CHATEAU D’ARRICAUD
Réserve du Comte
“Cuvée du Comte” red Graves
A joy to drink!
An exquisite, silky, fruity red Graves.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION : In the heart of Graves, on one of the region’s characteristic gravelly hillocks, the vineyard is planted on a south-east facing slope, looking out over the undulating landscape of Sauternes and the Entre-deux-Mers.
AREA : 8 hectares.
TERROIR : Clayey gravel and clay-limestone.
GRAPE VARIETIES : 70% Merlot. 28% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2% Petit Verdot.
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES : 35 years.
PLANTING DENSITY : 5,500 vines per hectare.
GROWING METHODS : Bordeaux-style “à côt” short pruning and single Guyot. Ploughing and controlled grassing. Leaf stripping and thinning of bunches.
YIELD : 46 hl/hectare.
HARVEST : Each manual and mechanical harvest, with sorting of the grapes in the vineyard, is subject to strict selection at the Château.
VINIFICATION : Fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats at 28°C. Long maceration period of four weeks. Malolactic fermentation.
MATURING : Maturing period in vats: 18 months.
PACKAGING : Cardboard boxes of 12 horizontal “export” bottles. Cardboard boxes of 6 horizontal bottles.
TASTING NOTE : Powerful, fruity, spicy bouquet. Well-rounded on the palate with notes of ripe fruit and a full-bodied tannic structure. Good length with lingering flavours.
FOOD AND WINE PAIRING : Meat and cheeses. Open in advance or aerate the wine by decanting it.
SERVING TEMPERATURE : 17-18°C.
AGEING POTENTIAL : 10 years.