Château Blaignan

2013 Vintage – Our first impressions

Château Blaignan, like many properties in the Médoc, was not spared by the abundant rains in the spring. A difficult start to the season, but a successful outcome with the return of heat in the month of August allowing us to wait for the Cabernet Sauvignon to reach maturity. 

On tasting, it is this grape variety that gives the fine character to Château Blaignan and supports a fresh aromatic palat...

Château Blaignan is a fine estate of 97 hectares (240 acres) in the northern part of the Médoc. There have been vineyards here since the 14th century. There was nothing left of the ancient fortress (seat of the Lords of Blaignan in the Middle-Ages, which gave its name both to the land and to the noble family who owned the manor), except for a few ruins next to the church in the old village of Blaignan.

Pierre Merman, a protestant from a Dut...

The limestone-clay soil lies on a calcareous limestone base, whose sedimentation dates back to the quaternary period. The high potential of the site is reflected in 2 limestone mounds that offer different sunshine exposure and drainage possibilities. The vines are an average of 25 years old, and are divided between 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. Average yields are 45 hectolitres per hectare. Château Blaignan is accre...

During the harvest, the new machines, equipped with a grape selection gear, allow to select only the best grapes. The demand for quality is also illustrated by the lowering of the average yields and of the plots yields.

The new winery was ready for the 2010 harvest and allows tank temperatures, for fermentation and maceration, to be precisely controlled. It is also equipped for cold-soaking prior to fermentation. Post-fermentary maceration ...