Château de Chantegrive "Caroline" 2024

A full-bodied and balanced white wine from Graves

The estate

Established in 1966 by Henri and Françoise Lévêque in Podensac, the Château de Chantegrive is now one of the must-see estates in the Graves appellation. Under the leadership of Marie-Hélène Lévêque and her five children, the estate distinguished itself as early as 1988 by adopting Burgundian methods for its whites with the Cuvée Caroline. A pioneer of barrel ageing for Bordeaux White wines, Chantegrive obtained in April 2024 the High Environmental Value level 4 certification.

The vineyard

The Cuvée Caroline comes from an 11-hectare vineyard in the Graves appellation. The vines, averaging 26 years old, thrive on gravel and fine sand soils for the Sémillon, while the Sauvignon benefits from gravelly terroirs over a clay-limestone subsoil.

The vintage

The 2024 vintage was marked by early bud break followed by April frosts and repeated spring rains. The favorable conditions at the end of July allowed for a slow maturation, yielding complex White wines endowed with lovely minerality and remarkable aromatic freshness.

Winemaking and ageing

Hand harvesting carried out between late August and early September. Manual sorting. Pneumatic pressing under nitrogen. Débourbage followed by cold settling on lees for 1 week. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels between 18 and 22°C, followed by 9 months of ageing on fine lees with regular bâtonnage. The use of 50% new barrels adds structure and complexity to the wine.

Blend

The Blend of this Château de Chantegrive "Caroline" 2024 is composed of 50% Sémillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Sauvignon Gris.