Chateau Vignelaure (red)

Wine picture: 

Chateau with year: 

Chateau without year: 

The red Chateau Vignelaure is the grand vin of the estate, made from a selection of the finest hand-picked grapes from old, low-yielding vines; Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache. Each of the three varieties is harvested and vinified separately, with a long maceration to extract the maximum fruit-flavour and the optimum level of tannins. The Syrah brings spicy fruit to the wine, the Cabernet provides structure and elegance and the Grenache gives soft fruits and roundness. After the primary fermentation the wine descends to the subterranean cellars where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and matures in 1/3 new, 2/3 one-year-old and two year old French and American small oak barrels. After a year or more in wood with frequent rackings, the wine is bottled. It then benefits from a further period of ageing before being released onto the market. While Chateau Vignelaure can be enjoyed on release, it has the capacity to improve and develop in bottle for ten years or more after the vintage.