Chateau Les Chaumes Lalande-de-Pomerol (Organic) 2017 - Bordeaux, France

Awarded Chateau

Organic

Roger Barlow "There is finesse to this smooth, supple Les Chaumes; it is a wonderful expression of plum and bramble fruits and the careful use of oak leads to a complex finish without oak flavours dominating the fruit."

The Winemaker "Fruity and floral. This wine has great finesse with an impressive expression of red and black fruits." (2014 vintage)

A blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is carefully oaked with only 10% new wood used each year.

Chateau Les Chaumes is a 3.5 hectare estate in Bordeaux located between two of the best appellations; Siaurac and Moncets. It has been owned for many generations by the Vigier family. Château Les Chaumes creates great organic wine, well known all around the world. The vineyard's terroir is mostly composed of clay-limestone soils. The best reds of the Château Les Chaumes winery are matured for 12 to 18 months and develop spices and vanilla notes. The wines are fruity and pleasant, reflecting the unique characteristics of the terroir.

Situated on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, Pomerol is dominated by small estates producing premium wines. Pomerol wines are rich, decadent reds, with notes of chocolate, dark cherry, plums and spice, soft tannins and elegance courtesy of the Merlot grape. The most lush—and expensive—wines come from a plateau of clay, gravel and iron, while lighter, more acidic wines come from the region's sandy soils. Approximately 80 percent of the region's plantings are Merlot, unlike other regions of Bordeaux where no one grape dominates so singularly; and one disadvantage is that bad weather can wreak havoc on an individual vintage.

Bordeaux is made up of many sub-regions that each have their own soil and climate. However, there are two major areas in Bordeaux, the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The names are derived from the location of each area to the left (west) and right (east) of the Gironde Estuary and Garonne River.

Unlike many other regions in France, where wines are made from single grape varieties, Bordeaux blends five major varieties in the production of its reds: Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and tanning, Merlot for softness and fleshy ripe fruit, Cabernet Franc for lightness in the body, aromatic finesse and peppery perfume, Malbec for flavor intensity, complexity and tannins, Petit Verdot which is used in small amounts for color adjustment and tannin.

A Bordeaux Blend is any combination of those grape varieties typically used to make the red wines of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely accepted as a compulsory component of any Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot. In fact, the majority of Bordeaux Blend wines are often made exclusively from a blend of these two varieties. The remaining components are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.