Domaine de l’A

The château

Christine and Stéphane Derenoncourt created the Domaine de l’A in 1999 at Sainte-Colombe, on slopes that run east from those of Saint-Émilion, and they run it themselves. The soil is a fine clay on crumbly limestone, or mixed with broken-down limestone in the form of tuffeau, with some parcels on the Fronsac molasses. The vineyard is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, 40 years old on average, planted at 6,500 vines a hectare, and each parcel is worked to master its vigor and strengthen its balance.

The grapes are picked by hand, destemmed whole or in part and carried by conveyor so they are not crushed, then fermented with their own yeasts in small wooden vats, with pumping-over or punching down by hand. The malolactic runs partly in vat and partly in barrel, and the wine spends 16 to 18 months in barrel, fined or filtered only as the bottling requires. The underground cellar, built in 2005, is vaulted in the manner of Burgundy and ventilated naturally, in stone, lime, brick, wood and hemp, with no cement and no metal reinforcement.

At a glance

Appellation

Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Commune

Sainte-Colombe

Classification

No classification

Owners

Christine and Stéphane Derenoncourt, since 1999

Vineyard

Vines 40 years old on average; 6,500 vines a hectare

Soil

Fine clay on limestone and tuffeau; some Fronsac molasses Terroir of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux →

Grapes

Merlot 80%, Cabernet Franc 20%

Cellar

Picked by hand; small wooden vats, native yeasts; 16 to 18 months in barrel; vaulted underground cellar of 2005

Wines

Domaine de l’A