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CHATEAU DE MALLE (Sauternes) - CHATEAU
DE SAINTE-HELENE (Sauternes)
1855 GREAT CLASSIFIED GROWTH SAUTERNES
The first traces of vines at Malle go back to the 15th Century.
It is generally thought that until the middle of the 17th
Century the white wines in the Sauternes region were actually
dry wines, and the oldest known and direct reference to a
vintage of sweet wines goes back to 1666. The 1855 classification
served as confirmation of the great quality of the sweet white
wine of Château de Malle.
THE VINEYARDS
 The
vineyards are situated in the communes of Preignac and of
Fargues. Only 28 hectares of the vineyard area of Château
de Malle are dedicated to the making of Sauternes. The vines
are planted on the undulating slopes of a plateau of medium
altitude on gravelly clay soil on a siliceous sub-soil. The
vines (69 % Semillon, 28 % Sauvignon and 3% Muscadelle) have
an average age of between 30 and 40 years and are planted
at a density of 6,600 vines per hectare.
Each year the fruit of the vine patiently awaits the progressive
invasion of the noble fungus called botrytis cinerea. The
vintage, in accordance with tradition, is still brought in
by hand by means of successive selective pickings. Each individual
grape is only snipped off once it has achieved a perfect state
of “rôti”, that is to say, when it is shrivelled
up and fully concentrated. Three to five pickings are usually
necessary. This varies depending upon all the combined conditions
for making great Sauternes. The average size of the vintage
is minimal and is situated between 12 and 15 hectolitres per
hectare.
THE CELLARS
Each grape variety is vinified separately. The grapes are
immediately and directly pressed and the settling of the must
takes about 10 hours. The fine lees are then re-introduced
before fermentation commences in oak barrels. A third of these
barrels are new each year. The barrels are topped up regularly
and a racking takes place every three months.
Maturing of the wine in barrel lasts between 20 and 24 months.
The wine is bottled at the Château 2 or 3 years after
the vintage, depending on the character of the year. The average
annual production is 40,000 bottles of which 85 % is exported.
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