Description
Château Grand Corbin-Despagne’s 2005 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru vintage is clearly one of the exceptional vintages. Everything went like a dream throughout the entire growth cycle, allowing the grapes to reach near-perfect ripeness. The wine is now characterised by its development, with a warm aromatic expression. On the palate, it is both full-bodied and dense, with a rich texture and beautiful maturity. Elegant and very silky, it develops very noble tertiary aromas such as truffle. A sure bet from Saint-Emilion!
History of Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
François Despagne, at the helm since 1996, is both a man of science (and therefore of doubt!) and of conviction. The result is a combination—logical, ultimately—of historical awareness of the terroir (the Despagnes have been cultivating it for seven generations), economic realism and the demanding choice of organic viticulture, certified in 2013. The Corbin area is a close-knit community; he is its leader, and not just because, with 29 hectares, his vineyard is the largest, but also because he has chaired the Association of Saint-Émilion Grand Crus Classés since 2019. The wines, endowed with lovely acidity, are structured, sometimes a bit austere in their youth. Each plot is treated with respect and planted on a vast terroir which, thanks to its remarkable clays—a significant proportion of which are blue—suffers less from drought. The wines develop with greater grace and depth. (source: La RVF
)
In the vineyard, in the cellar
The Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Grand Corbin-Despagne 2005 in detail:
- Location: North of the Saint-Emilion appellation, bordering Pomerol
- Region: Bordeaux
- Appellation: Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
- Area: 26.80 hectares
- Soil: Sandy-clay on iron-rich gravel and ancient sand on clay
- 2005 blend: 75% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Ageing: 50% new barrels and 50% one-year-old and two-year-old barrels
- Yield: 38 hl/ha
- Average age of the vineyard: 43 years
- Rootstocks: 101-14, 3309, Riparia
- Vineyard management: Ploughing or grass cover without any use of herbicides; vineyard managed under sustainable agriculture, monitored by AFAQ-AFNOR and certified by the Terra Vitis Charter. Converted to organic farming in 2013
- Planting density: 6,000 to 7,000 vines/ha
- Vine training: Debudding, debudding of suckers, leaf removal, thinning, deburring
- Harvest: Hand-picked into crates with four successive sorting stages
- Vinification: Various operations depending on the plot and vintage: multiple short pump-overs, racking, punching down
- Bottling: 21 months after harvest
(Source: Château Grand Corbin-Despagne 2005
)
What to eat with a 2005 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru from Château Grand Corbin-Despagne?
FOOD & WINE PAIRING
:
- Beef fillet en croûte
- Woodcock salmis
- Roast suckling lamb
