Château Les Gravières is a wonderful sleeper hit of a Right Bank producer.  This Saint-Émilion Grand Cru started picking up steam after an impressive 2018 vintage, causing critics around the world to take notice.  For oenophiles who love to discover new properties off the beaten path, Château Les Gravières is the perfect choice that over delivers in terms of quality and value.  This  wine is still a bit obscure and that very much serves to a buyer’s advantage in terms of price.  Given the mounting press and influx of positive reception, it’s very clear that Château Les Gravières is making its mark as a force to be reckoned with on the Right Bank.

Family run estate

Château Les Gravières is a family run estate, and it has always been that way for this diminutively sized vineyard.  Château Les Gravières originated with the Barraud family in the 19th Century and has been in the possession of the Barraud dynasty in its entirety. Generations of Barrauds have been tending to the 4.5-hectare estate that sits in the small hamlet of Génnisac and are intimately acquainted with the vineyard’s unique qualities.  All operations in the vineyard are currently supervised by the talented vigneron Denis Barraud, who is responsible for the property’s recent success in terms of skyrocketing quality.  Denis is no stranger to crafting excellent wines, for he is also associated with another insider’s wine, Lynsolence.

Terroir

The terroir at Château Les Gravières is a combination of  sandy gravel, with the signature Saint-Émilion limestone intermingled underneath. This limestone is combined with chalk which captures a distinctively fresh and high-key mineral driven tone to the wines from this estate. The vines are 38-45 years old on average and exclusively Merlot, which is the star varietal in the Right Bank. In the vineyard, Denis uses organic fertilizers and materials to help the grapes reach optimum ripeness.  He also  practices green harvesting by hand, which is the practice of removing extra grape bunches from a vine to balance the leaf and fruit weight.  When a vigneron green harvests, this helps them achieve greater ripeness and more concentrated fruit flavors.

At Château Les Gravières, lowering yields is another key component to the viticultural philosophy.  With these lower yields and riper fruit, the wine possesses an unparalleled lusciousness.  Critics have described the grand vin from Château Les Graviéres as a fruity, hedonistic dream with beguiling concentration yet soft and supple tannins.  The wine is complex, layered and dense and Denis vinifies his wines for as long as possible, with extended maceration periods and extended lees contact so they show their unique characteristics.  Château Les Gravières demonstrates its furthest potential after a couple of years in bottle.  It is a highly versatile and food friendly wine, playing beautifully with both heartier and lighter fare. The wine of Château Les Gravières also has a supple, spicy quality that pairs beautifully with Asian and Indian cuisine.  Without a doubt, Château Les Gravières is a fabulous, affordable option for any savvy connoisseur -- a true hidden gem.