Château Hanteillan

CHATEAU HANTEILLAN

Haut-Médoc

CHATEAU HANTEILLAN

Haut-Médoc

Take the Médoc wine route from Bordeaux, then cross the municipal appellations until Saint-Estèphe, and just a stone’s throw from Lafite, Mouton and Cos d’Estournel, enter the beating heart of the Hanteillan vineyard.

Tell me who your neighbours are, and I’ll tell you who you are…

With the limestone massif of Saint-Estèphe to the north and the clay gravel soils of Pauillac to the south: Hanteillan plays a double hand, and the game has started.

The single 80-hectare vineyard extends over two valleys, on limestone clay and marl slopes. The slopes enjoy different levels of exposure to sunlight.

Chiselled topography with distinct soils, different exposures and four grape varieties including Malbec, is the recipe for Hanteillan’s identity. Well managed diversity becomes complexity and gustatory richness.

We strive to limit human intervention, both during vinification and maturing, and are proud to transmit the emotion of terroir through our grape varieties. So, the game is played out in the vineyard. Since 2012, Hanteillan has rejuvenated itself through a vineyard makeover. Every year, the fruit of 3 hectares of young vines enter the cellar, set to give only the very best. The task has been colossal for this timeless, much beloved brand, able to hold its own in top-notch bistrots and star-rated restaurants, alike.

History

Listed, since the 12th century, as one of the properties of the Abbey of Vertheuil, under the direction of Pope Alexander III. The property was later acquired by a family of landowners who made it one of the appellation’s first Crus Bourgeois. Several noble families went on to occupy the property. In 1972, Mathieu Blasco, a captain of industry from Limousin, acquired the estate, now owned by his daughter, Catherine Blasco. The estate was classified as Crus Bourgeois Supérieur in 2003.

The Château has been under the technical direction of Antoine Moueix Properties since 2012. The vineyard has undergone a complete overhaul, promoting quality and upgrading wine ranges, to create the very best Cru Bourgeois, while at the same time, preparing the estate for the future generation: “the princesses”, Catherine Blasco’s daughters.

Vineyard and cellar

Château Hanteillan vineyard is located on the “Saint-Estèphe” limestone massif, on clay-limestone soil, with marl and gravel.

The single, 76-hectare vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

A patchwork of ancient terroir

The vineyards thrive on a patchwork of ancient terroir. Chiselled topography and varied exposures. The complex soils are composed of gravel, clay and white marl, set on the famous Saint-Estèphe limestone massif.

Harvesting at optimal maturity

Grapes are harvested at optimal maturity thanks to regular berry tasting. Then, sorted on a roller table to select the very best grapes, thus guaranteeing the flawless quality of the future wine.

Discover Château Hanteillan’s terroir in video

Discover Château Hanteillan’s terroir

Vinification and maturing hold no secrets

The estate’s vat room houses concrete and stainless-steel tanks, all temperature-controlled, with a capacity ranging from 12 to 250 hectolitres.
The wine team practices minimal intervention, for enhanced natural, simple vinification.

Grapes are not pre-crushed, since the filling of the vat is enough to crush the berries. Fermentation starts spontaneously, and temperature rises slowly to reach 28 °C. Extraction is carried out by pumping over, as defined by the cellar master each morning. Racking is sometimes carried out at the heart of the fermentation process. Full separation of juice from skin makes it possible to create new zones of contact between the juice and the cap. We believe in minimal intervention, while respecting plant matter and gentle wine making techniques. Duration of vatting varies from one vat to another: tasting guides us in keeping young wine under the cap. While most of the second fermentation takes place in vats, some will use new French oak barrels, made by a panel of coopers, selected annually according to the characteristics of the vintage. Barrel tasting is used to make optimal choices for the barrel maturing process.

Farming

Malolactic fermentation takes place in new barrels and vats, with stirring on lees for continued release of wine’s aromas and flavours. Wine is then matured in barrels for 16 months: 10% in new barrels, 50% in one-wine barrels, 25% in two-wine barrels, and the remaining 15% in vats. We greatly favour barrel maturing for wine. Our wine must be able to express itself. Expression of a site, of a terroir. Wood should be an enhancer without usurping the personality of the wine. Thus, choice of wood is redefined each year.

Philippe Marchal

Estate and development manager for Château Hanteillan

Estate’s Technical Information

APPELLATION : Haut-Médoc
DISTINCTION : Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
LOCATION : Cissac, near Saint-Estèphe and Gironde. 15 metres altitude.
CLIMATE : Temperate and oceanic
GRAPE VARIETIES : Merlot (63%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Petit Verdot (4%)
SURFACE AREA OF THE VINEYARD : 40 hectares
TERROIR : Saint-Estèphe limestone massif, white marl, clays, Miocene sands
PLANTATING DENSITY : 9,000 à 6,600 vines / hectares
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES : 30 years
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES : Soil maintenance by ploughing, winter plant cover, organic compost, use of biocontrol, deployment of alternative control methods (essential oils, clay, talc), leaf thinning
HARVESTING : mechanical, sorting on a roller table
VINIFICATION : stainless steel and thermo-regulated concrete tanks from 12 hectolitres to 250 hectolitres
MATURING: 10% in new barrels, 50% in one-wine barrels, 25% in two-wine barrels, 15% in vats
CONSULTANT OENOLOGIST : Stéphane Derenoncourt
CERTIFICATIONS : ISO 14001

Château d’Hanteillan

Located at an altitude of 15 metres, the vines grow on the limestone massif of Saint-Estèphe with white marl, clays and Miocene sands, as well as some gravelly outcrops. The cuvée is traditionally vinified in temperature-controlled concrete and stainless-steel vats and matured in French oak barrels, for between 14 and 16 months. An explosion of wild fruits (blackberries and blueberries) on the palate is dominant when the wine is tasted young. A wine of great richness, marked by savoury tannins and magnified by aromatic complexity, revealing spicy hints of cloves and vanilla. Smoky and floral notes (dried rose petals) are revealed after a few years in the bottle.

AOC : Haut Médoc
Distinction : Cru Bourgeois
Grape varieties : 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Serving temperature : 16 to 18°C
Cellar potential : between 5 and 10 years

VINTAGES

Princesses d’Hanteillan

Princesses d’Hanteillan is named after the fourth generation of the Blasco family. It is the second wine of Château Hanteillan, made from recently redeveloped plots, thus from the youngest vines. The vineyards grow contentedly on the Saint-Estèphe massif, on white marl clays and Miocene sands. Traditional vinification in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats followed by followed by maturing in stainless steel vats or wood (French oak). Rich aromas of sun-ripened blackcurrants, cherries and plums, with underlying notes of spice and coffee. The palate is juicy with sweet fruitiness, fine intensity and good texture. Tannins are velvety and reveal themselves through the long finish.

AOC : Haut Médoc
Grape varieties : 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon
Serving temperature : 16 to 18°C
Cellar potential : between 2 and 5 years

VINTAGES

2016

2017

2018

Château Hanteillan
33250 Cissac-Médoc