History
The first vintage of La Servitude Voluntaire was 2003. This 100% Merlot cuvee is carved out of Bernard Magrez’s La Tour-Carnet vineyard. The vines grow on specially selected plots in the commune of Saint-Seurin de Cadourne. The name cadourne come from the word “tadorne”, a migratory duck symbolizing Saint-James in the Middle Ages. Saint-Seirom de Codourme was also a stop of the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela. The canons of Cadourne were responsible for introducing winegrowing to this region.The grapes are hand picked and hand destemmed. The wine is fermented the traditional way, with manual punching down of the cap. The wine is aged in new French oak barrels. This rare wine is produced with very low yields and only few bottles are available each year.
Nowadays’ Owner: Bernard Magrez
Vineyard magnate Bernard Magrez, whose holdings encompass 21 properties in the Bordeaux region, including legendary Chateau Pape-Clement, and 11 other properties throughout the world, is the man behind this little superstar of a wine. As with all of his properties, everything is done by hand with the help of oenologist consultant Michel Rolland. They make a fabulously rich and concentrated wine from poor soil that is made for winegrowing.
Technique Information
Location:Saint-Seurin de Cadourne
Appellation: Appellation Haut Medoc Controlee
Neighboring Chateau:
Acreage: 1 hectare
Soil: clay-limestone.
Grape Variety: 100% Merlot
Average age of vines: 15 years
Cultivation Density: 6,600 vines per hectare
Viticulture: Traditional Bordeaux pruning methods. Leaf thinning and green harvesting.
Winemaking: The grapes are hand-picked into small crates. They are then manually destemmed and put uncrushed into small wooden vats by gravity flow. Pre- fermentation maceration is followed by manual punching down of the cap. The wine is run off directly via gravity into new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and ageing.
Yield: 25-30 hectoliters per hectare
Brand:“Servitude Volontaire” Du Chateau La Tour Carnet
(First Label) (A.O.C. Haut Medoc)
Annually Production: 2,000 bottles
Character: This 100% Merlot cuvee is carved out of Bernard Magrez’s La Tour Carnet vineyard. Surprisingly tannic for a Merlot, deep purple color，notes of scorched earth, blueberries, plums, figs, and cherries. Deep, fleshy, and medium to full-bodied with abundant tannin.
Best Vintages: 2003, 2005
Awards:
Website:www.bernard-magrez.com
Serving suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 70-95%，14-18 ℃。
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: 12-15 years
Food Match：Pair with strong taste sauce red meat, cheese.
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