Description
“CELLAR INFORMATION One day of cold soak (10°C) followed by alcoholic fermentation (26-28°C) for 9-10 days with regular ‘remontage’ and a single ‘delastage’. Post fermentation extended maceration (28ºC) for 3 weeks followed by malolactic fermentation in 300L new oak barrels whilst we also employed a 1000L clay amphora for the first time.
We also filled 2 new French oak ‘barrel integrale’ by gravity and directly from the sorting table and positioned them on our oxo-line system.
This increases the harmonisation of the oak from the start of the fermentation process and gives the wine more structure.
After malolactic fermentation was complete, the wine was racked off its lees into barrel (40% new, 60% second/third-fill) where it will now age for the next 12-14 months. VINEYARD INFORMATION Our vineyard has an overall surface of 2.2 hectares but is split into two parcels of vines. At Plince we have 1 hectare of vines situated on a well-draining slope of sandy topsoil over clay and deep gravels and 0.4h of this plot was replanted with Cabernet Franc in April 2017 at 8000 vines per/h.
The second block at Mazeyres is 1.2h and is also laid out in two distinct sections. The first part consists of a raised deposit of deep gravels on 0.6h and is planted with old Merlot vines.
The second part sits on a gently sloping 0.6h and is a patchwork of shallow sandy soils over gravels and blue clay (smectite) and was replanted with Merlot in April 2017 at 8,000 plants per/h.
We work exclusively by horse for all of our soil works including under row ploughing and tilling and employ eco-friendly viticultural practices.
During the 2019 growing year we decided to maintain a slightly higher density canopy and so did only a light leaf-thinning in the early season on the side of the rising sun. Then in early August we also did a green harvest to adjust the crop size and to take pressure of the vines after the long warm summer.”
