Château Lamothe-Cissac, France

The 33 hectare vineyard is located partly on the commune of Cissac adjacent to Pauillac and partly on the plateau of Vertheuil contiguous with Saint-Estèphe. The gravelly subsoil is covered with a clayey limestone topsoil in some areas and a clayey gravel topsoil in other areas.

Viticulture

The vineyard is located party on the commune of Cissac adjacent to Pauillac and partly on the plateau of Vertheuil contiguous with Saint-Estèphe. The gravelly subsoil is covered with a clayey limestone topsoil in some areas and a clayey gravel topsoil in other areas. They have achieved the highest regarded sustainable certification in France, Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3, which is a holistic programme considering four key areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, management of fertiliser use and management of water.

Winemaking

The harvest is 100% destemmed and fermented in modern temperature-controlled vats. Pumping over is done 2 to 3 daily to optimize the colour and tannin extraction from the skins followed by 4-6 week maceration. Micro-oxygenation is done in the vat to increase the tannic structure and colour intensity. The wine spends 12-months in oak. In order to clarify and oxygenate the wine, the racking process is repeated several times during aging depending on the tasting results.