Bordeaux Rouge
The Domaine du Pas-Saint-Georges, which
dominates the valley of the Garonne, has one of the most beautiful panoramas
in the Bordeaux area. The view stretches across the Landes region as far as
the Pyrenees which local people say they can actually see when the weather
is right. This 18-hectare property has been reconstituted on hills overlooking
the Pas Saint-Georges, a spot which not so long ago was defended by a fortified
tower, and where the road becomes squeezed between the Garonne river and the
heights where the Entre-deux-Mers region begins. On slopes exposed to the
south and south-west, this 12-hectare vineyard benefits from an exceptionally
sunny situation, a soil composed to a large extent of gravel, where the estate’s
ancient name "Gravérons" comes from and which was for a long time quarried
for graval on its northern slopes. This vineyard is planted with traditional
grape-varieties: Merlot and Cabernet for the reds; Sémillon, Muscadelle and
Sauvignon for the whites. The owner of Pas-Saint-Georges also manages the
Château Mont-Joye vineyard in the Sauternes appellation, commune of Barsac.
After the pressings have been carefully selected, the red wine (A.O.C. Bordeaux),
as well as the Sauternes, is stored in new oak barrels for two Winters before
bottling. Contrary to popular opinion, only oak in its new state can, due
to its tannins, ensure that the wines keep perfectly, and at the same time
it bestows on them a very special, choice aroma. For the dry white wines,
on the other hand, short storage-time in stainless-steel tanks with bottling
carried out the following spring; this technique preserves in the dry white
wine all its aroma and fruity qualities. It must be served at a temperature
of about 15°.