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Wine Description
The Story
Powerful and revealing intense colour, the red wines of Château La Garde Pessac-Léognan are well-structured and concentrated and ideal for ageing. Round, supple and alluring, they reflect the elegance and finesse of the terroir and today feature among the elite of the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
Vinification & Ageing
Pre-fermentation cold maceration. Alcoholic fermentation, with very few manipulations (pumping-over, pigeage). Malolactic fermentation partially in barrels. Ageing in barrels takes place in an arched underground cellar with air-conditioning for 12-14 months. Cooperage savoir-faire and oak selection are combined when choosing the barrels so that they are best suited to the characteristics and style of Château La Garde wines.
Wine Information
Vintage 2011 / Planted predominantly on warm soils, the red grapes were affected by bouts of excess temperatures throughout the year. The combined effect of some shrivelling on 27th June, the vines shutting down at times, and particularly rigorous grape selection in the vines to retain only consistently ripe grapes, had a severe impact on crop volumes. Summer rains thankfully kickstarted ripening in the red grapes and with mild weather during the month of September, the later ripening Merlot planted on clay, along with the Cabernets and Petit Verdot, were still able to attain good levels of ripening. The fruit was vinified using whole, uncrushed grapes, with gentle extraction to favour varietal expression in the grapes. Despite a difficult vintage, the wines are showing excellent potential.