Castellum 2019 biodynamic red wine Wooden Case 6 bottles 75cl

Castellum was the name given in the Middle Ages to the central fortified village, Castrum, situated on the heights of Languedoc. The name of this cuvée evokes the fortifications of the Cité de Carcassonne, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Comments from Guillaume Barraud, Deputy Director of the Estates:

The Castellum cuvée comes from the estate's finest plots, located on a clay-sandstone hillside facing the magnificent city of Carcassonne. The vines sit at a climatological crossroads between Mediterranean and oceanic influences. This is why grape varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot and also Malbec thrive there particularly well. These varieties, through daily monitoring of the grapes during the harvest which extends until the end of October, reach full phenolic maturity while retaining surprisingly fresh levels. The result is a wine with silky tannins that marry perfectly with those from 12 months of ageing in oak barrels, a very beautiful power combined with a finish of freshness and elegance. These wines also need time to age in bottle to express the full potential of this wine, which is achievable with this 2016 vintage.

Comments from Pierre-Alexis Menguel, Head Sommelier:

Castellum 2016 is a red wine offering a complex aromatic profile ranging from chocolate to small dark fruits, with hints of menthol and leather. On the palate, the tannins are supple and balanced by a beautiful minerality. The finish is long and indulgent with fruit. 2016 is a sunny vintage that allowed the harvest of fully ripe and healthy fruit. 

The work begins in the vineyard with meticulous attention to achieving healthy, well-exposed foliage. The grapes must reach an optimal level of ripeness. A plot-by-plot selection is carried out and the harvest is done by hand with destemming and berry sorting.

The vinification is traditional. The grapes are destemmed and then undergo a long vatting period (at a temperature of 26°C in temperature-controlled tanks) to encourage the expression of fruit. Pressing takes place with care taken to separate the press wines; the wines are then racked to remove the coarsest lees before malolactic fermentation. Following this, the wines are racked again and then aged in French oak barrels.

• Merlot
• Cabernet Franc
• Malbec
• Marselan