Domaine Alain Chabanon - Le Petit Merle aux Alouettes 2018
Alain Chabanon, son of teachers, was not predestined to work the vine. But after his first harvest at the age of 14 and graduate studies in agronomy in Bordeaux, Alain Chabanon did internships in wine chateaux and made decisive meetings with their cellar masters. Subsequently, he specialised in oenology and worked with renowned winemakers. In the early 1990s, he bought his first vines in Montpeyroux in Languedoc. Today he owns 17 hectares of vines with plots spread over five villages. Domaine Alain Chabanon has been certified in organic farming since 2002 and in biodynamics since 2011.
Le Petit Merle aux Alouettes is made from Merlot, the average age of which is 29 years. The manual harvests are sorted and placed in tanks by gravity. The wine making is traditional alternating punching down and pumping over and the maceration lasts from 4 to 5 weeks. Aging lasts 10 months in stainless steel tanks. It is recommended to uncork it, or even to decant it at least 2 hours before tasting.
Grape variety: 100% Merlot