Tragically, during the great frost of 2017 almost half the crop from this organic vineyard was lost. As a result, special precautions are now being taken, including the installation of a weather station, and the Château is confident of a great harvest for 2019. Located between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, humidity can get trapped on the land in between. There are no mechanical harvests here – the vines are all cut by hand – usually by the same crew each vendage.
The last of our tastings, the wines we enjoyed included Les Remparts de Bastor-Lamontagne and Château Bastor-Lamontagne Bordeaux Sec and Château Bastor-Lamontagne. All beautifully nuanced and refined. Perfect to drink on their own as well as an accompaniment to fish and meat.
A worthy and refined finale to our whirlwind tour of some of the very best Bordeaux vineyards. I found it encouraging to see the collaboration between the estates, as well as the use of sustainable best practices to ensure the survival of one of the world’s greatest, most noble and most profitable businesses. The respect given by the growers to the land is tangible – they understand that the terroir and the vines are living organisms with a sensitivity to match.
Today more than half of all winegrowers in the St Emilion area have SME status. The aim is that by 2023 all growers will be involved in the process. Otherwise, they will not be able to market themselves with the St Emilion brand. A UNESCO Heritage site, St Emilion celebrates its 20 years of UNESCO status this year with a special festival between June 28 and 30. There will be a grand party with wine tasting, concerts, pop-up food stalls and the chance to meet the talented men and women who run the region’s fabulous vineyards. Long live the grape!
“To drink wine is to drink genius,” Baudelaire once said. I couldn’t agree more.
Links for more information:
Château Soutard
Château Cadet Bon
Château Saint Robert: La Montagne-Est 33210 Preignac, France. Tel: +33 5 56 63 27 66
Château Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes: La Montagne-Est 33210 Preignac, France