Château Dillon, Historical castle and wine estate in Blanquefort, France

Château Dillon is a wine estate and agricultural school in Blanquefort, Gironde. Its pale stone main building has a steep dark slate roof with two stone chimneys and a dormer, a projecting gabled section with a tall window, and a lower wing under curved reddish-brown tiles. The estate covers 40 hectares of graves and clay-limestone soils planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Irish nobleman Robert Dillon acquired the property in 1754, establishing the foundation for wine production. In 1840, François Seignouret added three cellars styled after Médoc architecture, shaping the estate's character.

The estate operates as a winemaking school where students learn the region's traditional techniques through hands-on practice. This educational role connects local wine knowledge to the next generation of producers.

The château stands in Blanquefort, in the Haut-Médoc appellation north of Bordeaux. The estate is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and houses an agricultural lycée, so the wine estate is not run as a commercial visitor attraction; access to the buildings and grounds is tied to the school. The château, its façades and roofs, entrance gate and wrought-iron stair railing are inscribed monuments historiques since 5 December 1984.

The estate has been ISO 14001 certified since 2004, covering the whole site. The vineyard covers 40 hectares of gravel and clay-limestone soil, planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon (52%) and Merlot (41%), plus Petit Verdot (6%) and Carménère (1%).