The 5-acre vineyard (1993) lays on the slopes of the Bruignac hill. Newly planted (2008) in front of the château on top of the hill, the small one-acre, high density (10 000 vines per hectare) vineyard was harvested for the first time for the 2010 vintage. Since 2013 it has given each year one of the best vats, in terms of quality.
Vineyard
The vineyard of 6 acres is made up of 5 acres of clay/sandy soil on the slope, and of 1 acre of clay/limestone on the plateau, both facing the southwest. The grape varietals have been 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet franc since 2011. Manual pruning, shoot and bud removing, leaf pulling, and crop thinning are intense to control yield and optimize ripeness. Treatments are conservative following «reasoned farming» principles.
Resultant yield is low at 35 hectoliters per hectare.
Winemaking and upbringing
Rebuilt in 2007/2008, the winery is equipped with temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters, and the aging cellar is air conditionned (hot and cold) for constant temperature (15°C).
Harvesting is done late (Oct. 14 and 15 in 2016) for full ripeness. Hand-picked grapes are sorted «on the vine», transported in small bins, destemmed and sorted again by hand on a table before entry into the fermenters (see attached photos).
Fermenting and maceration are done separately in individual vats for each varietal and plot.
Aging is done in temperature-controlled stainless steel wine-keepers and in new and one- and two- wine casks of French oak. Blending is carried out during aging.
Thus at Bruignac, traditions and modern techniques mix to take full advantage of the soil and climate potential.
Management Team
Louise-Aimée Dufour, Vintner
Christian Veyry of the Michel Rolland Laboratory,
Oenologist and Senior Advisor
Denis Collart, Head Winemaker