Château Montlau

The winery is located in the commune of Moulon, high above the Dordogne valley in the department of Gironde in the Bordeaux region. The name derives from the former Roman settlement "Mont des Lauriers" (laurel hill). The name Montlau was first mentioned in the 9th century and the vineyards date back to 1473. A heyday was the period around 1830, when a new cellar was installed. This cellar has been restored to its original condition in recent years and is now a functioning museum cellar with state-of-the-art technology. The estate has been owned by Lucerne native Armand Schuster de Ballwil sen. since 1970, and since 2006 his son Armand Schuster de Ballwil jun. has been responsible for production, cellar and personnel. The vineyards cover 25 hectares, of which 22 hectares are planted with the red wine varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and 3 hectares with the white wine varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Sémillon.

For the Hors-Série production the best grapes are harvested. This harvest is macerated exclusively in large oak vats and matures for 14 months in new barriques. The top of the quality pyramid is the flagship Bordeaux "Château Montlau Hors-Série". 90% of the wines are exported to many European countries and the USA. Under the label "Château Côtes de Monleau", single-varietal wines are produced from young vines without wood ageing. Furthermore, a white wine Entre-deux-Mers and a Crémant de Bordeaux "Favory" are produced. Around 170,000 bottles of wine are produced annually.

In 2003 the "Château Fontblanche" was bought. The vineyards cover seven hectares of vineyards, planted with Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (25%) and Malbec (5%), which was already planted in 1900. About 30,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. Schuster de Ballwil sen. is president of the Export Commission of the Winegrowers' Association, president of the Export Club of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, and Grand-Maître of the Connétablie de Guyenne, the oldest Bordeaux winegrowers' guild, founded in 1452.