2 min read

Château de Pressac – Exclusive Conversation With Owner Jean-François Quenin

Few places in Bordeaux carry history quite like Château de Pressac.

Press play below and you’re transported to the limestone heights of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux where Jean-François Quenin welcomes us inside an estate whose story stretches far beyond the vineyard rows.

In this extended conversation, he speaks openly about the land, the decisions that reshaped the estate over the past two decades, and the quiet precision behind wines that increasingly hold their own among the Right Bank’s finest.

This is not a short promotional interview.

It’s a real sit-down — the kind where stories surface naturally, bottles are opened, and the deeper thinking behind the wines begins to reveal itself.

During this private conversation, Jean-François shares stories, philosophies, and winemaking details few people outside the estate ever hear.

Inside this conversation you'll discover.

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Why Château de Pressac sits by the very ground where the Battle of Castillon ended English rule in France in 1453 — and how the estate’s Neo-Gothic château was rebuilt during the same 19th-century revival that restored Notre-Dame and Carcassonne.
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How soil expert Claude Bourguignon helped Jean-François Quenin examine every parcel of Pressac’s limestone and river soils — leading to a dramatic replanting of nearly the entire vineyard to better express its terroir.
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The little-known story of how Malbec once existed here as “Noir de Pressac” in the 1730s before travelling to the rest of Bordeaux, and eventually Argentina.
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Why the estate relies on technical corks and careful extraction techniques to preserve finesse and ensure wines age reliably without the risk of cork taint.
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What happens when Christer and Jean-François taste key vintages like 2016 and 2023 together — revealing limestone freshness, depth of fruit, and how the estate’s quality has steadily risen over the past fifteen years.
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The quiet philosophy guiding Pressac today: balancing power with restraint while allowing the character of limestone and minerality to speak clearly through the wine.

This is the kind of conversation that only emerges when time is allowed to unfold.

Stories surface.

Decisions are explained.

And the wines themselves begin to tell their story.

This conversation — and many more — are available on Patreon. Your support is what allows us to continue making the films you see on YouTube.

You’re making the Tales films possible.

By becoming a Patron, you’re not just gaining access to more.

Your support is what allows us to stay independent…
travel to the places we go…
and spend the time needed to do this properly.

Inside Patreon, you’ll find:

Full conversations
Long, uncut interviews with winemakers — the kind that don’t fit on YouTube.

Behind the scenes
A closer look at how the films are made, and where we’re heading next.

A deeper layer of the project
For those who want to stay a little longer in this world.

Thank you for supporting.

We’re just getting started.

— Petter, Christer & The Tales Team