Wines

Florence Forgas
Florence represents the energetic, new breed of Bordeaux winemakers. When not completely involved in the progress of her vineyards and wines, she is an amateur trapeze artist in a local circus. Florence is clearly a woman of wide-ranging talents and interests. After completing her cenological studies at the prestigious Faculte d'O Enologie de Bordeaux, she maintained a strong working relationship with Professor Yves GLORIES, Dean of the faculty through her continued research and experimentation on the fermentation process. Since arriving at Chateau DUCLA in 1998, she has been instrumental in this continuing effort to improve the quality of the wines through experimentation. Florence feels that research and experimentation lead to better understanding, and in turn leads to a finer expression of the terroir of Chateau DUCLA.

Jean-Pierre Mau
Artist and poet, Jean-Pierre MAU, directs Chateau DUCLA in the spirit of his family's wine tradition. Through the creation of the two emblematic cuvees Experience and Permanence he has made quality Chateau DUCLA's highest priority.

Chateau Picoron

Philippe Bardet, ecology and fair trade.

From his office facing the Dordogne River, Philippe Bardet watches over the family’s 8 estates, all in Saint- Emilion and the Côtes de Castillon.

He has his own, very individual view of winegrowing – convinced as he is of the importance of ecological principles but without the slightest hint of extremism. He has introduced gentle vine-growing techniques, a sustainable approach to agriculture that is closer to the principles of fair trade than to those of biology.

To get an idea of the approach of this descendant of a family of Dordogne boatmen, the best idea is to wait for springtime and go to visit Château Picoron, in the Côtes de Castillon, where he has been living since 1997.

It is here that his ecological view of the terroir comes into its own. At this time of year, the 12 hectares of the estate come to life. The total, natural grass-cover between the rows of vines favours the growth of all sorts of insects and creates an ecosystem in the heart of the vineyard from which the vine can draw the resources it needs.

"By letting the grass grow naturally, I promote biodiversity and the pests are eliminated naturally by other insects. I don’t need to use any pesticides". Convinced that sustainable agriculture is vital to society, Philippe Bardet spreads the good word to his neighbours, not only to favour protection of the ecosystem, but also to promote authentic produce. "I don’t claim to make better wine, I just claim that it is more authentic and corresponds more closely to the properties of my terroir".

Chateau Grand-Champs

Michel Séral and his son Jean-Noël work in liaison on their estates. The father helps the son and vice versa. In 1969, Michel Séral took over his parents’ estate and replanted the whole of the vineyard. His vines are now heading for the ripe old age of forty – the perfect age – and are planted according to a perfectly-organised plan with grass cover every other row.

In this way, Michel Séral limits the risks by hedging his bets: if the year is too wet, the grass will soak up the water, and if the year is too dry, it will have the opposite effect. He is always out among his Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon and Semillon vines, and leaves it to others to handle the task of selling the wines while he focuses his attention on his beloved plants. He never treats them without thinking it over carefully first and he prefers the work to be done by hand whenever possible.

If today he is renowned for his environmentally-friendly approach – the Château has just received accreditation in accordance with the specifications of Sustainable Agriculture – it is richly deserved.

"This is how we used to work right back in the beginning", he explains, "but then came the 1970s with the objective of productivity- at-all-costs by using vast quantities of fertilizers. Today, the trend has been reversed, yields are carefully controlled and fertilizers have been banished."

Vieux Château Négrit

Alexandre Blanc, the solitary winegrower of Montagne

He carries out his vinification in a tiny winery on a small estate of 7 hectares, a jewel as yet rough and uncut when he took over after studying biology and doing a brief stint in the Beaujolais wine area.

This little gem in the Libourne wine region benefits from a particularly providential terroir that Alexandre Blanc has undertaken to optimise. This winegrower, whose face lights up as soon as he enters his winery, started restructuring the vineyard by increasing the density of vines in order to bring yields down as much as possible.

Like a bird building its nest, he has gradually assembled the parts of his little vineyard, and the first stage of his work is nearing completion: giving the vines the means to optimise their ripening process. Running the estate entirely on his own, he is progressing slowly but surely.

Vieux Château Négrit is like a rough diamond that he is endeavouring to refine. Alone. His vinification is more like craftwork than an enterprise; using traditional methods, he only has one ally – his terroir, which he improves endlessly and at his own pace. “As soon as I saw this estate I realised I would be happy here”.

Alexandre is a solitary person, in his element in the vineyard – which is now at the dawn of a new era.

Chateau Lapelletrie

Anita Lassegue: An iron fist in a velvet glove.

Her father was a winegrower, her brother is the owner of Château Trimoulet in Saint Emilion, and her daughter helps her on the estate. In the family of Anita Lassègue, wine is very much a tradition.

On the death of her husband in 2002, Anita took over at the helm of Château Lapelletrie, the family estate. She sought help from her daughter, Anne Biscaille, who, with her winemaking/oenology diploma, could provide invaluable assistance. Mother and daughter rolled up their sleeves and launched into the adventure.

With infallible instinct, in-depth technical knowledge and endless dynamism, Anita has been able to carry on the work of her husband. She monitors the harvests, checks on the sorting operations in the vineyard and follows the progress of her vats with almost maternal love. Three quarters of her wine goes into new barrels and the result is a racy, robust St-Emilion. On her land, where the soil surface is very thin, the vine roots very quickly come into contact with the rock; consequently, her red wine shows an almost wild fervour when young and becomes more refined over time.

"It’s not because the wine is made by women that it is supple; on the contrary, I am looking to make a good wine that relates to the terroir and the climate, a wine with a special taste".

Her terroir is her passion and she does not use any modern techniques, as she wishes to preserve the unique taste of this Saint-Emilion refined by its slow maturing in barrels. A courageous, determined woman, she admits that despite the worry and the stress, the joy of seeing a successful new vintage is always intense.