Château du Glana, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2016

Producer Profile

Château Du Glana, located on the Route des Grand Vins and sits between the towns of Beychevelle and Saint-Julien, opposite the famous Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.

First established in 1870 the typical gravelly soiled vineyard was only 5 hectares in size. Over the years and after changing hands several times, the vineyards have grown to over 43 hectares through purchasing plots belonging to third growth Château Lagrange. The owner, Mr Gabriel Meffre, helped by his young sons Ludovic and Julien, Jean-Paul Meffre now looks after the estate. They are motivated by a major ambition: to achieve the estate's full potential. Surrounded by some of finest great growths in the Médoc, Château Du Glana has made tremendous strides in quality since 1999.

Viticulture

With 59,50 hectares of vines nearly in a single block, Château du Glana is in the prestigious Saint-Julien appellation. An average of 25 years old, the vines grow on Garonne gravel with a density of 7,000 vines per hectare. The Cabernet Sauvignon gives the wine structure and ageing potential, whereas Merlot provides roundness and body. Even though the first six months of the year were particularly rainy, flowering took place quickly and evenly during one of the rare dry spells. This period was followed by a long stretch of hot, dry weather lasting from mid-June to mid-September. This series of extreme conditions raised fears about the fragility of grapes and vines. However, meticulous work in the vineyard made it possible to anticipate and protect vines from the drought this summer and to reveal the crop’s full potential.

Winemaking

Temperature controlled fermentation and maceration in cool conditions, 3 weeks of vatting (concrete and stainless), traceability monitoring, malolactic fermentation in vat. 12 months ageing in barrels with a % of new French oak from a selection of cooperages.

Oak Ageing

Time: 12 Months
Type: French oak / Bordeaux Barrel : 225L
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: 40

Tasting Note

Château Du Glana is thus a well-balanced, velvety, and complex wine enjoyable young, but also with excellent ageing potential (over ten years). An incredibly deep, purple-coloured wine with no heaviness or hints of cooked fruit. Fresh on both the nose and the palate.

Food Matching

Red meats, venison, hard cheeses.