Château Massereau "Graves" MAGNUM, Bordeaux, France 2010

FROM UNGRAFTED SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Red Stem Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot. Biodynamically cultivated in Bordeaux. Grapes are hand-harvested and spontaneously ferment in cement vats prior to élevage for 18 months in a combination of new, one-year, and two-year French oak barrels. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, no additional SO2.

THE PRODUCER: Château Massereau is located in Barsac, a village about an hour south of Bordeaux by car, and has been run by the Chaigneau family since 1999. Ann Marie, the matriarch, does the administrative work for the estate, while her sons, Phillippe and Jean Francois, split the day-to-day running of the property. It is Jean Francois who is in charge of the winemaking. Barsac is well-known for sweet wines, of which the Chaigneau’s produce a couple delicious examples. The 11 hectares belonging to the family are farmed organically, though not certified. In the cellar, the wines see zero additives, besides some bottlings receiving small doses of sulfur. Native yeasts are used for all fermentations. The family marches to the beat of their own drum, and you can taste the results in their incredible products.