Château Les Charmes-Godard: Vineyards
As already noted in my profile, the vines of Château Les Charmes-Godard are located close to the hamlet of Godard, in the valley of Saint-Cibard, less than a kilometre south of Francs itself.
The vineyard is far from expansive; up until the 2019 vintage the area dedicated to vines had risen to 6.6 hectares, all for the white cuvée, with a much smaller area dedicated to red. Due to vineyard restructuring, however, in the 2021 vintage this figure was reduced to 4.44 hectares, all of which are currently in production. Only a percentage of the crop is utilised for the grand vin, however, so the supply of bottled wine is in reality much more restricted than even these small figures might suggest.
The varieties planted at Château Les Charmes-Godard are dominated by Semillon, which accounts for approximately 60% of the vineyard. The remainder is all Sauvignon, with Sauvignon Blanc accounting for 25%, and Sauvignon Gris making up the final 15%. Looking back at some old notes suggests to me that there was once also some Muscadelle planted here, although that is not apparently the case today. Key to the style here is that Semillon is the dominant variety; this is transmitted through to the wine, distinguishing it from the white wine of Château Puygueraud which is a blend purely of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. The vines are in many cases of a good age, often more than 70 years, and naturally the old-vine fruit constitutes the heart of the blend.
