Château Laniote: Vineyards
As noted in my introduction Château Laniote is located to the north of the town of St Emilion, as the plateau slides away. It sits very close to Château Fonroque, just to the west of Château Moulin-Cadet and Château Soutard. On the other side, closer to Pomerol, lies the aforementioned Château Côte de Baleau. This places the vines of Château Laniote on the last vestiges of the clay and limestone soils of the plateau, before they give way to more sandy soils that run westwards and northwards here. The soils are relatively thin so the limestone, the region’s fabled Calcaire à Astéries, is exposed on the higher parts of the slope. Beneath this there lies the typical Molasses de Fronsadais, a conglomerate rock found across the region.
The 5-hectare vineyard is naturally dominated by Merlot, accounting for 80% of the plantings, with the balance 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines have an average age of 35 years. Much of the work required in the vineyard, from leaf-thinning to green-harvesting, is carried out by hand. The overarching viticultural philosophy is conventional though, without adherence to organic or biodynamic methods.
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