Chateau Nardou

Francs Côtes de Bordeaux - Bordeaux

Château Nardou 2014 - Francs Côtes de Bordeaux
The wine's blend is 80% Merlot10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The vines have an average age of 35 years old producing a yield of 50 hl/ha. The grapes are destemmed and the fermentations in stainless steel vats will last 3-4 weeks at 28°C - 30°C. As for the ageing process, the three grape varieties are aged separately in 1 year old french oak barrels for 12 months.

PVins notes: In its youth, well integrated barrel aromas of mocha and vanilla fill the glass with hints of licorice. Having the Merlot as the dominant grape the wine's tannins are elegant and fine grained, well structured and balanced, the fruity flavours are not over powered by the oak on the long finish. It has the potential to be cellared over a decade depending on the vintage.

From the same producer see Dubard - Crémant de Bordeaux. Other wines produced by the family Dubard are Château Laulerie - Bergerac  and Château La Croix Romane - Lalande de Pomerol.

Château Nardou owned by Florent and Florence Dubard since 1998 is located 10 kilometres North-East of Saint Emilion at Tayac in the heart of the Francs Côtes de Bordeaux appellation. The Dubard family is also well known in the neighbouring Bergerac region for their high quality wines from Château Laulerie. Florent is passionate about his wines, it is not surprising that within three years of purchasing Château Nardou it became one of the best wines of the appellation. In 2008 the estate was awarded the prestigious prize “Prix d’Excellence” at the “Concours de l’Agriculture” in Paris. This is one of the most prestigious tasting in France and the prize is awarded each year to only one estate per wine region (in this case Bordeaux) for having won a Gold Medal three years in a row at the wine show. Since 1998, Florent has made important investments to improve the quality of the wines even further, a new cellar was built with new small vats for a plot by plot approach, a bottling machine was purchased and the cellar also provides more room for storage. Since 2012 a reception area with a tasting room has also been built. The Château's 27 ha represent 15 ha of vines and 12 ha of land which include a small forest for relaxing promenades. 

Florence and Florent also provide Bed & Breakfast stays and have 2 cottages that you can book. Your visit in the area will be memorable by the scenery and peacefulness of the location. Of course Florent will look after you for you to discover the wines of Château Nardou, its vineyard and the nearby forest. Don't forget that the UNESCO village of Saint Emilion is only 12 kilometres away.

www.chateau-nardou.com   -   www.vignoblesdubard.com

Château Nardou's 15 ha are planted at a density of 5,000 vines per hectare. The vines have an average age of 35 years old and are mainly planted facing south on slopes enabling good drainage and plenty of sun exposure for the grapes to reach an excellent maturity. The terroir is clay-loam and limestone based.

The grapes varieties planted are classic for Bordeaux reds with the Merlot representing 70% of the vineyard then Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec each representing 10%. The vineyard is sustainably farmed to protect the environment and grass is grown between the rows to enable bio-diversity. Canopy management and green harvest are practiced to control the yields and improve the ripeness of the grapes.

The wine of Château Nardou starts with the picking of the grapes at full maturity, the 35 year old vines produce an average yield of 50 hl/ha. A first sorting is done in the vineyard and a further sorting is done on arrival at the cellar before the grapes are destemmed. The wine's blend is 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The fermentations in stainless still vats will last 3-4 weeks at 28°c to 30°c. For the ageing process, the three grape varieties are aged separately in 1 year old french oak barrels for 12 months. After the ageing the wine is blended and château bottled.

A second label “Bois Meney” is produced using the younger vines. The same care in the vineyard and winemaking process is carried out. The blend is similar with a little less Merlot to incorporate some Malbec, the ageing will last 12 months in concrete vats. The wine is to be consumed within 5 years.

Since 2009, Florent also produces a Brut NV Rosé with Merlot and Malbec under the label DUBARD. Florent is one of a few producers of sparkling Crémant de Bordeaux. The appellation's production represents the equivalent of only 200 hectares out of the 117,500 hectares of vineyards that make up the Bordeaux region. 

Links:  AOP Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (French)   -   Libournais map   -   Bordeaux map

FRANCS CÔTES DE BORDEAUX

The Francs Côtes de Bordeaux appellation is located about 12 kilometers to the north east of Saint-Emilion and 50 kilometres from Bordeaux. The appellation's 535 hectares stretch over the three communes of Francs, Saint-Cibard and Tayac with its church Notre Dame de Tayac build in the 12th century. The name of the appellation prior to 2009 was Bordeaux Côtes de Francs created in 1967.

Vineyard
The area's topography is hilly with the vineyards located on slopes that are amongst the highest in the region of Bordeaux. The soil composition is a mix of clay, limestone and marl.

The main red grape variety planted is the Merlot (60%) followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. A confidential amount of dry white wine (144hl) is also produced based on Semillon (60%) with some Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle in the blend.

Climate
The area is considered to have a continental climate with its own micro-climate as it is known to be the hottest and driest appellation of the Bordeaux region. Despite the dominant easterly exposure, it enjoys excellent sunlight, with low rainfall. The temperatures are lower in winter and higher in summer with a difference of 2°c to 3°c compared to the surrounding appellations.