Chateau Gravas, Sauternes AOC, Chateau Gravas

About Chateau Gravas

Gravas Ch teau was founded in 1850, the estate is superbly located in Barsac, between Ch teau Coutet, Ch teau Climens, and Ch teau Doisy-Da ne. For several decades, the Gravas vineyard remained a modest 1-hectare vineyard, before reaching its current area of around 8 hectares in 1930. The 60-year-old vines are harvested by hand: the grapes are picked in successive passes. Today they produce Sauvignon, Semillon & Muscadelle. The determining factor is the presence of a small tributary of the Garonne: the Ciron, which passes between Barsac and Preignac. Like many rivers in the Landes, its native region, this small river hardly ever sees the rays of the sun because of the canopy of foliage that permanently covers its bed. Their meeting gives rise to morning fogs in autumn, which precede strong sunshine in the afternoon. Added to this is the high humidity, also due to the cold waters of the Ciron, and early maturity of the white grapes, unique conditions are created for a 'noble rot' caused by a microscopic fungus, botrytis cinerea, to develop. But the fungus attacks cluster after cluster and often chooses certain grains, ignoring others. Hence the harvest by successive sorting (passages), to cut only bunches, or even grapes, having reached the optimum moment of concentration. Then, the vinification is characterized by the slowness of pressing (due to the high sugar content) and fermentation than by stopping the latter before the transformation of all sugars into alcohol, either naturally or by mutage, c 'that is to say by a supply of sulfur dioxide which eliminates the yeasts. Ch teau Gravas has managed to combine modernization for its vinification with fermentation at low temperature in stainless steel vats and tradition by aging for 12-18 months in oak barrels renewed every 3 years.