Château Montlandrie: Vineyards
The estate sits on the very outskirts of the town of Castillon-la-Bataille, just to the north of the railway line as it slices through the suburbs. As such it sits right on the slope and top of the limestone plateau, at an altitude of 86 metres, the buildings of the town crammed together on the thin strip of alluvial land below. A walk up the slope here is an energetic one, the limestone bluff in Castillon no less impressive than any in St Emilion, but it is worth the effort; once atop the plateau you have some excellent views across the rooftops to the waters of the Dordogne and the countryside beyond. The vines are gathered around the aforementioned windmill (pictured).
There are 12 hectares to the estate, the soils underfoot are a colluvial mix of sand and gravel with clay, but they are very shallow (generally less than a metre) and beneath is the classic limestone of the region, the calcaire de Castillon. Deeper still is the molasses de Fronsadais, both strata that run west beneath the plateau of St Emilion. The vines are planted at a density of 6,000 vines per hectare. As indicated in my introduction the varietal profile of the vineyard has changed dramatically since Denis took the estate in hand in 2009, and is now 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
