Château de Parenchère L'Equilibriste

Château de Parenchère L'Equilibriste

Wine Description

L'Equilibriste is a special cuvée that aims to magnify a very pure and expressive fruit for an immediate pleasure. Predominantly produced from Cabernet Franc, it is intended to be drunk in its early years and has been produced without added sulfites. The name symbolizes the winery's search for harmony between the classic structure of Bordeaux wines and great aromatic expression. It also illustrates their progress towards organic conversion, as well as the estate's unique geographical location; on the exact border between Bordeaux and Dordogne.

Château de Parenchère Barriques
Château and Lower Plot
Doors of the Cuvées
Per Landin, Richard Curty, and Julia Gazaniol
View of the Estate
Château de Parenchère
View of the Chateau from the Vineyard
Château de Parenchère Aerial View
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Acclaim
“Lovely innate complexity showing a hint of oyster sauce with stemmy sour cherries, black mulberries, white pepper and freshly turned earth. Juicy and sappy on the palate with medium body and a fresh, naturally succulent finish. Plenty of fruit. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec.” — James Suckling, Jul 2024
“Lovely innate complexity showing a hint of oyster sauce with stemmy sour cherries, black mulberries, white pepper and freshly turned earth. Juicy and sappy on the palate with medium body and a fresh, naturally succulent finish. Plenty of fruit. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec.” — James Suckling, Dec 2023
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard size
68 ha acres
Soil composition
chalk and clay
Elevation:
328 feet
Exposure:
East/West
Harvest time:
mid September to mid October
Bottles produced of this wine:
13,000
Average Vine Age:
25 years
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
50% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec, 25% Merlot
Fermentation container:
concrete tanks with carbon dioxide inserting
Malolactic fermentation:
full
Fining agent:
vegan
Length of aging before bottling:
4 months
Total SO2
<9
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.58
Acidity:
3.53 g/L
Alcohol:
12.5 %
Total SO2
<9
Residual sugar:
0.1 g/L
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Wine Production

The grapes are harvested early in the morning, then transported quickly to the cellar. After selective sorting, they are placed in concrete tanks with carbon dioxide inerting. Alcoholic fermentation begins quickly. Pump over occurs twice a day in order to extract mainly color and aromas until halfway through the fermentation, moving to a light pumping-over per day to limit the extraction of tannins. The wine is flowed out as soon as the fermentation of the sugars is finished. After the malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked twice before a light fining. As no sulfites are added, these operations are carried out with extreme caution in order to avoid excessive oxygenation and the development of microorganisms detrimental to the organoleptic qualities. The wine is then filtered and bottled under protection of inert gas.

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About the Vineyard

Vines with an average age of 25 years are are planted on chalky clay soils, on the estate’s best exposed plots and solely on hillsides so that rainwater drains away naturally.