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The beautiful Louis XIII-styled Château Falfas is one of the four great crus of Bordeaux’s Côtes de Bourg. Rebuilt in 1612 on foundations that date back to the Hundred Years’ War, this historic château is situated on the Right Bank of the Gironde River, amid picturesque slopes and hillsides that far outshine the flats of the famous Médoc across the river. Véronique Cochran farms 20 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Malbec on the pedigreed calcaire à astéries, clay and silica soil over a deep limestone bedrock of fossilized oysters—the classic combination for growing great wines in Bordeaux.
Véronique, along with her now-deceased husband, John, began farming biodynamically in 1988, which stands to reason: she is the daughter of biodynamic pioneer, researcher, author and viticultural consultant François Bouchet. While this return to ancient farming practices is growing in other regions throughout France, Château Falfas remains somewhat of an anomaly in the Côtes de Bourg. With an average vine age of 35 years, yields tend to be low at 35 to 45 hl/ha. The crop is harvested by hand when each varietal has reached the peak of its maturation, and the grapes are sorted in both the vineyard and winery.
'Le Chevalier' is comprised of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. This is the estate's reserve wine sourced from 75+ year old vines.