THE TERROIR AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
The environment
The soil. Over the 15 hectares of the property, the vines of Maurac are evenly distributed over two types of soil:
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Mounds of gravel composed of large pebbles and gravel deposited there successively by the bed of the Garonne ​
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A deep limestone and clay-limestone plateau
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These soils formed during very ancient geological periods (Quaternary and Eocene) guarantee the identity of the wines.
The water. Apart from the constitution of the soil, the vines of Maurac benefit from a particular climatic character: they turn their backs on the Atlantic on the west side, and look at the river on the east side. This situation between sea and estuary brings a privileged maritime climate: thermal regulation, sunshine, mixing of the winds, so many elements which will help to reach the good maturity of the grape.
Terroir
The vineyard. Heavily fragmented due to its history, it is a real mosaic made up of 23 plots whose vines are 35 years old on average.
On the mounds of gravel are planted the plots of "La Croix", "les 130", "la Cabane", "le Virage", "le Moulin". Some of these Cabernet Sauvignon vines are 65 to 70 years old.
On the clay-limestone soils, other plots are expressing themselves: "les Jumelles", "les 17", "les puces", "Brillette", "le bas des jardins", "Cayova" or "les 5600" . The youngest of these Merlot plots, sitting on fresh clay, are around 10 years old.
In Saint-Estèphe, we find the plots of Trale.
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Grape varieties, exposure, inclination, or age, these plots all have a specificity that will be expressed at the time of blending.
Harmony of the plant. In order to bring the terroir-varietal couple into line, significant work has been done to restructure the vineyard since the 2000s. Following this work of replanting and harmonization, the two historical Bordeaux grape varieties, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, flourish fully on suitable soils.
The grape varieties. Usually used as a complement to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot has a major part at Chateau Maurac. It dominates the grape varieties up to 60%. It brings the smoothness to the wines of Maurac.
Cabernet Sauvignon, present at 40%, guarantees the structure and complexity of the floral bouquet.
