Presentation
Château Pibran estate benefits from a prestigious, 17-hectare terroir on one of Pauillac’s most beautiful hilltops.
The wines benefit from exceptional support, with the vinification process and technical monitoring both carried out by the Château Pichon Baron team.
The vintage
2021 began with a very mild but extremely wet winter, followed by dry weather from mid-February onwards.
An almost summery period in the last week of March hastened bud break, which became widespread from 25th to 26th March, 5 to 6 days earlier than usual. Periods of severe frost then occurred during the first half of April. Flowering then took place in very good weather conditions.
In June, stormy weather caused mildew pressure, requiring great vigilance. July and early August were rainy and cool. Veraison progressed slowly and was completed at the end of August.
From mid-August to mid-September, a 4-week period of dry weather boosted ripening of seeds and polyphenols. This period without rainfall allowed the Cabernets to ripen well.
Harvest
The vintage was harvested at the end of September with low yields. The harvest took place from 27th September to 1st October for the Merlot and from 30th September to 7th October for the Cabernet-Sauvignon.
Winemaking
Plot-by-plot selection is fully controlled in our wooden and stainless-steel vats, designed to adapt vinification to each parcel.
This year, we have placed even more emphasis on the quality of the fruit by extending the cold pre-fermentation period before starting fermentation with our vintage wild yeast from grapes grown in the old Cabernet-Sauvignon plots of the Plateau.
Maceration temperatures ranged from 24 to 29°C. Extractions were preferably performed during mid-fermentation, and the duration of post-fermentation maceration was refined through daily tastings.
We drew off the Merlots from 14th to 24th October and the Cabernets from 26th October to 2nd November. Malolactic fermentation continued apace in vats, allowing regular racking in separate batches. The wine was transferred to barrels in mid-November.
Ageing
40 % in new barrels, 60 % from barrels of one vintage for 18 months.
Varietals
Cabernet sauvignon : 63%
Merlot : 37%
Tasting
Château Pibran 2021 displays an intense, gleaming ruby-red colour. In the bouquet, fragrances of black cherry, Ente plum, woodiness and licorice form a fresh and complex ensemble. The attack is round and fresh, flowing into a nicely ample mouthfeel marked by pleasing tension. Floral flavours like iris, light tobacco, spices and fresh almond burst from this wine. It ends in a chalky finish that is very typical of its terroir, still tight but extremely promising.
Pierre Montégut - Technical Director - October 2023
Bottling date: May 16th 2023