Free shipping from 12 bottles · Delivery throughout Switzerland
Free shipping from 12 bottles · Delivery throughout Switzerland
Bordeaux · France
Bernard Hébrard ran the laboratory in Grézillac. When he retired in 2003, he and his wife Marie-Odile bought a neglected estate in Saint-Loubès, where the two of them now harvest by hand.
4 Red wines. From CHF 23.00.
Merlot, Cabernet Franc
CHF 23.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
CHF 35.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
CHF 25.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
CHF 33.00
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Origin
Saint-Loubès lies north of Bordeaux, between the Libournais and the Médoc, close to the 45th parallel. The land register calls the site «Aux Graves» after its soil, a rise of gravel over clay. At its foot runs the Laurence, a small tributary of the Dordogne that gives the château the second half of its name.
The people
Bernard Hébrard studied oenology in Bordeaux, ran the oenology centre in Grézillac and the wine department of the Gironde chamber of agriculture. For almost 40 years he advised growers across the region. His wife Marie-Odile is a winegrower's daughter and taught mathematics at the Collège Saint-Joseph in Libourne for more than 30 years. After retiring, the two took on a vineyard of their own in 2003: 2.24 hectares with a cellar around an old Gironde house bought by their third son, Philippe. Since then they have done the vineyard and cellar work themselves and sell their wine directly.
Philosophy
Because the quantities are small, every step here can be done by hand.
Bernard and Marie-Odile strip leaves, thin the bunches, pick and sort themselves, the way the grands crus do. Their best lots are bottled as Bordeaux Supérieur, an appellation with stricter rules than plain Bordeaux.
Bordeaux Supérieur
The Réserve Traditionnelle 2019 is 80 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc, while the Ampelos Biturica holds all six Bordeaux grapes. Both age twelve months in French oak. Taste the 2018 next to the younger vintage and you will notice what time does to the wine.
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
CHF 25.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc
CHF 23.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
CHF 35.00
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
CHF 33.00
Terroir
Gravel over clay on the «Aux Graves» rise. The pebbles come from the Massif Central. The soil drains well and holds warmth.
The six classic red Bordeaux varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère. The Réserve Traditionnelle 2019 is 80 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc. Ampelos Biturica 2020 blends all six, led by 45 percent Merlot.
Atlantic and balanced, as is usual around Bordeaux: enough sun, regular rain and cool nights.
In the cellar
The red grapes macerate for several weeks in small 20 hectolitre vats, one for each picking pass. The cap is punched down by hand every day. After the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations come tasting and blending. The lots best suited to ageing become Bordeaux Supérieur and spend a year in oak barrels, a quarter of which are replaced with new ones every year.
At Aux Graves we prefer the older vintages to the young ones. If you have the choice between two years, take the older one. The Réserve Traditionnelle is the bottle for roast beef, with red fruit and a floral note. We would open the Ampelos Biturica, with its dark berries and spice, for game.
Photos
Bernard Hébrard, an experienced oenologist. He ran the laboratory at Grézillac and the wine service of the Gironde chamber of agriculture. After retiring in 2003, he and his wife Marie-Odile bought a neglected estate in Saint-Loubès. Since then the two have farmed 2.24 hectares with hand picking, leaf removal and green harvesting, the way the Grands Crus do it.
In Saint-Loubès in the Gironde, between Bordeaux and Libourne, close to the 45th parallel. The estate sits on a rise of gravel over clay known as «Aux Graves» and is bordered by the small river Laurence, which flows into the Dordogne. The wines carry the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation, which has stricter rules than plain Bordeaux.
All six classic Bordeaux varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère. The Ampelos Biturica 2020 holds all of them, with 45 percent Merlot, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Cabernet Franc, 7 percent Petit Verdot, 5 percent Malbec and 3 percent Carménère. The Réserve Traditionnelle 2019 is 80 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc.
The Réserve Traditionnelle is the house’s classic cuvée, mostly Merlot, with red fruit, notes of old oak and a floral touch. The Ampelos Biturica brings together all six Bordeaux varieties and shows dark berries, spice and subtle toasty notes. Both age twelve months in French oak. The Réserve costs CHF 23 and 25, the Ampelos CHF 33 and 35.
Traditionally. After hand picking, the grapes ferment in temperature-controlled steel tanks, and the cap is punched down by hand. The wines then age for about twelve months in French oak barrels. Around a quarter of the barrels are replaced every year. Bernard brings decades of experience as an oenologist to the job.
We think so. At Aux Graves the older vintages are our favourites, as the wines show more with age. That is why we stock two vintages of each wine: Réserve Traditionnelle 2018 and 2019, Ampelos Biturica 2018 and 2020. We see real ageing potential in the Ampelos. If you have the choice, take the older vintage.
Both wines, in every vintage, suit beef, game and mature cheese. For an evening with beef, take the Réserve Traditionnelle, the more affordable one with more red fruit. With game we would open the Ampelos Biturica, which brings dark berries, spice and a touch of toast. And if you are cutting into a mature cheese, reach for a 2018.
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