Bordeaux Château Picque Caillou
One of the last bastions of urban winegrowing, Château Picque Caillou lies in Mérignac, at the entrance to Bordeaux City, and was the family home of Paulin and Isabelle Calvet and their children until 2026. With neighbours including Châteaux Haut Brion and Pape Clément, it’s really rather an illustrious address.
The château was built in 1756 but despite its long history, it was not until 2006 when Paulin took over the running of the property that Picque Caillou's reputation was made. Coming from a long line of négociants, Calvet learnt his trade from the indomitable Ets. Jean-Pierre Moeuix in Libourne and he has since refined and advanced every aspect of the viticulture and vinification at the Château.
A firm favourite with Private Cellar customers for over twenty years, Picque Caillou holds a special place in our hearts. In 2026 we said a bittersweet farewell to Paulin Calvet, who, alongside Isabelle and their family, made the property their home. Paulin poured his heart and soul into the château, and we will miss his ever-present smile and infectious enthusiasm at tastings. The silver lining is that he is now enjoying a well-earned retirement, while new owner Laurent Marti, President of local rugby club Union Bordeaux Begles, embarks on an exciting new chapter for the estate. We are certain that Picque Caillou has a wonderful future ahead.
Vineyards and Vinification
The clue is in the name when it comes to the soil of Picque Caillou. ‘Caillou’ means pebble or stone in French, so as you might expect the vineyards are characterised by their pebbly soils, deposited by the Garonne River over thousands of years.
This fast-draining gravel means deep-rooted vines and a warm environment kickstarts an early vine-growing season. Traditional ploughing takes place in the vineyards. Vines are pruned in the Bordelaise style and the fruit is hand harvested over a period of about 6 weeks. 20.5 hectares are given over to the black grape varieties; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, and the remaining 2.7 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Their red wine undergoes fermentation and maceration in stainless steel vats, before further post-fermentation maceration and malolactic fermentation. The red then sees 12 months in oak barrels, 30 % of which are new French Oak.
Their whites are fermented and then aged in barrels, 20 % new oak, with weekly stirring of the lees.
Wines
We offer Picque Caillou’s flagship red on our list all year round, as well as en primeur with a tiny allocation of their delicious Sauvignon / Semillon blend. Picque Caillou offers extremely good value for money, quietly getting on with producing good vintages year on year.
Fun fact – Picque Caillou is one of the few Bordeaux properties that is do-friendly, so if your pooch has a passport and you’re in the area, be sure to book a visit!
Find their website here: http://www.picque-caillou.com/
Click here for current availability or call us on 01353 721 999. For marketing queries, please contact Laura Taylor at laura@privatecellar.co.uk
