Château Platon Bordeaux 2020

Jean-Francois Meynard and Christelle Gauthier produce small batches of high quality wine in Bordeaux, close to the Dordogne River. Both of their families have roots in their villages going back to the 19th century. Jean-Francois and Christelle have transformed their family’s business from selling grapes and wine in bulk to selling estate bottled wines.

Château Platon is located in the small village of Sainte-Radegonde, close to the Dordogne river in the northeast section of the Entre-Deux-Mers. Jean-Francois Meynard and Christelle Gauthier farm 10.5 hectares with nine hectares of red grapes and one and a half hectares of white grapes. The vineyard has belonged to Christelle’s family since 1907. The red grapes are mostly Merlot 65%, with 35% being a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The average age of the vines is 40 years and the plant density is 5,000 per hectare. The vineyard lies on a plateau which is one of the highest points in the Entre-deux-Mers and has an excellent exposition.

The yields are kept to 50hl/ha by green harvesting and leaves are pulled as needed to insure proper ripening. All the grapes are brought to a sorting table before entering the winery. Fermentation is done in cement tanks with an extended maceration of up to two weeks. The wine is aged in tank with a portion seeing wood before bottling in the late spring.

This vineyard has also achieved the highest level 5 of High Environmental Value (HEV) certification, a recognition of their dedication to sustainable and eco-friendly viticultural practices.

The city of Bordeaux and its surrounding viticultural area are located in southwest France, in the Gironde. The area is formed around two great rivers; the Garonne which flows from the Pyrénées and the Dordogne which flows from the Massif Central. The rivers meet just north of the city of Bordeaux and flow into the Gironde estuary which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The regulating influence of the ocean and rivers, along with the temperate climate of mild winters and warm falls, have an important and beneficial effect on the vineyards.