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Château Lamothe-Cissac, France

In 1964, Gabriel Fabre purchased the property and took on the task of replanting the entire vineyard site and rebuilding the winery. Vincent Fabre, his son, has since taken over the management of the estate.

The 33 hectare vineyard is located partly on the commune of Cissac adjacent to Pauillac and partly on the plateau of Vertheuil contiguous with Saint-Estèphe. The gravelly subsoil is covered with a clayey limestone topsoil in some areas and a clayey gravel topsoil in other areas.

Viticulture

The vineyard is located party on the commune of Cissac adjacent to Pauillac and partly on the plateau of Vertheuil contiguous with Saint-Estèphe. The gravelly subsoil is covered with a clayey limestone topsoil in some areas and a clayey gravel topsoil in other areas. They have achieved the highest regarded sustainable certification in France, Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3, which is a holistic programme considering four key areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, management of fertiliser use and management of water.

Winemaking

The harvest is 100% destemmed and fermented in modern temperature-controlled vats. Pumping over is done 2 to 3 daily to optimize the colour and tannin extraction from the skins followed by 4-6 week maceration. Micro-oxygenation is done in the vat to increase the tannic structure and colour intensity. The wine spends 12-months in oak. In order to clarify and oxygenate the wine, the racking process is repeated several times during aging depending on the tasting results.

Highlights
  • Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3 certified.
  • Certified by the SME which which is an environmental and social management certification.