Palate
In the end, we obtained wines with a superb touch, structure, volume, both fine and powerful.
Growing Conditions
As often in the case of great vintages, there are great fears. 2018 was no exception!
We first trembled before the episodes of frost and hail, then before the pressure of mildew which was strong. With a spring as wet and rainy, it was necessary to be vigilant. This year the prophylactic fight with particularly early stripping puts everyone at work.
This difficult period passed, gave place to a radiant summer, with short and rare showers, conferring on the vine a hydric stress which gave us very aromatic and concentrated small grapes. The veraison was rapid and uniform. The result was a superb quality of harvest, we could wait for a perfect maturity and thus obtain an exceptional homogeneity.
- Sustainable viticulture: Terra Vitis
- Soil type: Gravelly Pyrenean soil covering a limestone subsoil.
- Area: 32 hectares
The vines are cultivated according to environmentally friendly growing
practices, respecting both the plant and its environment. Vine care constantly
ensures that a balance is maintained between the plant and its environment in view
of achieving well-aired foliage and a regular load of grapes, which gradually ripen in
the sunshine. Depending on their nature, the parcels are ploughed or grassed over
between the rows.
Winemaking
A strict selection of the parcels and the grapes takes place
during the harvest. After a gentle crushing and destemming of the grapes, the must
is put into small-thermoregulated vats ensuring that the fermentations are perfectly
controlled, bringing out the expression, the richness and the nuances of each plot.
The vatting period lasts 20 to 25 days depending on the vintage.
Aging
Maturing lasts around 12 months in merrian oak barrels, a 1/3 of which are
replaced each year. We then undertake the final blending before bottling at the
chateau.
- 30% new oak barrels