Sainte Barbe

The wines at Sainte Barbe are made in a combination of cement vats and stainless steel tanks, all equiped with temperature control. During the restoration we were able to maintain the original structure of the chais, combining trdition with the most modern winemaking techniques.

Grapes are machine harvested, and then go through a careful selection process on a sorting table.

Maceration lasts for between 14 and 21 days depending on the extraction of tannins, and are pumped over twice a day during this process. The fermentation temperature is kept to 28-30°C for the reds and between 18-20°C for the Rosé, which is made by the saignée method, drawing off the grapejuice after just 6-12 hours of maceration.

The grapes for the red wines are then pressed using a vertical press with wooden staves, applying just enough pressure to extract sufficient colour without any harsh tannins.

In the case of Château Sainte Barbe, the wine then spends between 9 and 12 months in French oak barrels, of which 30% are new each year. The cave under the Château provides ideal conditions for ageing with a temperature range of 12-16°C thoughout the year. The Merlot Sainte Barbe ages in vats for 6-9 months before being bottled.

In 2004, observing how some parcels were reacting to our husbandry, we decided to produce a still higher quality wine, called 'Cuvée VSP' lowering the yield to an extreme 4 bunches of grapes per vine, using picking boxes for hand harvesting and making malolactic fermentation directly in 100% new oak barrels.

The results have exceeded even our expectations.