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BORDEAUX<br />
– GRAPES –<br />
Sébastien Petit and his sister Frédérike tasting the white<br />
and red wines during the winemaking process<br />
Françoise Petit joined by her family – her son Sébastien, her daughter Frédérike<br />
and her grandchildren<br />
vineyard acreage, followed by Cabernet-Sauvignon (20%)<br />
and Cabernet Franc (5%), forming a very classic trio. During<br />
the winemaking process, Sébastien Petit aims for extraction<br />
depending on the potential of the grapes in a bid to retain<br />
a measure of typicity during the blending process and to<br />
produce clean, flavourful wines. “Cabernet-Sauvignon has<br />
a bright future ahead of it before potentially suffering from<br />
global warming”, he says. “Unlike other appellations in<br />
the region such as Graves and Médoc, the soils here are<br />
clay. So even in very hot, dry years, our vines suffer less<br />
than elsewhere”. Cabernet-Sauvignon naturally has higher<br />
acidity, allowing it to retain some freshness even when it<br />
is very ripe. For Cabernet Franc, the situation is slightly<br />
different with lower acidity and alcohol levels that rise more<br />
quickly. “When I vinify Cabernet Franc, I aim for elegance”,<br />
says Petit. “This excellent blending variety adds complexity<br />
and harmony. I have, though, replanted a lot of Cabernet-<br />
Sauvignon in recent years, which I use for my L’Authentique<br />
label, a gratifying, rounded, fleshy wine. I like the freshness<br />
it instils in the blends, considering that the Merlots are often<br />
bordering on over-ripeness”. To cope with global warming,<br />
however, the savvy winegrower has also chosen - in recent<br />
years - to plant Malbec, which handles greater ripeness well,<br />
and Petit Verdot, which adds freshness and vivaciousness.<br />
42 SUMMER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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