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BORDEAUX<br />
APPELLATION<br />
THE DE MONTEIL’S WINERY<br />
ting perspective, it is good to have two different<br />
wines”, claims Béatrice, “even if the soils are very<br />
similar. There are many more hillsides than sites at<br />
the bottom of the slopes”.<br />
At Château Bréhat, the grapes are harvested by<br />
machine, except for the old vines which are more<br />
sensitive to vibrations and are picked by hand.<br />
“The quality of harvesting machines has greatly<br />
improved”, stresses Béatrice. Three years ago, the<br />
couple also switched to organic winegrowing. “This<br />
is true for many Castillon wines”, the couple says.<br />
Sure enough, over 25% of properties are farmed<br />
organically or biodynamically.<br />
Extensive woodlands also help promote biodiversity<br />
and some producers are even asking that in the<br />
future, production specifications for the Castillon<br />
appellation make organic certification mandatory.<br />
That would certainly be a huge feat.<br />
UNION DE PRODUCTEURS<br />
DE SAINT-EMILION:<br />
SOME CASTILLON TOO!<br />
UDP SELLS ITS WINES DIRECT TO CONSUMER FROM ITS WINERY STORE<br />
This large co-operative winery was founded in the<br />
1930s by the former director of Château Figeac.<br />
Fast-forward to 2022, and the head of marketing<br />
and communications, Anne-Sophie Larvor,<br />
introduces us to the winery. The co-operative has<br />
650 hectares under vine and produces primarily<br />
wines under the Saint-Emilion appellation and its<br />
satellites – no surprises there. But how could you<br />
turn away a Saint-Emilion vineyard owner who also<br />
has a few neighbouring blocks in Castillon, and not<br />
make the wines? Sometimes, only a dirt track separates<br />
the two.<br />
The Castillon appellation accounts for nearly 6% of<br />
vineyards farmed by UDP but just 1% of the wines,<br />
because some of them are marketed directly by<br />
the owner. What the winery brings though, is the<br />
standards of a modern co-operative with strict<br />
production specifications, expertise and sizeable<br />
winemaking facilities.<br />
Under the Castillon appellation, UDP produces<br />
one Château – Rouzerol – and also crafts the ‘Roy<br />
Charles’ brand. The brand is a nod to the history of<br />
90 AUTUMN 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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