Intro to Domaine de Grange Neuve Monbazillac – Domaine de Grange Neuve from Monbazillac is a fabulous dessert wine, sweet and luscious with a great backbone of fine acidity for a clean finish. Full tasting note and wine making – Domaine de Grange Neuve from Monbazillac is luscious dessert wine that has fresh aromas of classic botrytis marmalade and ripe nectarine and melon and the flavours on the palate are richer with honey and toffee finishing with a twist of bitter orange zest. The vineyards are based in the heart of Perigord, near Bergerac along the valley of the River Dordogne where there is a particular micro-climate which favours the development of the botrytis necessary to make this style of sweet wine. The vines have an average 25 years of age and as in Sauternes the grapes are hand harvested at a very late stage of maturity in October and November, in three successive ‘triage’, so only the most mature grapes are picked. After fermentation in tanks the wine is matured for 24 months. The producer – The vineyard of Domaine de Grange Neuve is near Pomport near Bergerac and the vineyards are on the slopes of the valley of the Dordogne. It belongs to the Pichon and Castaing family – the winery has grown from a small farm with just 4 hectares of vines in 1898 to 70 hectares today. Dedicated to making wine that respects tradition whilst not neglecting technological advances both in the cultivation of vines and in winemaking techniques, today the property is still run by three generations of this family. The vineyard consists of 26 hectares of red grape vines (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon), and 44 hectares of white Sémillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc. Drink with – The French would serve this as an aperitif but it is also good with paté or blue cheeses such as Roquefort.
