« L’Entre Deux Mers » literally means “Between two seas”, between the Garonne and the Dordogne and the oriental limit of Gironde department
It’s a typical French place, its measures 20 miles wide and extending to 50 miles from the south east of Bordeaux
Making a great impression not only by his stature but also by the history treasures, the splendour of his church, monastery, castle …memory of tumultuous past (it was a borderline, during the war between France and England, results a lot of fortified towns and castles
These days” L’Entre Deux Mers ”is the largest “Appellation area” 2400 hectares produce 15 millions of bottles
Using for red wine, the variety Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc , Merlot and for white wine, Semillon, Sauvignon, Muscadelle.
SAINT EMILION
Spreading out gradient’s hill dominating Dordogne’s valley, Saint Emilion (3300 inhabitants)is a little charming peaceful wine producing city.
But it’s also a city full of history It is a stopping place on the road of Saint Jacques of Compostelle,it was a fortified town during the century year’s war and shelter of Girondin’s deputy exile during “La Convention”.
It possesses a lot of vestiges wich evokes its past.
Legend doing go back the vineyard to the Roman period and attributing its planting to the Roman legionary.
But it seem that its real beginning takes place in the thirteen century.
However that may be, Saint Emilion has been now on the center of one of the most famous vineyards of the world which since 1999, being part of the worldwide patrimony of UNESCO.
Guaranteed vintage area splitting up between nine communes, allowing a rich range of soils, stretch on 5500 hectares and produces millions of red wines bottles solely.
Our family has acquired this estate in 1972, during the management of Jean Marie Mallard and his wife,their son Laurent has manages it since 1990.
SAUTERNES
40 kilometers from the south east of Bordeaux, some 2000 hectares of Sauternes which produce 4.5 millions of bottles divided into five communes
Hundred years ago, that Sauternes is an area of white wine.
Around the sixteenth century, the late grape picking gave rich wines and when Thomas Jefferson, ambassador and future president of the United States of America visited Château Yquem in 1787,he cited Sauternes like one of the best French wines.
He ordered Yquem ‘s wine and he introduced it to his friend Georges Washington
During the half of the nineteenth century were appearing some Sauternes at the same time strong and sweet.
But the situation changed with the 1847 vintage of Yquem.Grapes were picked later, affected more than usual by the “pourriture noble” noble rot wich gives wine a so different taste and they decided not to sell it.
Twelve years later, Archiduc Constantin of Russia going by Yquem tasted wine of the 1847’s vintage and was so delighted with it that he offered a little fortune to buy it.
Reputation of this sort of Sauternes was growing up so fast that some other castle produced it,
The Sauternes’s secret doesn’t rest neither in the choose of the variety grapes (essentially Semillon with a little touch of Sauvignon) nor in the origin of the soil but in the microclimate.In autumn, the flowing of the cold water of the brook (le Ciron)in the warm water of the Garonne create a early morning mist wrapping up the vines, up to sun rising in the beginning of the afternoon.
The alternation of heat and humidity supplies ideal condition for the botrytis cinerea (favourable bacterium responsible the noble rot affecting grapes of vine)
In proportion as it nothing and drying up on the foot .It loses a lot of water ,the remaining juice concentrate to become sweet and rich in Glycerine
Some acid disappear replaced by toasty flavours typical of Sauternes wine recalling the smell of cooked plum.
The noble rot solely appears if grapes are at the optimum degree of its ripeness .That’s why vintaging is later in Sauternes than the other Bordeaux place
Gatherers must go several times to the vine, picking the binches of grapes one by one as the rot progresses.
Yield is low, bunch of grapes after all have lost water.
If legal maximum yield is 25 hectoliters by hectares ,it’s in fact rarely hitting.
A good Sauternes is a treat for all senses: it’s shimmering gold, voluptuous bouquet with tonality of ripe apricot, honey and hazel nut, it’s rich and intense taste. It’s perfect served with fresh fruit (pear, strawberry, peach) and desserts
We can use lighter Sauternes with starters (duck liver…) and with some main courses: poultry (roast chicken, duck with peaches…).
