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BORDEAUX
– MARKETS –
the ‘opening windows’ when restaurants reopened in
France in the summers of 2020 and 2021 – it mainly
produces red wine, which struggles to find an audience
when the mercury soars over the summer. Sales are now
picking up again, but orders are placed on a just-in-time
basis, to within a single box, even if that means placing
new orders and paying delivery charges again. In this way,
clients can avoid holding inventories, should there be
further lockdown measures.
In addition to its 4-5 annual newsletters, the chateau is
very mindful to nurture its relationship with its direct
customers and welcomes them to the chateau. Showing
off the vineyards and the winery, explaining pruning and
maturation, and tasting the range of wines, are all ways
of forging a much stronger bond. This is precisely how
Château Haut-Macô developed!
Grape picking at Château de Malleret
CHÂTEAU DE MALLERET:
FOCUSSING ON QUALITY
This chateau, which we wrote about in Gilbert & Gaillard
n°41, essentially produces Haut Médoc Cru Bourgeois
Exceptionnel, over a 46-hectare vineyard. “The wine
performs well in export markets, especially the United
States. But the Trump tax proved to be extremely
challenging”, explains Paul Bordes, the estate’s manager.
With a price tag of between €25 and €30, the wine is midrange
where customers still keep an eye on expenditure,
unlike high-end luxury goods. As for all winegrowers,
Covid has had a detrimental effect, with sales dropping
and inventories rising. So what are the most effective
strategies for tackling these difficulties? “Continue to
focus on improving quality”, is Bordes’ answer right
off the bat. Since 2013, he has transformed the estate
from top to bottom. The soils now benefit from natural
amendments, cereal crops are planted between the vine
rows to improve drainage, the grape harvest is entirely
done by hand and the vat room and cellar have been
completely revamped.
The switch-over to organic farming has begun. The first
certified vintage, after the 3 years without any treatments,
should be 2023. Fruit trees are now being introduced
to separate the blocks, and some beehives have been
installed. This virtuous circle will certainly pay off in the
An olive grove at Château de Malleret
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 21