As I visit this site, I certify that I am of legal age to consume alcohol in my country of residence.
I am over 18 years old

news

CHÂTEAU MAGNAN LA GAFFELIÈRE: “I OFTEN COMPARE THE VINE TO A 100 METERS RACE.”

image

CHÂTEAU MAGNAN LA GAFFELIÈRE IS ONE OF TWO SEMI-FINALISTS FOR THE 2015 COUPE DES CRUS SAINT-EMILION, IN THE GRAND CRU CLASSÉ CATEGORY

This is a first for this 10.5-hectare estate in which the SA Clos La Madeleine believes a lot. Jean-Charles Morrisseau, its CEO, talks about the work done and the characteristics of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages.

SEMI-FINALIST OF THE 2015 COUPE SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU

By superstition, Jean-Charles Morrisseau had not dared to believe in it. When he learned that Château Magnan La Gaffelière reached the semi-finals of the 2015 Coupe Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, he felt “Pleasantly surprised, the competition was very tough”. The CEO of the château sees it as the recognition of the fundamental work done in recent years. Because before undertaking numerous investments in Magnan La Gaffelière,

the owners had concentrated their efforts on Clos La Madeleine. Acquired in 1992, the estate had lost its ranking in 1996, before regaining it in 2012. Magnan La Gaffelière has benefited from the experience gained through Clos La Madeleine: “We have duplicated, on another scale, what we had done at the Clos. Magnan La Gaffelière is a very beautiful terroir, with very beautiful clay veins and a very interesting foothills”.

 

CHÂTEAU MAGNAN LA GAFFELIÈRE, CONSISTENCY IN THE PROGRESSION

In recent years, Château Magnan La Gaffelière has undergone many changes, both in the winery and vines. Hubert de Bouard also becamethe consulting oenologue for the château from 2011. If the first year, he only participated in winemaking process, in 2012, Hubert de Boüard invested himself early in the cropping process. “I often compare the vine to a 100 meter race”, says Jean-Charles Morrisseau, “It takes a lot of work to earn a few hundredths of a second,

that’s the hardest”. For this it is necessary “to listen to the terroir, the weather, its grape varieties, its exposure and the nature of the soil”. Of the three vintages in competition at the coupe des Crus de Saint-Emilion, the CEO estimates to have progressed: “Irrespective of the intrinsic quality of the vintage, it is on the 2012 that we were the most efficient. Each year helps us move a bit more forward”.

 

LES MILLÉSIMES 2010, 2011 ET 2012

These semi-finalist vintages, which are they? About 2010, Jean-Charles Morrisseau speaks of a year “With a very beautiful structure, a beautiful length, tannins of a very tight quality”, adding: “This is a vintagethat needs to be waited for, it has a huge potential”. For the 2011 vintage, the tannin structure is less important, “It is an elegant wine, very taut with great fineness and the extraction of the fruit is absolutely outstanding”.

Jean-Charles Morisseau stresses that at Magnan La Gaffelière new wood is only used sparingly for barrels: “We only use between 20 and 30% depending on the year, to keep all the expression of fruit, 2011 is a typical case”. Finally, 2012 is “A wine of beautiful elegance with very silky tannins”. Symbolic of this constant quest for improvement, the 2012 vintage “is more velvety compared to 2011″, says Jean-Charles Morrisseau. Stay tuned.

Events, competitions, breaking news, ...

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest and hottest news on Saint-Émilion wines.