castera can look back on a very eventful past from the Middle Ages to the present day. The beginnings of the estate go back to the time of feudalism. 

Château Castera - tradition and progress

Among the owners of the estate are the Arsac family, important wine exporters in the 14th century, Étienne de La Boétie, the famous humanist, and the Marquis de Verthamon. Everyone who has lived here has contributed to the development of Château Castera and has been instrumental in ensuring that the estate has survived the passage of time in good health.

Overcoming crises

As early as 1850, Castera had gained a high reputation thanks to Charles Cook 's Bordeaux guide. However, the phylloxera crisis brought an unexpected end with the devastation of the vineyards. The Verthamons, owners of the estate at the time, were therefore forced to sell their property. in 1922, Monsieur Degonde and his family took over Château Castera and, at the first classification in 1932, directly helped to achieve the status of Cru Bourgeois.

After a trading company had taken over in the meantime, Carl E. Press (the father of the current owner), together with Dieter Tondera, bought the winery in 1986. This duo undertook extensive renovations to the building and vineyards, laying the foundation for Château Castera's current prominence and success.

Castera is based on values

Although technological progress has always been part of its history, winemaking is primarily more traditional:

• The sorting out of the grapes by hand
• Temperature controls and a slightly longer maceration.
• When using wood, great emphasis is placed on harmony to accentuate the fruitiness of the wines rather than overpowering them.
• All wines are aged for 12 months in French barriques,
• then bottled and aged in bottle for another 24 months before finally being put on sale.