Chateau Belles Graves
Domain : Chateau Belles Graves
Winegrower : Xavier Piton
Town : Néac
Region : Bordeaux
Appellation(s) : Lalande de Pomerol
Cultivated space : 17 ha
Production : 100 000 btles
Soil(s) : Clay-Gravelly
The philosophy of the domain :
Situated on a gravely mound facing south, the vineyard of Château Belles-Graves covers
an area of 17 hectares planted with Merlot (88%) and Cabernet Franc (12%). Property of
the THEALLET family since 1938, the estate is managed today by Xavier PITON, the
grandson of the founder. The variety of exposures, levels and type of soils from top to
bottom and east to west of the hill, offers a wide range of expressions, that bring in the
final blending the signature of this historical estate.
Mode of driving of the vineyard, wine-making and ageing :
The manner in which the vines are grown remains traditional. The ground is ploughed
mechanically. The harsh Guyot pruning the vines receive along with the de-budding allow
the yield to be controlled; 45-50 Hl averagely per hectare, from a density of vine plants of
around 6600 on average in the same area. When necessary a leaf-thinning during the
summer period will help improving the ripening process, in order to get the perfect
balance at the harvest time. The harvest is made partly by machine and partly by hand,
depending on the age of the vineyard. Each field will be picked at its best level of
ripeness.The vinification is carried out in temperature-controlled concrete tanks. The
period of time the wine spends in the tanks depends entirely on the year, but remains
there for an average of 25 days. Following the running-off, the wines are returned to the
tanks for malo-lactic fermentation; then they are racked and put into barrels. We use
new wood, chastened, to preserve the subtlety of the grapes own qualities and we
include barrels used once and twice before. The wines spend 12 months here during
which they are subject of constant attention.