2020 Château Capet-Guillier, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Liberty

Château Capet-Guillier is a small estate located to the south of Saint-Émilion, between Château Pavie and Château Magrez-Fombrauge. Previously owned by the same family since the French Revolution, it was acquired in 2009 by Antoine Moueix Propriétés, a négociant with over a century of experience working in Bordeaux’s Right Bank. The wine is made by Stéphane Derenoncourt and Christophe Grenier, who produce this excellent Saint-Émilion Grand Cru from the estate’s four hectares of vines planted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

The estate vineyards, which have an average age of 45 years, are planted on chalk and clay, layered over limestone bedrock. This results in naturally low vine vigour, which concentrates the grape’s flavours. According to Stéphane Derenoncourt, the limestone component adds a spicy, floral character to the wines, while the south-facing aspect of the slopes aids ripening in difficult years. Harvest is carried out by hand, and the Château has invested in an optical sorting machine, which measures the colour and form of each grape. Any grapes deemed to be damaged or unripe are automatically discarded.

Château Capet-Guillier is made from a blend of 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc. It undergoes a brief cold maceration before fermentation in 30-hectolitre conical oak vats. Aged for 12 -16 months in 225-litre new oak barrels, the final wine offers a full-bodied, supple and intense expression, with notes of dark berry fruit and spice, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex finish.

The Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes are grown near the village of Saint-Hippolyte on the southern slopes of the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau. The estate vineyards, which have vines on average 45 years old, are planted on chalk and clay, layered over limestone bedrock. This results in naturally low vine vigour, which concentrates the grape’s flavours. According to Stéphane Derenoncourt, the limestone component adds a spicy, floral character to the wines, while the south-facing aspect of the slopes aids ripening in difficult years. Harvest is carried out entirely by hand.

Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-harvested grapes are de-stemmed and sorted using an optical sorting machine to ensure only pristine berries make it into the wine. Pre-fermentation, there is a short cold maceration on the skins to extract colour and aroma. Fermentation takes place in 30 hectolitre, conical wooden vats, with manual cap punching three to four times a day. Malolactic fermentation and 12 to 16 months of ageing take place in 100% new 225-litre French oak barrels. The wine is moved to larger volume barrels (400L) to limit wood influence, before the final blend is assembled and bottled.

This wine is a dark and intense ruby colour. The nose opens with herbal notes from the Cabernet Franc, followed by fresh and ripe fruit. On the palate, this wine is exceptionally elegant with finely knit but firm tannins and a refreshing acidity which carries the complex aromas onto the lingering finish.