Visits

Château Cap de Mourlin
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé (France)


 

The estate is owned by the Capdemourlin family, present in Saint-Émilion for over 4 centuries. What seems to characterize this estate in particular is the use of various barrel types (distinguished by the size of the grain or the degree of toasting) for the aging of its wine. The experiments it conducts during barrel aging are part of a broader attempt to produce wines of consistent quality every year.
 
Ownership & Management
Capdemourlin family (owners), Stéphane Perier (technical director).
 

Vineyard
14 ha, 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines, which are about 35 years old, are planted on clay, limestone and sandy soils on the northern slopes of Saint-Émilion. Manual harvesting, sorting (in the vineyard and after harvesting), and de-stemming.

Winemaking
The grapes are poured directly into parcel-specific stainless steel vats, without crushing. Followed by 6-12 days of cold maceration, then alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in oak barrels (50% new), followed by a 12-14 month aging period. Once the barrels appear to start drying up the wine, the aging process is complete and the wine is blended and thereafter bottled, generally without fining or filtration. The core vin de presse, which is extracted with a pneumatic press and aged separately in new oak barrels, is usually incorporated into the wine.

Wines
·  Château Cap de Mourlin (about 70,000 bottles/year)

To allow us to grasp the impact that different barrel types could have on the final product, Stéphane Perier invited us to a unique tasting session of several 2005 and 2006 barrel samples, during our visit on January 23, 2007. Despite their young age, all these wines, but particularly the 2005 Merlot, were already relatively smooth and elegant.

· Merlot 2006, aged in lightly toasted oak barrel (hazelnut toast)
· Merlot 2006, aged in medium toast oak barrel
· Cabernet 2006, aged in fine grain oak barrel
· Cabernet 2006, aged in medium grain oak barrel
· Merlot 2005, aged in lightly toasted oak barrel (hazelnut toast)