Chasse-Spleen has always been a big estate, and was once carved out of an even bigger one. It’s the largest estate in Moulis (next stop north from Margaux, inland from the river) and, alongside Poujeaux, one of the two outstanding Moulis estates which could credibly stake a claim to a place in a revised 1855 classification. It used to be listed as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel but has since stepped away from the Cru Bourgeois classification system. Be that as it may, it’s on the best (and highest) section of Moulis, and the quality of the terroir is evident across four sections – deep Garonne gravel, gravel over clay, sandy gravels, and clay on limestone. The vineyards are planted to 52 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 per cent Merlot, 5 per cent Petit Verdot and 4 per cent Cabernet Franc. It tends to make a more muscular, memorable style of wine than your average Moulis. There is also a white wine, Blanc de Chasse-Spleen, made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle – it is labelled AOC Bordeaux Blanc, as Moulis is an appellation for only red grapes.

The name Chasse-Spleen is a bit of a whimsy. It means ‘chase away melancholy’, and it was inspired by either Baudelaire or Lord Byron, according to which account you read. Baudelaire uses the expression in a poem. Lord Byron visited the estate and is said to have declared that drinking this wine was the best way to ‘chase away black thoughts’. Either way, the wine claims to do what it says on the tin, so spare a thought for Adolph Seigneitz. In 1912, with impeccable timing, his German negociant firm bought Chasse-Spleen, only to see it confiscated and auctioned off as ‘enemy property’ two years later with the outbreak of the First World War. A bottle or two of Chasse-Spleen was probably just what he needed. Since 2000, Chasse-Spleen has been owned and run by Celine and Jean-Pierre Foubet, who have most recently been guiding it towards organic viticulture. With the 2009 introduction of a solar panel farm they are self-sufficient in energy, and their moves towards increased biodiversity are good for the vines as well as the environment. (NT 02/09/25)