Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
The property is the birthplace of Michel de Montaigne, who was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. Michel is well known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. Today, the Chateau is owned by the Mahler-Besse family, owners of Chateau Palmer in Margaux and many other first-class winemaking properties in Bordeaux and around the world. In 1964 they rebuilt this historic Bergerac property which lies less than six miles from the village of St. Emilion. The terroir is identical to right bank Bordeaux and so the vineyards hold 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon on clay and marl soils and the vines average 20 years of age.
Offering the perfect balance of quality and value, Southwest, France is a recognized appellation that encompasses all wine regions in France’s southwestern corner (except for Bordeaux and Cognac, which merit their very own). Two of the more famous subregions here are Cahors, known for its Malbec, and Madiran, home of the robust Tannat grape. Bordeaux Blends are also popular red wines of the Southwest; Petit Manseng is the regions’s star autochthonous white variety.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.