6 Madiran AC 2008 Vieilles Vignes
Domaine Labranche-Laffont

Grape:100% Tannat (13.5% alc.)

Old vines means an average age of 50 years (with one small parcel of ‘pre-phylloxera’ vines over 130 years old). The vines are pruned hard to ensure a low yield. Light pigeage is applied during the fermentation in cement cuve before one year in oak barrels (25% new). The wine has a deep blackcurrant colour, offers ripe cassis and liquorice on the nose, intense fruit with a hint of spice on the palate, and a long sustained finish. For drinking now to 2016+.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Christine Dupuy
Location:	Maumusson
Size of domaine:	20 hectares. 25-30,000 bottles produced.
Grape:	100% Tannat, 50 to 60 -yr-old vines and small ½ hectare parcel pre-phylloxera vines 1870!!! 4,000 to 6000 vines per hectare. Vines trained to single Guyot.
Terroir:	Silty clay, with some limestone; very sticky heavy yellow clay and clay pebbles. Rolling, gentle hillsides.
Viticulture:	Christine both de-buds and green harvests. Ploughs soil in spring and autumn. Grass left to grow 1 row in 2. Sulphur is used to prevent oidium. Applies cow dung compost in the autumn. Hand harvested. 43 hectos per hectare.
Vinification:	Destalk 100%. A two day prefermentive maceration at 12°C followed by fermentation in fûts at 28-30°C using indigenous yeast or 522D culture. Pigeage twice a day for about the first 4-5 days. A 20 to 30 day alcoholic fermentation. The press wine is not added back. Malos happen naturally in barrel. No SO2 for 6 months. One year elévage in barrel (3/4 1, 2, 3 yrs, 1/4 new) and then 1 year in cuve. 2 rackings after malos before bottling. Unfined but lightly filtered by plaque. Bottled in Sep (24 months).
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £11.54