Chateau Pedesclaux

GRAND CRU CLASSÉ 1855

Pauillac, France

Client

DOMAINE CHATEAU PEDESCLAUX

Project team

Architect: WILMOTTE & ASSOCIES
Associate architect: ATELIER D'ARCHITECTURE BPM
Engineer: EGIS BÂTIMENT SUD-OUEST
Process: INGEROP
OPC: GM QUALITÉ
Control office: SOCOTEC

Surface area

Vineyard: 50 ha
8,000 sqm

Year

2015

Program

Creation of a wine storehouse, renovation and extension of the chateau.

After buying Château Pédesclaux Grand Cru Classé 1855 in Pauillac, Jacky Lorenzetti undertook a complete restructuring of the vineyard (which he extended from 26 to 48 hectares) and had the Wilmotte & Associés agency build a 2,000 sqm cellar.

Two glazed areas have been added to the castle to accentuate the view of the most beautiful part of the estate. On the north side, on the ground and first floors, there is a plateau for the use of employees. The château also houses a tasting room around the Tower. The overall aesthetics of the site are designed to reflect the image of the region and its product, thanks to the choice of noble, raw, natural materials that contribute to the simplicity and elegance of the place: white concrete and American walnut for the château’s flooring.

The façade of the vat house is made of bronze anodised aluminium slats which change colour according to the sunlight: from bronze to gold. These slats have a graphic dimension that also recalls that of the vines through an effect of strata.

We gave the estate its rightful place by adding two glass volumes. This intervention on the façade allowed us to "give wings" to the castle.

Jean-Michel Wilmotte

architect

The new vat house showcases the wine making process. It is a central element of the estate and has been designed to be entirely glazed to reveal the stages of wine making. The vats, noble and imposing elements of the production, are visible from the outside and seem to carry the building. The vineyard, which extends to the very edge of the vat room, is reflected in the glass and creates a permanent dialogue between the terroir and the production. The layout of the vat house places the visitors at the centre of the place, making them active during the visit.

The cellar is located under the vat room, half-buried, to maintain the temperature. It can accommodate up to 1,800 barrels on three levels. The volume of the cellar corresponds symmetrically to that of the vat room. The blond wooden bastaings that cover the walls and ceiling are a response to the oak barrels.