Château Lilian Ladouys

Château Lilian Ladouys traces its origins to 1564 when the estate was known as La Doys and held as a fief by the lord of Lafite. The Barre family owned the property for over 150 years starting in the 18th century, and they constructed the current manor house and its two stone towers. After a period of decline during the 20th century, the estate was purchased in the mid-1980s by Christian and Lilian Thiéblot, who renamed it in honor of Lilian and initiated a major modernization program. In 2008, the property was acquired by Jacky and Françoise Lorenzetti, who later added their daughter Manon Lorenzetti to the management team to guide the estate into its current era.

The vineyard covers 80 hectares on the Cos plateau in Saint-Estèphe, situated near neighboring properties such as Cos d'Estournel and Lafite Rothschild. The terroir consists of approximately 80 percent gravelly soils and 20 percent clay and limestone, providing the structural foundation for the vines. Under the Lorenzetti family, the estate began a full conversion to organic farming in 2020 and achieved official certification in 2024. Winemaking is overseen by technical director Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen and consultant Eric Boissenot, utilizing a semi-underground gravity-fed vat house built in 2009. The primary wine is typically aged for 14 to 15 months in French oak barrels, with the proportion of new wood ranging from 40 to 60 percent depending on the vintage.

The estate is primarily known for its Grand Vin, Château Lilian Ladouys, which is a red blend typically dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. This wine holds the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel classification, representing the highest tier of the Cru Bourgeois ranking system established in 2020. The property also produces a second wine named La Devise de Lilian, which offers a similar stylistic profile with an emphasis on accessibility and fruit expression. The château has gained recognition for providing significant value within the Saint-Estèphe appellation and won the Cru Bourgeois Cup in 2015.