| Haut medoc Bordeaux "Seriously good Cabernet, with raspberry and grape skin. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a smoky, tobacco finish. Well done." - Score range: 89-91 Wine Spectator "This is the finest offering yet produced under the administration of Madame de Lencquesaing (Pichon Lalande's owner). A succulent, concentrated, deep ruby/purple-colored wine, it exhibits considerable finesse as well as copious black currant fruit intermixed with spice box, chocolate, and cedar. Sweet tannin and good acidity provide delineation. It is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2012." - Rated 89 Robert Parker This vineyard bears the name of Bernadotte, a tribute to Germaine Bernadotte who married Jouandou du Pouey in the year 1615. Their son Jean kept the name Bernadotte. He was the ancestor of Marshal Bernadotte who, four generations later, was given the title of Sovereign Prince by Napoleon and subsequently elected by the people of Sweden to succeed King Charles XIII. The chateau is a dilightful residence built in 1860 and renovated in 1989. Purchased by Curt Eklund, a Swedish industrialist, in 1973, it is today the property of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Produced on a gravel soil, the wines of the Chateau Bernadotte are endowed with a solid tannic structure. Rich in colour, full-bodied yet delicate these wines have elegance and charm and a generous bouquet. Like the classified growths of the Medoc, they come from a vineyard of sufficient size and heterogeneity to allow for a rigorous selection, the guaranty of a quality beyond reproach. With this objective, a second selection is made at the time of blending creating Chateau Fournas Bernadotte. This wine is less robust than the Chateau Bernadotte, with aromas of ripe fruit. It persists in the mouth with a long and delicate finish. This very pleasant wine is ready for early drinking Area of the vineyard and grape varieties planted -74 acres -62 % Cabernet Sauvignon -36 % Merlot -2% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Soil Clayey-gravel. Vinification A long period in vat, thermostatically controlled. Aging 12 to 18 month in barrel More information at http://www.chateau-bernadotte.com/uk/index.html |
