Château La Tessonnière Cru Artisan Médoc 2016

The Chevreux family originated from St. Aubin de Blaye and acquired the vineyards in Civrac-en-Médoc and in Bégadan at the beginning of the last century. At this time, Alphonse Chevreux established the Château la Tessonière. He named the château after ‘Tessoun’ which formerly in Gascon dialect meant ‘badger burrow’ as the estate was full of them. In 1995, Cédric Colemyn, the great-grandson of founder Alphonse Chevreux and the fifth generation of winemakers took over the running of the Château. Having studied viticulture and oenology, he brought with him a dynamic vision and invested in the vineyards, resulting in the Cru Artisan designation.

The 18 hectare estate is situated in Civrac en Médoc and Bégaden on the left side of the Gironde estuary, approximately 70 km north-west of Bordeaux. The estate is managed sustainably and Château Tessonière holds the Haute Valeur Environmentale (HVE3) certification, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management. The estate is primarily planted with the Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller parcels of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The 25-year-old vines are planted at a density of 6,500 vines per hectare on clay limestone ridges. These slightly oily soils constitute a balanced soil; combining the freshness and humidity of the clay with the filtering properties of the limestone. The fruit benefits from the temperate climate and the sunny exposure of the plots. The grapes are harvested when they have reached optimum maturity levels, following tastings and oenological analysis of sample bunches from each plot on the estate.

The grapes from each plot were carefully selected and totally destemmed. Traditional vinification took place with fermentation in stainless steel tanks and concrete vats at controlled temperatures averaging 26°C. Twice daily pump-overs ensured the desired level of extraction and aeration of the wine. Following vinification, the wine was aged in 18 months in vat before being bottled without fining, in order to preserve the quality and fruity characteristics.