Les Grands Chênes

AOC Médoc
Grape varieties: Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 45%, Cabernet Franc 5%
Soil type: 50% gravelly-clay, 20% sandy-clay and 30% clay-limestone
Area under vine: 10.5 hectares
Average age of vines: 30 years
Vine density: 7,500 vines per hectare
Viticulture: Traditional Bordeaux pruning method, bud thinning in spring followed by leaf thinning in summer and green harvesting if necessary.
Wine making: The grapes are hand-picked into small crates, sorted before and after destemming, and put into vat using gravity flow. Cool pre-fermentation maceration. Manual punching down of the cap. Malolactic fermentation and ageing on the lees in new French oak barrels (60%) for 18 month.
Yeild: 42 to 50 hectolitres per hectare