2019 Château Pré la Lande Cuvee des Fontenelles

Château Pré la Lande is located in the Appelation AOC Sainte-Foy Bordeaux. The wines that they produce Certified organic, Demeter and vegan and in addition to an organic conventional wine, they also make a very nice red wine that is entirely on terracotta amphoras of 450 l from Tuscany. is matured. The 22-hectare site, including 14 ha of one-piece vineyards, sits on the slopes of a hill overlooking the Dordogne valley. Organic farming since 2007. Biodynamic methods of wine treatment since 2012.

The Château Pré la Lande has been producing wine since 1860 from the slope of a hill at 120 meters, one of the peaks in Gironde. The natural slopes guarantee good drainage and the proximity of the Dordogne river a mild climate. The designation Sainte-Foy Bordeaux, renamed Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux in 2016, is one of the oldest in Gironde with a decree published in 1937. The bottom of Château Pré la Lande is exclusively a thin layer of clay with limestone underneath, sometimes visible on the surface, which guarantees a wine that combines elegance with a strong character.

All wines are bottled with no or very little filtering. The absolute minimum of sulphite is added to guarantee the stability of wine. The total amount of SO2 is even considerably lower than the permitted amounts for organic wines. The bottles are always sealed with corks without chlorine and the supplier of the bottles undertakes to use 95% recycled glass. The cardboard supplier for the boxes uses an ecological approach by using 75% recycled paper and biodegradable inks.

Cuvée Terra Cotta is a blend of 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc from a vineyard located on a limestone substrate of an average age of 42 years. The yield is deliberately kept very low and is only 28 hl / hectare which is only a fraction of what is allowed, but at Château Pré la Lande they opt for aggressive pruning so that the few bunches of grapes get all the best from the soil. Harvesting is done by hand with a first selection in the vineyard by our own (experienced) pickers.

After picking an arrival at the winery of the Chateau, one starts with a cold pre-fermentation. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in thermo-controlled vessels. This takes about 5 weeks so this process gets all the time. Afterwards, the wines are allowed to mature for 15 months in terracotta amphora of 450 l from Tuscany.
The wine is further lightly filtered using proteins from peas, not eggs (VEGAN).

The aging in terracotta containers allows moderate oxidation as in oak barrels, but thanks to its neutrality, terracotta brings no specific taste to the wine. The unique aroma of grapes is revealed and, unlike aging in stainless steel tanks, this type of ripening makes the tannins rounder and the aromatic palette more complex.

In the glass, the Cuvée Terra Cotta by Château Pré la Lande is fresh red to dark red. The wine comes timidly into glass, but after some falsification, an explosion of black and red fruit comes. We smell raspberry, blackberry, black currant, hint of espresso and also herbs such as thyme and rosemary. On the palate the wine is voluptuous with a large juicy frame with silky tannins. The wine has a clear character but without any aggressiveness. In the mouth we taste some cherry tones and the mineral touches stand out. The terra cotta upbringing makes the wine soft and velvety without predominantly heavy tanninins and makes the wine more accessible. Already fine to drink but this wine can be stored in the cellar for at least 10 years.

The wines stay in 320 to 450L containers for about 12 months.