Pomerol

Château Cantelauze

Owned by the Boidron family, Château Corbin Michotte is located in the gravelly part of Saint-Emilion, near Cheval-Blanc and Figeac and on the border with Pomerol.

Its 7-hectare vineyard surrounding the historic chateau, once set in the heart of a feudal estate belonging to the Black Prince under the English occupation, is located on a Quaternary alluvial water table of the Isle, a tributary of the Dordogne. The brown sandy silt soils cover a sandy-clay subsoil with extremely high iron content (known as crasse de fer). High-drainage gravel on the surface ensures good rainwater run-off and soil aeration. The average age of the vines is 50 years old, including a one hundred-year-old plot.

Respect is shown for use of traditional techniques by hand and a winemaking process that adapts to the unique conditions of each vintage. Vineyard management is sustainable – using tillage and no herbicides – and the ethos at the estate has long been guided by an unwavering and recognised ecological and environmental dimension.

Conservation of the ecosystem is pivotal to the estate and the Boidron family has decided to react to the decline in plant biodiversity by taking part in the collective project ‘Vignes Mellifères’. This involves planting flora specifically designed to diversify and improve food resources for bees along the edges of vineyards. A technical blueprint for vineyard management is written into a charter. Signing up to the charter reveals a commitment and desire by wine growers to steer their vineyards towards a sustainable ecological future, and also implies quality wine growing.

Bees have now come to Corbin Michotte’s vineyards in their droves, producing generous quantities of honey of which everyone can be proud. Château Corbin Michotte provides refined wines that show respect for the terroir, the elegance of the appellation and the family’s hallmark style.

WINE FACT SHEETS:

Château Corbin Michotte
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Soils: sandy silt soils over a sandy-clay subsoil with extremely high iron content and gravel on the surface.
Varietal range: 65 % Merlot, 30 % Cabernet franc, 5 % Cabernet-Sauvignon.
Ageing: 40 % to 60 % in new casks and concrete tanks.
Price: €30 incl. VAT ex-cellar.

Château Cantelauze
Pomerol

Area: 0.9 ha.
Soils: Very deep sandy gravel with medium-sized stones.
Varietal range: 90 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernet franc.
Ageing: 18 months entirely in new casks.
Price: €32 incl. VAT ex-cellar.

Château Calon
Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion

Area: 7.5 ha.
Soils: Very steep sites of clay-limestone with fossil-rich limestone.
Varietal range: 80 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernet franc, 9 % Cabernet-Sauvignon, 1 % Malbec.
Ageing: Oak casks and enamel-clad tanks.
Price: €13 incl. VAT ex-cellar.

Consultant winemaker: Stéphane Toutoundji