If you are looking for a wine tour which guides you through magnificent vistas of the Perigord Purple. A vineyard which stretchers as far has the eye can see, with an informative and excellent guide to the various wine process, culminating with a very pleasant tasting of the wines. This is the vineyard to go to.
Château Montdoyen was recommended by a friend of ours, Graham from Planches and Plonk, and Plonk and Plus in Belves and after tasting a bottle or two of the wines produced at the Château Montdoyen that Graham had recommended we just had to book a visit and go and see for ourselves.
Château Montdoyen is situated South West of Monbazillac in the heart of the Perigord Purple.
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The domane covers eighty three hectares, forty or which have vines being cultivated.
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Grape varieties are red grape Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The white grape varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle and Semillon.
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Grapes are harvested by hand, then maceration for about twenty four hours, pressed, rotated, strained and fermentation before the wine is aged on lees. The lees are regularly stirred and after months of attention they are ready for the next process of ageing.
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Imagine that you are taken to a dark room then the lights are switched on, oh my wow, this was the sight before us. All oak barrels labelled with the wine and date so they people know when it is ready to bottle. The very large barrel is quite special due to the fact that the grapes go straight into the barrel by a funnel at the top. When the oak barrels get too old they are sent to be used in the process of making Cognac.
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A mobile bottling plant is hired every year from a team that goes from vineyard to vineyard.
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Bottled and ready for labeling. By this time we where ready for the tasting of the various wines so onward to the tasting room.
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Here is a list and prices of the various wines they make at Château Montdoyen.
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The wine tasting room.
Check out their web site:-
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Our French Dream 