Palate
Generous. This is the perfect word to describe the character of Château Brown Red 2016. A bright vintage, highlighting the Cabernet and Merlot grapes from the Bordeaux Graves region. This harvest boasts the roundness of the 2015 vintage and the depth of the 2014 vintage. Its personality is immediately evident, bursting with fruit, blackcurrant and jammy blackberry, with a more subdued character after decanting. The fruitiness is followed by notes of spice and a wild Cabernet character. The long, tannic finish foretells a great future for this divine wine.
Growing Conditions
SOIL:
• Gravelly and clay-limestone soil
• Plot-by-plot management with integrated drainage system
Harvest
Harvest dates:
- Merlot: from 4th to 12th of October 2016
- Cabernet Sauvignon: from 12th to 22nd of October 2016
- Petit Verdot: on 5th of October 2015
Yield:
- 44 hl/ha
• 100% manual in small boxes, with bunch selection on the vine
• Double sorting in the winery (bunches and grapes), using vibrating sorting tables
Bottling
2nd of May 2018
Winemaking
• 100-hectolitre thermo-regulated stainless steel vats • No grapes treading
• Cold maceration (8°C) for 3-5 days before fermentation
• Alcoholic fermentation at 25°C, then 28°C to finish
• Small volumes pumped over three times daily
• Warm maceration after fermentation (30°C), until ready for transfer to the barrels
• The contents of each vat are transferred to barrels after tasting. Pressing using a JLB vertical press.
• Malolactic fermentation: in stainless steel vats
Aging
100% in French oak barrels: 40% new. Matured for 12 - 15 months
Food Pairing
Serve with tender meat and seasonal vegetables: Grilled Bazas beef, Gers spring vegetables, a blackberry condiment and garlic chive fritters. Recipe from Jérôme Schilling, Head Chef at L’Hotel - Restaurant Lalique of Château Lafaurie Peyraguey.