Château Sansonnet 2021

A Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe with a seductive finesse and complexity

The estate

Located northeast of Saint-Émilion, Château Sansonnet joined the elite circle of Saint-Émilion Grands Crus Classés in 2012. This beautiful property has been the subject of a vast development plan for the entire vineyard, aimed to further improve the quality of the wines. In 2009, Marie-Bénédicte Lefèvre took over the management of the estate with great ambition, passion and determination, aiming to elevate it to the height of the Saint-Emilion appellation.

The vineyard

Château Sansonnet 2021 is a Saint-Emilion wine made that stems from a 6.96-hectare single vineyard. The vines are 35 years old on average and are planted in a great terroir composed of a thin layer of clay on a limestone subsoil. Following a global approach that aims to show respect to the environment, the vines are subject to sustainable phytosanitary treatments with ploughing of the soil. The Château Sansonnet vineyard is also committed to an EMS process and is HVE Level 3 (High Environmental Value) certified.

The vintage

The 2021 vintage is marked by a particularly unstable climate. Thanks to its geographical location (92m above sea level), the vineyard was not affected by the frost episodes. Subsequently, although the strong mildew pressure was maintained thanks to the estate’s diligent teams, run-off recorded on the old Merlot grapes had an impact on yields.

Vinification and ageing

Manual harvesting in crates. Manual sorting on bunches followed by a densimetric sorting of the berries. The whole berries are transported by gravity-flow into double-walled, truncated cone-shaped vats, temperature-controlled wooden casks and 500-litre barrels for a complete vinification. Cold pre-fermentation maceration, extraction by punching down. Malolactic fermentation in barrels. Aged for 16 months in 225 and 500 litre barrels, 20 hl wooden tuns, 2 x 7.5 hl amphorae and 80% new French oak barrels.

The blend

Merlot (91%)

Cabernet Sauvignon (6%)

Cabernet Franc (3%).

Château Sansonnet 2021: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

This elegant 2021 vintage seduces with its aromatic richness, freshness and balance.