Grande Cuvée Rouge 2019
Vineyard:
70% Merlot, 10% Cab. Sauvignon, 20% Malbec
Selection of vineyards aged between 20 to 30 years old.
Average yield: 49 hl/ha.
Vineyard’s training: Manual crop thinning in August, followed by leaf-stripping.
Harvesting: Manual harvest.
Vinification: Total de-stemming, vinification, and maceration between 25 and 40 days, temperature control. Pressing and selection of wines. Malo-lactic fermentation in vat.
Aging: 80% of blend aged in one-year-old barrels for about 12 months, + 6 months in vats. Racking every two months.
Tasting notes: Attractive, bright colour, ripe fruit nose with spicy, mineral hints. Soft, well-integrated tannins on the palate with pleasant aromas of red berries supported by good body, which will enable it to be laid down for over 10 years.
Grande Cuvée Rouge 2019
Country|Region|Appellation:
France|Bordeaux|Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
Property: The estate of the Bantegnies family, currently managed by brothers Eric and Frantz, who took on their roles in 1987 and 1990.
Vineyard: A surface of 60 hectares (148 acres) trained in the V-shaped Lyre, rare in Bordeaux. This is the largest vineyard employing this technique in France, which allows for better aeration and sun exposure of the grape bunches. In the humid Bordeaux climate, the Lyre enhances ripening and reduces fungal diseases. The wines have greater richness and substance consistently across vintages. The vines are mostly planted on clay-limestone soils similar to the Côtes of Saint-Émilion. The crop is thinned in August to improve concentration in the wines. Also uncommon in Bordeaux, the harvest is conducted by hand rather than machine. The average yield of the red grapes is 49 hectoliters per hectare (3.5 tons/acre).
Grape Varieties: 70% Merlot, 20% Malbec, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is the dominant grape in Right Bank blends, adding softness and fruit. Malbec (known here as Côt) is a less common yet traditional Bordeaux variety contributing color and richness. The blend varies according to the conditions of the year.
Winemaking: The grapes are completely destemmed. The alcoholic fermentation and maceration last between 25 and 40 days under controlled temperature, followed by pressing. 80% of the blend is aged for 12 months in barriques of one prior use to avoid a strong imprint of oak, with racking every two months, and 6 months in vat. The aim is to enable a good oxygen exchange to obtain a soft structure. The malolactic conversion is in vat. The wine is fined and filtered.
