Vinification: Tasting the ripeness of the grapes is the only method for deciding on when to start the harvest.
Tasting the grapes, then the wine, is the only way to determine how we will proceed with the vinification.

Ageing: The wines are racked into barrel at the end of October, at the end of the vinification.
The wine stays exclusively in new, fine-grain, Allier oak barrels for 12 months.

Production: 15, 000 bottles.

Tasting Characteristics: A powerful, harmonious, rich, fleshy wine, with aromas of roasted coffee beans and vanilla coming from the oak, which mingle well with hints of jammy red fruit.
A wine of sheer pleasure which can be enjoyed in its youth. Its charm is in its finesse, fruit and elegance, but thanks to its rich tannic structure it can be laid down many years.

Grape varieties: Merlot 85%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Cabernet Franc 5%.

Terroir: Gravel soil. Depending on the plot, the proportions of pebbles and sand are variable.

Vine-growing: Traditional with a thinning out of the shoots in spring to avoid entangling of vegetation and fruit.

Vinification: Selection of plots at harvest-time according to the age of the vines, the grape varieties and ripening.

Fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats
15 to 25 days vatting depending on tasting characteristics.

Ageing: At the end of the vinification, each vat is carefully tasted to select which wines go into this blend. Those wines which are not good enough are not bottled and are sold in bag-in-box.
The ageing lasts for 12 months in vat, with regular rackings so as to provide the necessary oxygen to soften the tannins. The wines are tasted and notes are taken regularly every month to monitor their development and to fine-tune the final blending.

Production: 80,000 bottles

Tasting characteristics: Full-bodied, round and fleshy, harmonious, typical of its gravelly terroir which makes it different from the other Bordeaux Supérieur wines.
A wine which comes out beautifully after a few years in bottle.
These wines have very regularly been awarded medals over the last 20 years.

Origins of this vintage: In order to find a solution to wine crisis and over-production, low production quotas were imposed to all Bordeaux Supérieur producers, quotas which are poorer than for Saint Emilion and Margaux.At Château Penin, we take advantage of a qualitative vineyard with a high density. We do all qualitative works such as thinning at spring and summer times to obtain high quality wines appreciated and desired by our customers.

Quotas led to a 20% fall and thus we were supposed to destroy a part of our grapes gathering. We refuse to be part of such an aberration and to participate in the destruction of our work. As a consequence, we choose to give up Bordeaux Supérieur name for this vintage which is currently sold as “Excess de Penin” with an affordable price.

Grape varieties: Merlot 100%.

Terroir: Gravelly soil and clayey-gravelly.

Vine-growing: With a lot of care as Château Penin is used to doing.

Vinification: Harvesting at optimum grape ripeness. Total de-stemming. Cold maceration for the fermentation to obtain a slightly extraction of colour and of the skin's tannins. Fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. Ten to 15 days vatting period according to tasting. We don't want to extract tannins which bring hardness to tasting.

Ageing: In vat during 6 months.

Production: 30 000 bottles.

Tasting characteristics: It is a harmonious, well balanced, round and full-bodied wine, without any agressivity, respectful to the fruit. We make it with personality, but also pleasant and elegant, well knowing its origins and its soil.

HISTORY

Château REYNIER has belonged to the Lurton family for over four generations .Since 1996 , Marc LURTON an oenologist by training ,has run the estate with the help of his wife Agnés .

This fine vineyard located on the hillsides of the Entre Deux Mers , close to Saint Emilion, encircling the chateau , a fortified farmhouse from the 15th century and a former St Jacques de Compostelle stopover inn .

VINEYARDS SURFACE AREA AND GRAPE VARIETIES
28 hectares (68 acres) of red varieties: Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 50%

SOIL
Limestone and clay with asteria limestone subsoil

AVERAGE YIELD
45 hl per hectare

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT
Integrated crop management enabling healthy grapes without destabilising biological balance of the vineyard .

VINIFICATION AND AGEING
Rigorous selection during the harvest (grape variety and plots are vinified separately). The vinification is carried out with the most recent techniques. Classic Bordeaux vinification : Total de-stemming , temperature of fermentation 77°F to 86°F. Two to 3 weeks of maceration , Malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged 6 months in one year and two years oak casks (Half French ,half American)) in our natural limestone caves .

BOTTLING
Chateau bottled with our own bottling line

TESTING NOTES
Deep ruby red in colour .Offers red berry fruit aromas with a touch of oak .Well balanced with round integrated tannins .Enjoy this premium  red with highly seasoned roasts,duck and rich red sauce pastas .

