Technical data
Soil composition: 60% grey clay and 40% sandy gravel, resting on red clay (iron dross)
Grape types: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Pruning: Single and double guyot
Planting density: 6,000 vines per hectare on average
Yield: 3,500 to 4,500 litres per hectare
Average age of vines: 40 years
Ageing: 80% to 100% in new, French oak barrels, from a number of carefully selected coopers
Average length: 18 months
Racking: Racking using air pressure every 3 months
Fining: 4 to 5 fresh egg whites per barrel
A propos du producteur
The 12 hectares of land forming the estate, unchanged since 1871, have enabled La Conseillante to retain its exceptional character.
An average density of six thousand vines per hectare, plus permanent attention and care lavished on the vines, which are the sole guarantors that the fruit remains healthy, are a reminder that without a quality grape, the wine is worthless.
Thousands of carefully-executed tasks are repeated throughout the year. Later, the winemaking process aims to bring out the very best of this unique terroir. To ensure its perfect expression, yields at La Conseillante need to be controlled. For this reason, we use fertilisers to make up for deficiencies rather than to enrich the soil. But our major asset is without question the high average age of the vines, which thus makes for limited production.
"Green" vine management (trimming, bud removal, thinning out, and leaf removal) enable us to control vine growth, and in particular to adjust output to the yields wanted. Having an optimal amount of leaf surface, the very lung of the vine, contributes to the sensory quality of the grapes, synthesising their essential constituents, such as aromas, anthocyanins, etc.
With the approach of harvest, always carried out manually here, the technical team focuses all its attention on the grape bunches. Perfect ripening ensures optimal expression of the terroir and enables the wine to develop over time. Merlot, supple and round, which represents 80 % of the vineyard, ripens early, followed by Cabernet Franc, for 20 % of the plots, which will give structure and freshness for the blending.
The requirements of quality start with grape-picking and are unremitting throughout the season. True to its philosophy of combining the benefits of tradition with advances in new technology, Château La Conseillante is equipped with a high-performance receiving platform for the harvest. Four sorting tables are linked up, together with a de-stalking machine, which makes it possible to smoothly separate the fruit from the stalks.
Once these vital steps in the production of a great wine have been completed, the winemaking process can now begin, with only goal: draw the best out of the terroir.