Chateau l'Ancien 2016

Created by the Count de Kermartin in the mid-19th century, Garrauds vineyards appear in the 1868 edition of Le Faret (Bordeaux wine directory). Leon Nony bought the vineyard in 1939 and started to renovate and expand it. After his death in 1959, his son, Michel, then his grandson, Jean-Marc, continued his work. In the 1990's, the vat room and cellars were completely renovated to incorporate new techniques and the latest thinking in terms of vinification and ageing, while preserving traditional know-how. In 1997, a few high-quality plots were selected to produce a wine in a very low quantity, l'Ancien, which stands at the very top of the Appellation.

SOIL TYPE : Micro-selection from 36 hectares of vineyards planted on the geological prolongation of the Pomerol plateau in varied soils (clay, gravel, clay-silt).

AVERAGE AGE OF VINES : Around 30 years old

PLANTING DENSITY : Around 6.000 vines/ha

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT : Double Guyot pruning, bud removal, sustainable soil enrichment, leaf thinning, green harvesting if necessary, ploughing, managed grass cover, harvesting when the grapes reach perfect maturity, mostly by hand.

ENVIRONMENT : Vine treatments only if necessary (with preference given to more environmentally-friendly products and application methods), effluent treatment, the use of local suppliers when possible, and selective waste management.

VINIFICATION : Plot selection, sorting of the harvested grapes, full destemming, fully fermented in new French oak barrels in an air-conditioned cellar.