The Domain
When Jacques and his sister Anne Thienpont visited this Côtes de Castillon estate in 2015, they were immediately struck by its beauty and potential. They hired their nephew, Maxime Thienpont, as manager and renamed the property L’Hêtre, continuing the arboreal theme that Jacques uses for all his estates.
In 2025, Antoine Mariau, a renowned Bordeaux winemaker, took over management of L’Hêtre, which now comprises 27 hectares of vines. Our vineyards benefit from a mosaic of terroirs. On the edge of the Saint Philippe plateau, the deep clay soils preserve freshness, adding body and a smooth structure to our wines. At Saint Genès, the limestone plateau with its rocks full of marine fossils close to the surface produces floral and aromatic wines with an energetic and saline touch.
The wines are fermented in temperature-controlled concrete vats and aged in French oak barrels. The vineyard is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. La Raison d’Hêtre, the estate’s second wine, is a blend from the young vines and clay-limestone plots on the estate’s lower slopes.
The label’s illustration of a beech tree trunk is the work of Belgian artist Anne Van Herreweghen. A new winery was built in time for the 2022 vintage. The wines are rich, round, and chalky, with notes of ripe fruit and a spicy aftertaste. They are designed to be enjoyed relatively young and are appreciated for their intensity and drinkability.
Vintage : 2023
The 2023 vintage shows the unique expression of each of our terroirs, having individual characters which are very complementary in the blend. After a hot and stormy summer, the magic of September worked its charm, offering us perfect conditions for the grapes to ripen during the run up to harvest.
L’Hêtre
TASTING NOTE
2023 Dark intense colour, spicy and energetic on the nose, with rich, mellow flavours of autumn fruit, licorice, balsam, and vanilla oak. The wine is structured and has good intensity, with pretty balance mid palate and an appetising density.
Ready to drink already L’Hêtre 2023 is ripe, fresh and fruity with a lingering, smokey, slightly saline finish and good complexity. The 2023 shows the quality of a top vintage which highlights the qualities of our patchwork of limestone and clay.
– Fiona Morrison MW
La Raison d’Hêtre
TASTING NOTE
Dark garnet colour, rich and medium body. Smokey berried fruit with bramble, spice and licorice aromas and a touch of chalk and plums. On the palate the wine is fresh and silky with good, soft tannins and attractive balance between fruit, spice and oak. On the finish, the wine is appetising and long with an attractive salinity which makes it very drinkable. This is a country wine with good character and accessibility which shows the typical character of Castillon between vines, woods, and limestone.
– Fiona Morrison MW