Château de Parenchère - Clairet 2012

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Charming, this well-balanced clairet offers expressive, very pure fruit, hints of stone, and a full, round, long, lively mouthfeel.

About the domain :

Bought in 1958 by Moroccan-born Raphaël Gazaniol, the estate now covers 180 hectares, 70 of which are planted with vines on the best exposed plots. A total of 32 different parcels are vinified separately and selected either for the base wine, already of the highest quality, or for the famous Cuvée Raphaël, a striking demonstration that a simple Bordeaux appellation can produce magnificent wines, or the Cuvée Esprit, produced only when the vintage lends itself to it, based mainly on Cabernet aged 14 months in new barrels. The production is completed by white and clairet Bordeaux. Wines of character, balance and charm. A coherent, consistent range.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

On the borders of the Gironde and Dordogne departments, a Périgord-style château, built in 1570 by Pierre de Parenchère, governor of the Sainte-Foy-la-Grande region, and a vast cru (67 ha of vines), regular in quality. Raphaël Gazaniol, a winegrower repatriated from Morocco, acquired it in 1958, then passed it on to his son Jean and granddaughter Julia. In 2005, a Swedish wine enthusiast, Mr. Landin, who also owns a vineyard in Montalcino in Tuscany, bought the estate.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the domain :

Located not far from Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, in the extreme east of the Bordeaux region, the Château de Parenchère vineyard benefits from a clay-limestone terroir with a very high clay content. The sixty or so hectares planted with red grape varieties are dominated by Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) - the latter on the best exposed plots - backed up by Cabernet Franc. Planting densities are gradually being increased to over 5,000 vines per hectare. A white wine has been added to the range for several vintages now.

Wine Enthusiast