The current château is built on what was once a massive house. The original foundations can still be seen along the northern wall of the chapel. This house is believed to have been built well before the 17th century. The central portion, which remains today, was also modified around 1850. The château was originally named “Bellevue Estate” (the current name comes from a contraction of the French expression “mal à faire”, which means “difficult to do”. This refers to all sorts of hardships and difficulties arising from vines cultivated on a clay soil). The owners at that time radically transformed the original building by designing a main body measuring 42 meters long by 7 meters wide, including a series of sculpted stone basins which jut out over the wall to the west. A house was built up against the foundations of the round towers at each end. Its roof was originally covered with tiles (Fig.1) which were replaced by slate in 1875. At this time, a magnificent orange grove (Fig.2) was planted along the eastern façade. One hundred twenty years later, it was moved to the northern side of the courtyard, after the wine-making buildings there were torn down (Fig.3).

A veranda running the entire length of the building was constructed on the western façade its iron pillars were rainwater pipes!

A chapel was built in 1877, and was used up until 1960. The same year, the wine cellar known as « The Médocain » was also constructed (Fig.4) and it can be seen at the end of the north wing. From an oenological point of view, this wine-making cellar had extraordinary aspects for its time. More in-depth information on this is in the “Wine-making” section.

By the late 1990s, the various buildings of the estate and particularly the chateau had become totally run-down : roofs had collapsed and everything was overrun with brambles. Looting and vandalism had just about ruined this magnificent example of French rural architecture. In 2000, complete restoration of the chateau and its estate buildings was undertaken. The Malfard estate was designed around two square groups of buildings, one around the chateau and the other which includes the stables and the workers’ quarters, besides the barrel cellar and a huge trussed shed built in the 1890s. It is significant to note that up until 1900, there were approximately 60 people working on the Malfard estate.

The roofs of all these buildings had collapsed and trees and brambles were thriving inside the chateau walls. After uprooting weeds and vegetation using cables and tractors as well as removing the rubble, more than 2,500 m² of roofs were replaced, the workers’ quarters were refurbished. A wine-making cellar and a barrel cellar were totally renovated. This renovation also included upgrading to meet European standards. A 200 m² reception room was set up in the orange grove which had been moved once again. A water treatment plant was built and an equestrian center was created. Plans for luxury self-catering cottages are in the works.

• The oldest known owner of the Bellevue estate (former appellation of Château Malfard) : Michel DECAZES, born in Libourne on 17 February 1747. He was a lawyer in the Libourne Présidial (former name of the Libourne courthouse) and a member of the Bordeaux Parliament.
• In 1796, the estate was purchased by the LACAZE brothers, one of whom was Jean-Jacques, Michel DECAZES’ son-in-law.
• In 1804, the sole owners, Jean-Jacques LACAZE and his wife, died. Two orphans, Hippolyte and Aricie, remained (the title of Jean Philippe RAMEAU’s opera obviously influenced children’s first names at that period!).
• Aricie married Baron de BERTHOUMIEU in 1819. This new owner sold the château to the Duke and Duchess Elie DECAZES in 1823. Surprisingly enough, the Duke Elie DECAZES was born at Malfard on 27 September 1780 to Michel DECAZES, the chateau’s first known owner. The Duke DECAZES, ennobled by the King due to services rendered, was a remarkable person : Foreign Affairs minister for Louis XVIII, draftman of an international relations treaty which was authoritative in its time, entreprising and shrewd businessman who is credited for founding the mining city of DECAZEVILLE ex nihilo. The Duke DECAZES, whose descendants still own several châteaux (particularly in BONZAC, the neighboring town), kept Malfard for 26 years. In 1849, he passed it on to his cousin by marriage, Elie BEYLOT.
• The BEYLOT family, who undertook the first reconstruction of Malfard, hung on to the estate until 1872. The vineyards were classified Deuxièmes Côtes de Fronsac.
• In 1872, the Des CORDES family bought the estate. Georges des CORDES was responsible for building the chapel, planting the orange grove, heightening of the two square towers as well as the central roofs.
• In 1899, partly due to phylloxera which destroyed the vineyards (leading to a later declassification of the estate), the Des CORDES family found themselves in financial straits and was obliged to auction Malfard off for sale. The RICHER family then purchased the estate and maintained it up until the 1970s.
• Afterwards, the estate was once again neglected by its owners who eventually sold it to a real estate agent in 1993, who, in turn, sold it to the RIVIERE family who undertook its rescue.