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CHATEAU DE CARDAILLAN
RED GRAVES
Amongst the 25 hectares of appellation Graves
which makes up the vineyards of Chateau de Malle, a large
part is consecrated to making Red Graves under the name of
Chateau de Cardaillan. The wine has a pronounced bouquet,
a lively character and is strongly reminiscent of ripe red
fruit with a velvety tannic structure. It expresses all the
finesse and elegance of its soil character, “terroir”,
as the French put it.
THE VINEYARDS
THE
VINEYARDS
The vineyard of Château de Cardaillan is situated in
the commune of Toulenne and covers twenty hectares. The soil
consists of pebbly gravel and sand, typical of the region.
The grape varieties are planted in a balanced way and thus
are comprised of 50 % Merlot and 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon.
The average age of the vines is around 25 years and the density
of plantation is about 6,600 vines per hectare. The double
“Guyot” pruning system is used. The vintage according
to traditional methods takes place once the grapes have reached
perfect maturity. The average size of the vintage is approximately
35 hectolitres per hectare.
THE CELLARS
Each load of grapes brought in over a daily period are vinified
separately. The grapes are destalked and destemmed before
being put into fermenting vats and are then macerated and
aerated by pumping over the cap until the end of the alcoholic
fermentation. Running off from the vat and the malo-lactic
fermentation follow under perfectly controlled temperature
conditions. The wine is matured in stave wood oak barrels
over a period of between 12 – 18 months depending upon
the character of the vintage. The bottling takes place at
the Château during April or May. The newly bottled wine
is rested for a minimum period of 12 months.
The average annual production of Château de Cardaillan
is around 100 000 bottles.
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