Domaine de Cantemerle – Famille Mabille

Laurent et Christophe Mabille

9, domaine de Cantemerle

33240 Saint-Gervais

Tél. : +33 (0)5 57 24 60 02

vins.mabille@9business.fr

www.domaine.cantemerle.com

Domaine de Cantemerle, great wine from Côtes de Bourg and Bordeaux Supérieur

Getting to know Domaine de Cantemerle in the Côtes de Bourg appellation

In 2005, the Domaine de Cantemerle became a pilot estate under the management of the Mabille family, thanks to its commitment to environmental winegrowing practices - which earned it early certification as a Qualified Farm under the “Agriculture Raisonnée” label. The Mabille brothers, Christophe and Laurent, have made this commitment to environmental protection a veritable trademark of the estate. The estate, taken over by the two brothers in 1998, produces serious, playful wines with distinctive aromas and flavors.

Domaine de Cantemerle: an original signature inspired by characterful soils.

Typicity in its purest form! That's what it's like to smell and taste the full range of wines produced by the MABILLE family. Located on the Right Bank in Saint-Gervais, in the foothills of the Dordogne, at the beginning of the Bourgeais region, EARL Vignobles Mabille is a dynamic family business. Although the blood of the vine has been flowing through the family's veins since 1803 - a fairly old tradition - it wasn't until 1998 that Colette, Christian, Laurent and Christophe decided as a family to take over the 45 hectares (including 30 in a single block) of Domaine de Cantemerle, an estate with a long tradition of winegrowing dating back to the 19th century.

Conveniently located on the 669 departmental road leading to the Bourgeais and Blayais regions - an asset for the development of wine tourism, to which the estate is very committed - the estate produces distinctive, characterful wines in two complementary appellations: Bordeaux Supérieur and Côtes de Bourg. The estate borders the southernmost part of the Côtes de Bourg appellation, and therefore the northernmost part of the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation.

Restructuring to provide reliable buildings and equipment.      

In 1998, after a few on-site visits, two things became clear: the estate's vineyard was in perfect condition, but deserved to be further enhanced with infrastructure that didn't exist at the time (machine buildings, innovative vat room, etc.). For the major asset - and the charismatic in-house consultant of the time, Georges Pauly (director of Gruaud Larose in Saint-Julien) was not mistaken - is that it possesses a variety of soil characteristics found in other appellations of greater renown. Soil/subsoil combinations - clay plano soils, Fronsadais molasse and asteriated limestone slopes (as in Saint-Emilion), fine gravel on clay - reveal an incredible diversity and suggest the possibility of making wines of character with a variegated aromatic style (mainly in concrete vats). Varied by the grape varieties planted, dominated by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec (1%) and Petit Verdot (1%). All these hilly plots of land can be used to create wines with nuances of color and distinctive flavors; amazing bottles such as the incredible “Grains du Terroir” cuvée (AOC Bordeaux Supérieur), whose blend of 5 grape varieties guarantees fruity sensations, complex and surprisingly long on the palate, often with mineral and spicy notes. The estate has built its reputation on this wine. Barrel-ageing on fine lees for both reds and rosés in the AOC Bordeaux rosé (a bewildering, long-lasting rosé dominated by Cabernet Franc and Malbec), brings fatness without heaviness and maintains a fruitiness that is never disturbed by barrel-ageing, here in two magnificent cellars (500 barrels) where homemade sculptures take pride of place, as if to remind us that wine is also a matter of art, even aesthetics. Concentration and its excesses are banished here. The result of this wisdom is freshness in the glass, and we're asking for more!

“Less pollution, more respect for the vineyard”.

Domaine de Cantemerle is, so to speak, at the forefront of ecological viticulture. Indeed, one of the Mabille family's major concerns is hygiene and the environment. According to Laurent and Christophe, every farmer “contributes to the upkeep of the landscape. The same goes for the winegrower”. Healthy vines, healthy wines, satisfied customers. A way of summing up a very real situation: customers are increasingly demanding transparency in what they have in their glasses. And the fact that these customers are getting involved in this area is beneficial for the professionals. Domaine de Cantemerle is convinced of the merits of an ecological policy that considers the vine as a whole. Eliminating unnecessary consumption, reducing inputs, working the soil, controlled grassing, increasing leaf area, controlling yields on a plot-by-plot basis, wine traceability and hygiene with HACCP-type monitoring... Gradually moving from “lutte raisonnée” (organic practices combining authorized products to the exclusion of others) to integrated pest management, the Mabilles were rightly awarded Exploitation en Agriculture Raisonnée certification on November 7, 2005, as well as Terra Vitis certification in 2008. This is a rare achievement to date, and rewards the estate for its pragmatism and spirit of innovation in terms of hygiene and traceability (ISO 14000 standard) from vine to glass. On the estate, which produces more than 500 hectolitres (340,000 bottles for all wines), the Mabilles have installed a sophisticated and original effluent treatment plant (for machine and cellar wash water); it's true that the 1960 rural law required the installation of such a facility. Bio-tanks are used to treat phytosanitary effluents, combined with a purification station where reeds ensure autonomous management of the entire process. There are tools available to help us be efficient in this area, and this is the case at Domaine Mabille. This commitment to a comprehensive, straightforward environmental policy has earned the estate a reputation as an innovator in the sector, as well as a pilot property.

A vineyard, a passion, a people.

The Mabille family hasn't waited for wine tourism in Gironde to become a fad or a sine qua non for better wine sales. To showcase the work of the land and demonstrate just how fragile the vineyard environment is - if human action is thoughtless - the family is always ready to welcome consumers to the property. Here, the welcome is part of this global approach to consumer support. A signatory to the “Vignobles et Chais en Gironde” welcome charter, which makes their professionalism official, the Mabille family's original feature is a permanent photo exhibition on the theme of “a human Terroir”. It's here that everyone will be able to grasp the extent of man's responsibility towards his winegrowing environment.

Domaine de Cantemerle's wine profile.

All these efforts have enabled the Mabille brothers to quickly produce wines of good quality that taste well. In the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation, their various productions have even received critical acclaim. The domaine produces wines in the Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux Blanc and Bordeaux Rosé appellations. Two wines in particular exemplify the family's commitment to quality, whose relentless environmental policy has finally paid off in the form of stunning wines that taste of their place: “Grains du Terroir” and “Esprit de Canté” (a garage-wine-style micro-cuvée with confidential production). With a well-thought-out range at attractive prices (between 4 and 8 euros), consumers are sure to find what they're looking for here.

Domaine de Cantemerle's great vintages:

1998-2000-2001-2003-2005-2009-2010-2015-2016-2018-2019-2020