45 Insta-Days in Bordeaux: 3 - Chateau La Couspaude
- Luma Monteiro
- Nov 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Here we are, Wine Lovers! Day 3!!
Let the sommelier tells you the story
Château La Couspaude is a wine producer located on the limestone plateau only 500 metres from the centre of the village of St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France and It is classified as Grand Cru Classé. The small vineyard of 7 hectares (17 acres) is planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Château La Couspaude has recently risen to prominence with consumers and critics alike. The owner Jean-Claude Aubert and winemaker Vincent Rebillout have turned La Couspaude around in a relatively short period of time and they now have a reputation for producing ultra-ripe, rich, full-bodied wines.
Preparing the wine
Chateau La Couspaude is better with 3-4 years of bottle age.
They reach the peak of maturity between 5-15 years of life.
Younger vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.
Older vintages need very little decanting.
VSPIN time: young vintages – Speed 3, Spin time 3:00
Older Vintages – Speed 2, Spin time 2:00
Pour it Up, Pour it Up
Château La Couspaude is typically a blend of 75 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines, averaging 30 years old, are picked by hand and the grapes fermented in small wooden vats. Malolactic fermentation then takes place in new French oak barrels, before the wine is barrel-aged for 18–20 months.
The family Aubert, owner of the Chateau La Couspaude, has a long and successful track record making Bordeaux wine in the appellation. They have been active in St. Emilion for almost two centuries!
The chateau was built in the late 1700’s. Chateau La Couspaude has been in the Aubert family hands for over 100 years.
Several decades of work was finally rewarded in 1996 when Château La Couspaude's wine was classified as a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé.
Swirling in the glass
Smoky and beautiful, this wine brings notes of ripe dark fruits, dark cherries, licorice, chocolate and coffee (a good espresso).
Dark in color, unique, with a luxurious long finish and the oak just put everything together. Super well balanced.
Pairing
Classic meat dishes: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game and roast chicken
roasted, braised and grilled dishes
Rich fish like tuna
Mushrooms
Pasta
Understanding in figures
Area under wine
7 hectares
Production
36,000 bottles
Soil
Clay-limestone plateau with a limestone and asteriated subsoil
Grape varieties
75 % Merlot
20 % Cabernet Sauvignon
5 % Cabernet franc
Barrel ageing
16-20 months
New barrels: 80-100 %
Second wine
Junior de la Couspaude
Source: Berry Bros and Rubb, Wine-Searcher, The wine cellar insider, Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux
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