Chateau Soutard
AOC Côtes de Bordeaux
France
In the famous French wine region of Bordeaux, more precisely in Saint-Emilion, we discovered the Chateau Soutard winery. 30 hectares of vineyards dominated by a splendid chateau typical of the Bordeaux region with architecture dating back to the 18th century, at the end of a corridor of lime trees.
The wines made in this region are truly special thanks to the clay-limestone outcrops and Castillon clay for which the Saint-Emilion soil is known. This chalky dominance of the soil is reflected in the quality of the wine, making it clean, crystalline and with good ageing potential.
Chateau Soutard's winemaking traditions and techniques, handed down from generation to generation, are firmly held; they destem and dig up the vines twice a year in winter, just as they did in Saint-Emilion two centuries ago.
On some parcels they use a technique that dates back to Roman times. They dig small pits in the limestone so that the vine can slip through and thus occupy as little space as possible. A technique that has been back in viticulture since the 18th century.
The vineyards are dominated by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a little Malbec.
Olivier Brunel, the vineyard manager, known as the man who talks to the vines, is responsible for ensuring that all the processes the vines undergo are as stress-free as possible. Harvesting is by hand, in crates of no more than 10kg so that the grapes don't crush under their own weight. The grapes are then left to cool before being sorted and destemmed.
Once in the cellars, only the perfectly ripe grapes are selected and the rest are discarded. They then spend 5 days in the pre-fermentation phase, before finally going into fermentation.
The decanting room is built around 60 hectolitre conical tanks made of stainless steel and wood, which allows Véronique Corporandy, cellar master, total freedom of technical decision during vinification and maturation.
The wine is matured for eighteen months in French oak barrels from eight different cooperatives, with 60% new barrels each year.
The perfection of the entire winemaking process results in a finished product worthy of Saint-Emilion, worthy of Bordeaux. Excellent wines that you must discover!
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