Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur

Château Lajarre
Cuvée Éléonore

Grégory Lovato, a doctor and wine grower, has been running Château Lajarre since 2005. The property is located a few kilometres South-East of Saint-Emilion and boasts quality soils classed as Bordeaux Supérieur – producing Château Lajarre, Château Lajarre Cuvée Eléonore as well as Château Canon-Montésgur in the Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux appellation area.

Château LAJARRE :

Owned by the Duke of Lorge at the start of the 19^th century, the estate was sold under the Second Empire to Jean Gautier, Finance Minister to Louis-Philippe, Peer of France and Mayor of Bordeaux, who had the château built. After changing hands several times amongst negociants, it was bought by the Lovato family in 1973. The property extends over 50 ha, including 32 ha under vine.

Integrated pest management is used in the vineyard and soil management involves tillage and occasionally use of natural grass cover; weeds are only removed from the soils directly below the rows. Double Guyot is the preferred vine training system with bud numbers kept to a minimum in order to obtain yields of 45 hl/ha.

Yield targets are also met by de-budding and bunch thinning if necessary. Leaf removal ensures increased aeration of the clusters and berry tasting is the primary basis for choice of harvest dates.

Vineyard replanting since the estate was purchased has allowed each grape variety to be paired with the most appropriate soil type and led to greater vine density in some vineyards at Château Lajarre.

The grapes are picked by machine but every one is sorted upon arrival at the winery which is equipped with both concrete and stainless steel temperature-controlled tanks. The fruit undergoes cold soaking (at between 8 and 10°C) for up to 72 hours prior to fermentation which starts gradually before reaching temperatures of between 26 and 30°C. Vatting is prolonged and can last for up to 30 days. Punching down of the cap and rack and return are used regularly, depending on the vintage.

Testimonial:

“Since we bought Château Lajarre, we have made significant investments and planted or replanted vineyards sensitively in order to achieve a more balanced and more suitable varietal range, comprising 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. We also had a new vat room built – it is equipped with the latest temperature control and automatic pumping over systems that allow us to extract maximum tannin content.

Château Canon Montségur is a late-ripening vineyard, promoting optimum ripeness in the Cabernets. The vines are an average 40 years old and planted to a density of 5,500 vines per hectare.

Distinguishing features:

Amazing natural drainage: Lajarre’s vineyards stretch over hillside sites with a shallow layer of clay soils – depths vary between 60 and 80 cm – over a limestone subsoil. On the valley floor, sandy-gravely soils absorb excess water from winter and spring rainfall.

FACT SHEET

Château Lajarre Cuvée Éléonore
Bordeaux Supérieur

Vineyard area: 20 hectares

Soils: clay-limestone and gravely silica

Varietal range: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

Ageing for the Cuvée Eléonore: 80% french oak barrels and 20% in stainless steel for 12 months.