Production: 30 000 bottles.

Tasting characteristics: It is a harmonious, well balanced, round and full-bodied wine, without any agressivity, respectful to the fruit. We make it with personality, but also pleasant and elegant, well knowing its origins and its soil.

HISTORY

Château REYNIER has belonged to the Lurton family for over four generations .Since 1996 , Marc LURTON an oenologist by training ,has run the estate with the help of his wife Agnés .

This fine vineyard located on the hillsides of the Entre Deux Mers , close to Saint Emilion, encircling the chateau , a fortified farmhouse from the 15th century and a former St Jacques de Compostelle stopover inn .

VINEYARDS SURFACE AREA AND GRAPE VARIETIES
7 hectares (17 acres) of white varieties: Sauvignon 50% Semillon 45% Muscadelle 5%

SOIL
Limestone and clay with asteria limestone subsoil

AVERAGE YIELD
45 hl per hectare

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT
Integrated crop management enabling healthy grapes without destabilising biological balance of the vineyard .

VINIFICATION AND AGEING
Rigorous selection during the harvest (grape variety and plots are vinified separately).

The vinification is carried out with the most recent techniques enabling an optimum extraction of aromas and richness: Skin contact maceration, filtration of heavy sediments, cold fermentation (60°F),kept on fine lees for 4 to 6 months, no malolactic fermentation

BOTTLING
Chateau bottled with our own bottling line

TESTING NOTES
Fresh, beautifully blended fruity white with aromas of grapefruit, mango and pineapple. Its balance and richness on the palate make it most appealing. Enjoy chilled with light cheeses, fresh salads and Mediterranean-style dishes including roasted poultry, fish and shellfish entrees.

Classification: Pomerol AC

Vintages available: 2000

Red or white: Red

Grape Varieties: 80% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Franc

Maturation and Vinification: The grapes are hand picked from the youngest vines of Chateau Bonalgue, the most prestigious estate in the Jean Baptiste Audy portfolio (owned by Pierre Bourotte, the company chairman). The wine is vinified traditionally in stainless steel with a long maceration period and then transferred to oak barrels for Maturation and Vinification.

Tasting Notes: The 2nd wine of the prestigious Chateau Bonalgue, produced by Jean Philippe Fort, an associate of Michel Rolland. Dominated by Merlot, the Burgrave is a youthful wine with fresh berry fruit aromas and flavours. Well balanced and rounded with good oak tannins.

Ageing: in French oak barrels (30% new and 70% used for 1 or 2 previous vintages) for 12 months in underground cellars in order to create a balance between the rich, full-bodied flavour and the long, round, subtle aftertaste with a hint of oak. Best with meat in a sauce and mild soft-ripened cheeses.

Ageing potential: 8-15 years depending on the vintage, but pleasant to drink after 4 years.

Production: 72,000 bottles

The second property within the Reiffers families' portfolio is Les Grandes Murailles, named after the imposing gothic wall, the 12th century remains of a Dominican convent, the lies just down the road from Château Clos-Fourtet. The vineyard lies in the shadow of this ancient ghostly edifice and is slightly larger than Clos Saint Martin at just 1.96 hectares, producing around 1,000 cases.

About 95% of the vineyard is planted Merlot and the remaining is 5% Cabernet Franc, with an average vine age of 35 years. The élevage is the same as Clos Saint Martin with the 100% new oak and malolactic fermentation in barriques and made at Clos de Baleau.

This vineyard has belonged to the Reiffers family since 1643. Les Grandes Murailles lost its classified status in the 1985 revision because it was made at Côte de Baleau, but they regained it in 1996. The wine has a little less complexity than Clos Saint Martin: more supple, simpler with less longevity.

The high Merlot content lends the wine a sweet cherry, fleshy character that benefits from its meticulous élevage with a lovely purity without being cloying.

Again, this is a wine that is well-worth seeking out and despite its scarcity it remains well-priced and excellent value for money.

The 2000 Vintage Notes
Color: Pure, saturated red.
Smell: Elegant, fine, smooth wood with notes of vanilla and red berries.
Taste : The entry is intense with good acidity, plenty of volume is supported by a velvety tannic structure.
Evolution : A supple, unctuous wine that should reach its apogee between 2004 and 2006.

Climatic conditions : The beginning of summer was slightly cold and wet, but the months of August and September were particularly hot and dry, permitting the Merlots and Cabernets to attain perfect ripeness. Harvest began 23 September.