CHATEAU LA GRAVE DE BERTIN

AN IDEAL LOCATION

Our estate finds its roots in the Entre-Deux-Mers geographical region,  halfway between Bordeaux and St Emilion, where our family has owned CHATEAU LA GRAVE DE BERTIN for generations. Our vineyard spreads onto 19,4 hectares (48 acres) of chalky-clay soils and still is our everyday pride.

Among beautiful scenery, this region is where we find the “Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur” Appellation, largest appellation in the Bordeaux vineyard.

This location truly is a key point to our vineyard: underground water sources bring freshness and vitality to the vines; the Pyrenees Mountains and the Landes Forest act like natural barriers to bad weather; tempered oceanic seasons brought by the Gulf Stream help the natural course of the vines.

MODERN AND SPACIOUS CELLARS

The wine cellar is where the magic happens and where the wine comes to life. Renovated in 2009, this dedicated area of ​​300 m² houses 11 stainless steel tanks for the winemaking of our harvests, collected and sorted with care.

These vats of 150 hectoliters each are equipped with a temperature control system which allows an individual monitoring, either during fermentation or ageing.

The ageing period comes directly after the winemaking. Our Bordeaux Reds remain in these tanks for 6 months for maximum extraction of aromas and lees purification before bottling. Our rosés are also made in these tanks but require a shorter period of maceration with only 2 months before bottling.

 

As for our Bordeaux Supérieur, special care is given. In another cellar, the French oak barrels contain the prestige wine of the estate, the Heritage, for an extra 12 months. There, the wine takes on a silky texture, fleshy, full of charm and flavours of wild red fruits typical of oaky wine, balanced by special aromas, the famous wooden tannins…

A LAND OF VINE

The element of « Terroir » is guided by two major aspects: soils and  varietals.

Our vineyard, spread onto 5 kilometers around the estate, gives a very good complexity of land and geological diversity that explains the complexity of our wines. It is mainly composed of chalky clay and gravely soils which are very favorable for vine culture.

The roots of the vine must indeed go draw strength in depth for their cycle. And gravely soils are ideal for this to happen. Further away, other plots of land are composed of clay soils which have very good water reserves.

Cross view of gravely-chalky-clay soil

With this complexity of soils, our region is well located for three main grape varieties : Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their blend gives harmonious, elegant and highly aromatic wines due to their own characteristics.

Early-ripening MERLOT  (70% of the vineyard) expresses its full potential on cool soils (chalky-clay soils for instance). It brings great deals of colour, red fruit aromas and suppleness in mouth.

CABERNET FRANC (20% of the vineyard) then brings its complexity to the final blend, adding an aromatic density of raspberry and violet to the freshness and finesse of the blend.

The last variety is CABERNET SAUVIGNON (10% of the vineyard). It will harmonise the blend with its tannic structure and its black fruit flavours. On gravely soils, this variety gets the necessary warmth for optimum ripening, highly usefull for the final blend.

A complexity found in our wines…

OUR HISTORY

1895

Family owned for six generations, our family started producing wine at the end of the 19th century next to the family house, still visible on our labels. The first vines were planted and a small cellar with underground concrete tanks was built in the barn where very small volumes of wine were produced and sold in bulk.

1976

The name of “Château La Grave de Bertin” only appears in 1976 when Michel Furt (on horseback on the first picture), sells his first bottle under his own brand. “La Grave” refered to the gravely soil found on the estate, “Bertin” was a reference to the passage way by the family house. It also sets the beggining of a new wine making process focused on quality with the acquisition of four first stainless steel tanks. These tanks allowed to produce bigger volumes with higher quality standards.

1997

When Yannick took over his father’s work in 1997, he undertook some major investments along the years. He brought the vineyard to its today size, doubleling the surface and had to renew all the machinery. He bought more steel vats, had a vat temperature control system installed and invested in a new harvesting machine to collect grapes at their best in the most efficient way.

2009

In 2009, Yannick and his wife Nadine were joined by their two sons, Maxime and Sébastien. Maxime is directing the estate and the vineyard and Sébastien takes on French and International trade. This arrival has also urged to expand the facilities, with the construction of a new storage building and the renovation of the tasting area to welcome people on site.

2016
In 2016, we develop our activities and create “Vins et Vignobles FURT”. This new distribution department distributes the wines of partners alongside our own wines. All these estates, like us, work among family with one unique philosophy : bring all the colours of our chateaux.
Today
Château La Grave de Bertin represents today the legacy of our family: the passion for terroir wines, full of authenticity and character. More than ever, we claim our roots through our wines and those of our our partners by staying human-sized, independent and close to our customers …
1895START OF THE WINERY
6GENERATIONS
20HECTARES
105000LITERS PRODUCED A YEAR