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Origin:
Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Grape(s):
Sémillon (60%), Sauvignon (36%) & Muscadelle (4%)
Alcohol:
14% ABV
Grape
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. Along with Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle, Sémillon is one of only three approved white wine varieties in the Bordeaux region. Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated.
Region
The hillsides face towards the south or the south-west and consist of gravels, clay and sand on a calcareous base. They are bordered by the Landes forest and are crossed by the Ciron River which creates the ideal microclimate for the development of the botrytis cinerea on the grapes.
Viticulture
Use organic & biodynamic methods, but not certified. Hand harvest grapes with multiple passes through vines to collect noble rot berries.
Vinification
• Manual harvest
• Fermentations in 50 hectolitre temperature-controlled stainless steel vats
• Temperature of fermentation between 19 and 21oC
• Fermentation for 10 to 30 days depending to the grape variety and the concentration
• Light and gentle filtration 10 months after the fermentation (no sterile filtration)
• Blended approximately 14 months after fermentation
• Matured for 2 years in barrel and vats
• Barrels made from oak from the Allier forest of central France, 1/3 new barrels yearly
• Bottling 20 to 24 months after fermentation