Chateau Ducluzeau 2012

Description

”History has it thatThe origins of Chateau Ducluzeau date back tothe end of the XVII century. It was owned byMr Ducluzeau who then sold it in 1870to a wine-grower of Moulis, Mr Astien.The latter married Miss Hugon de Listrac, who at her death handed down the property to her daughter, Marie-Louise, wife of Andre Rochette. When Marie-Louise died in 1976, the estate returned to Monique Rochette Borie, who was born and bred at Chateau Ducluzeau. Today, her son, Bruno-Eugene manages the estate.Chateau Ducluzeau was listed in the 1932 crus bourgeois classification of the Medoc, just after the fifth classified growths and has kept the rank of cru bourgeois in the up-dated version of 2003.Chateau Ducluzeau is often considered as a feminine wine, even if the Listracs are usually of a robust structure. This is because the estate was passed down from mother to daughter over three generations and also because it is a wine composed of 98% Merlot. To put it simply, Ducluzeau generates its elegance through its varieties, its viticultural techniques and vinification methods.The soil the opinion of the scientist Chateau Ducluzeau is located in the communal appellation of Listrac-Medoc. The 10 hectares of Chateau Ducluzeau are divided up into several plots which are all situated on a plateau in the village of Listrac, around 400 metres above sea level. The soil and sub-soil are made up of light gravel with a clay-siliceous structure.The vineyard the opinion of the vineyard manager The average age of the vines is 45 years, and is made up 50% of Merlot and 50% of Cabernet-Sauvignon with a density of 10 000 plants/ha. The vineyard is managed traditionally Medoc, double Guyot pruning, leaf-thinning and crop-thinning in July to favour ripening and concentration. The three golden rules are controlled yields, optimised vine stocks lifespan and sustainable phytosanitary treatments.Vinification the opinion of the cellar master At Chateau Ducluzeau, all the grapes are harvested manually. Sorting is carried out directly in the vines on mobile tables to avoid contact between unhealthy and healthy grapes during transport to the vat room. Alcoholic fermentation is managed at relatively low temperatures between 26 and 28 to optimise the fruity aromas of the wine. Pumping-over is gentle to avoid extracting too many tannins and obtain a pleasant fattiness. Malolactic fermentation of the free run wine and the press-wine pneumatic pressing takes place in vats for optimal control. The wine is barrelled in Bordeaux barrels 225L, French oak immediately after blend selection with10 to 20% new barrels according to the vintage. Bottling is performed with special care in regard to both oenological controls and homogenisation of the overall batch. The 5 cork makers supplying the estate have signed a detailed and stringent quality charter.” – Chateau Ducluzeau