Vignobles Lavaud Château du Gravillon Saint-Émilion 2022

Chateau Gravillon is located in Saint Emilion on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard is cultivated sustainably and holds the Level 3 Certificate for Haute Valeur Environmentale (HVE). The HVE is a voluntary approach which aims to identify and promote environmentally friendly practices applied by farmers and winegrowers. It covers four areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, management of fertiliser use and water management. In Château Gravillon’s vineyard, the rows between the vines have grass cover crops which help to encourage biodiversity and reduce the need for herbicides. The soil is tilled and copper is not used in the vineyard. The soils are made up of sand, clay and gravel; the high clay content dominates on the Right Bank and is known for its good water retention properties, it is cool and high in acidity. The gravel component encourages vines to penetrate the soils to find nutrients. The average age of the vines is 30 years and they are planted at a high density of 6,000 vines per hectare. The must was fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel vats with twice daily pump-overs to extract colour, flavour and structure and to oxygenate the wine. Fermentation lasted for two weeks. The wine was matured in a combination of stainless steel and cement tanks of 85 hectolitres to 150 hectolitres capacity, for 18 months. This cuvée was vinified without the influence of oak, to express the purity of fruit and the nuances of the terroir.