Chateau Gueyrosse Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2011

Chateau Gueyrosse dates from around 1750 and the Delol family obtained the property in 1850. Samuelle, who has recently taken over from her father, is the sixth generation to make wine at Gueyrosse. The vineyard is in the southwestern corner of Saint Emilion, on the outskirts of Libourne and has a soil of “graves rouge”, a soil type similar to that found in the southern corner of Pomerol. Until 1973 this small area had a separate appellation called Sables-Saint Emilion. The Delols cultivate slightly under 5 hectares at Gueyrosse and do so without any chemicals. The vineyard is planted to 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The average age of the vines is 40 years. Through severe pruning in the spring, yields are kept exceptionally low, between 35 and 42hl/h, and no green harvesting is necessary. Harvesting is done manually by parcel to allow for full maturation. Fermentations are carried out with only indigenous yeasts and macerations last between 3 and 5 weeks. After vinification, the wine is aged in tank for 1 to 3 months for clarification and then in barrel (2 and 3 year old barrels) for up to 18 months.The wine is racked every 2 or 3 weeks, fined but not filtered. The average production is 2,000 cases. - Wine Traditions