Chateau Lagrange

unique place everdestined for wine growingA place of great agricultural activity even back in Gallo-Roman times : from the Gallo-Roman VILLA RUSTICA to the « GRANGIA » in the Middle Ages which was to give the estate its name. Lagrange discovers an early winegrowing vocation thanks to the Templars who join together two domains :– The « maison noble de Lagrange de Monteil » to the West joins the « Tenure of Pellecalhus » (meaning « peeled stone ») to the East. In the present-day vineyard, the names of two vine plots bear witness to this era, « l'Hôpital » and « La Chapelle »;– Lagrange becomes the largest wine producing estate in the Médoc. But the history of the different owners cannot be reconstructed until after 1631. Soils located entirely within the appellation of Saint-Julien, our vineyard stretches in a single block over two North-South rises of Gunzian gravelly soil. In parts large and coarse and in others finer, this gravel is combined with sand or iron-rich clay depending on the plot. With an altitude of 24 metres, the centre of the domain marks the highest point of Saint-Julien. The estate covers 182 hectares (450 acres), of which 118 hectares (292 acres) are under vine. Most of the plots benefit from a drainage system. A subtle blend of tradition and modernity : these notions come together at harvest-time. The harvest is firstly handpicked into individual crates and then sorted both manually and by an optical sorting machine. Here we see Technology at the service of Excellence. Traditional Bordeaux vinification is carried out in 92 temperature-controlled stainless steel vats of varying capacities, thus allowing a separate vinification to respect the character of each plot and soil-type, each terroir. Placing all or part of a given plot into its own vat means we are able to harvest it at optimum ripeness. This level of precision ensures the perfect quality of fruit necessary for the production of exceptional wines.The total vatting time, established by tasting, varies from 16 to 28 days, depending on the tannic development in the fermenting wines. The temperature of fermentation never exceeds 28°C to guarantee preservation of the finesse and fruitiness.The selection of press wine is performed "barrel by barrel" allowing a wider choice range during the blend tastings.

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