'Beautiful glossy blackcurrant coulis appearance, the nose is intense, packed with the ripest of bramble fruits, a mingling of spices, nutmeg, cedary notes, plus hints of black olive & garrigue. The palate is all plum & blackberry coulis, subtle spice, an abundance of bright fresh acidity which balances the concentrated fruit perfectly, tannins are firm and a touch grippy but not astringent. Very accomplished.' Colm Douglas, Le Caveau
This new cuvée Cantalouette replaces Cuvée des Contis Rouge, which replaced Bergerac Classique last year... You do have to bare with these Artisan Vignerons sometimes.. :)
TOUR DES GENDRES, Ribagnac
Certified Organic by Ecocert
The origin of the Château Tour des Gendres: in the 80's, two cousins Luc and Francis de Conti merged the vines they each inherited from their fathers to form one estate : Francis's vines (25 hectares), located in the village of Saint-Julien d'Eymet and Luc's vines (25 hectares) located in Ribagnac.
Their children, Guillaume (Francis' son) and Margaux & Gilles (Luc's children) have decided, thirty odd years on, to return to the original layout:
Guillaume de Conti is taking over Francis vines, will build his own cellar and commercialise his wines under his new estate name "Domaine Albert de Conti” (see next page)
Margaux & Gilles de Conti are taking over Luc's vines in Ribagnac and will continue selling their wines under the estate name "Château Tour des Gendres”. Viticulture here is biodynamic, the soil is nourished with seaweed and silica treatments to encourage microbial activity. Yields are low, 5 to 6 bunches per vine, manual picking and selection of ripe and healthy grapes is essential; on the top cuvées there are several ‘tries’ in the vineyard, and the wine will only be released if it reaches the highest of standards. The blends will also change according to the physiological ripeness of the grapes.