Château l'Hêtre

Jacques Thienpont and his sister Anne De Raeymaeker acquired the estate in 2016 after visiting the property during the 2015 harvest. Located in the Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, the domain was previously known as Château Goubau and had been owned by a Belgian family for ten years. The name l'Hêtre, which means the beech tree, was selected to follow the botanical naming tradition of Thienpont's other Right Bank properties, Le Pin and L'If. Maxime Thienpont, a nephew of the owners, served as the estate manager and winemaker from the property's inception until 2025, when responsibility was handed to Antoine Mariau.

The estate is situated on the eastern extension of the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau at an elevation of approximately 100 meters, marking one of the highest points in the Bordeaux region. The vineyard holdings were expanded in 2017 through the purchase of the adjacent Château Montagne, bringing the total area under vine to roughly 27 hectares. The terroir features a combination of deep clay on the plateau edges and limestone outcrops filled with marine fossils. The vineyards have been managed using organic viticulture since 2009 and received official certification in 2012. In the cellar, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled concrete and oak vats, followed by aging in French oak barrels for approximately 15 months, typically with one-third new wood.

The primary wine of the estate is Château l'Hêtre, a blend predominantly consisting of Merlot with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. A second wine, La Raison d'Hêtre, is produced from younger vines and fruit grown on the lower clay-limestone slopes. The estate has gained a reputation for applying the meticulous winemaking standards of Pomerol to the Castillon region, providing a more accessible entry point into the Thienpont family portfolio. Critics often note the wine for its mineral character and structural precision, qualities attributed to the high-altitude limestone soils of the plateau.