Winegrowers’ portraits Néac
This chateau’s vineyard has been made up in the 1900s by his grandfather, taken over in 1947 by his father, and it is in 1985 that Serge Courty becomes its worthy owner. Joëlle Courty also actively participates in the running in the vineyard, in the office, and in the cellar where are received the visitors who wish to discover their cuvees. Their son Cédric finishes his studies in viticulture to join the family on the domain within a bit more than a year.
This prospect makes Serge Courty very happy and proud: “It is much more pleasant to work having in mind the succession by my son than to just wait for retirement.”
Today the chateau has nearly 8 hectares (5.15 ha in Lalande de Pomerol AOP, 1.5 ha in Montagne Saint-Emilion AOP and the rest in the Bordeaux area). Its range is composed of two Lalande red wines, one Montagne red wine and a sweet rosé Wine of France offering a very good quality/price ratio. You will find no more vintage previous to 2008: everything has been sold! The customers? Mainly private individuals, up to 75% of the sales. The rest goes to the trade.
In terms of vine and vineyard management, the Courtys have long since banished insecticides and reduce the use of chemical inputs to its very minimum. In order to preserve the vines but also their health. But they do not conform to the trend of organic farming. “I have the feeling that the consumers turn away a bit from the organic products. It has become a selling point. That being said, we practice a reasonable wine growing all the same”, Serge Courty says.
They also operate an important thinning-out of the leaves in order to reduce waste as much as possible in the harvest, all the more since they machine pick. “This may seem an aberration for some. But as we work with the family, we drive the machine smoothly, we control the quality of the grapes we pick, and above all we can harvest quickly, at optimum ripeness, to the day.” And with an atypical planting density—7,500 stocks per hectare (Merlot and Cabernet Franc) instead of the minimum 5,500 demanded by the appellation—the chateau thus produces richer grapes, a more concentrated wine.
According to Serge Courty, the 2012 vintage will be surprising and there will be two kinds of Lalande de Pomerol wines: wines with jammy aromas, and vivid and fruity wines. “Ours are among the latter. We like when our wine is punchy.”
The Courtys are reserved and discreet. They do not like to talk about themselves. They express their passion of wine growers and their love for the terroir with their wines. But “as promotion is necessary”, Château Maine Chaigneau will participate in Vinaria, a tasting event organized during the En Primeurs week at Château Pindefleurs in Saint-Emilion from April 8th to 11th.
Château Maine Chaigneau
Chaigneau - 33500 Néac - France
Tél : +33 (0) 5 57 74 02 93 - Mob. : +33 (0) 6 81 37 99 34
www.chateaumainechaigneau.winealley.com
Château Belmar is run by a man and a woman who set themselves a crazy challenge: producing wine in the northern Sarthe region.
In the spring of 2022, Champagne Philipponnat celebrated its 500th anniversary during two exceptional dinners, in Reims and in Paris. Charles Philipponnat, the 15th generation, who has been...
During the harvest, we discovered some of Gérard Bertrand's properties. This is definitely a real eye-opener for the identity and personality of the wines!