Castle Côtes de Bonde - AOC MONTAGNE-ST EMILION
Château Côtes de Bonde was bought by my grand parents Colette and Gilles DIGNAC in 1970.
VINEYARD : The vineyard, a single plot with a surface area of 13,5 hectares (33 acres) GRAPE VARIETIES : 80% Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec. Average age of the vines : 30 years 3
DIFFERENTS SOILS : Limestone soil plateau, limestone-clay soil slopes and limestone soil in the valley. 1 row is grassed, 1 row is plowed : quantity is limited. Then the roots grow deeper to capture better the terroir characteristics. The vines are carefully deleafed to bring more air and a maximum amount of sunlight... The harvest is picked mechanically and sorted by hand.
WINE MAKING AND AGEING : The grapes are de-stemmed and crushed. The grape juice and the skins macerate with pump over twice for 15-21 days with thermoregulated fermentation. The wines are tasted in order to blend them. They are aged in cement or stainless steel vats and oak barrels.
ENVIRONMENT : We are certified "ISO 14001 environment" and High Environmental Value (HVE). As such, we weed mechanically our plots and reason all actions.We reduce inputs and use clean products in order to respect biodiversity.