Aromas are fresh with notes of baked apple, Asian pear, light citrus, stones and dried herbs. On the palate it is medium to plus in body with round texture. Flavors of lemon pastry, beeswax, honeycomb and apple. This wine is layered and complex with a long finish.

WINE INFORMATION

Graves is an appellation about 50 km long southeast of the city of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Garonne River. The name is French for gravelly terrain. It is the only region in Bordeaux famous for both red and white wines, although red wines dominate production. It has long been known for fine wines: it is the birthplace of claret, Samuel Pepys noted Ch. Haut-Brion in 1663, and Thomas Jefferson considered its wines the finest France had to offer. This estate is run by long-time owners Sylvie and Christien Auney, who changed the name from Chateau Le Chec in 2012. The estate was gradually formed by reclaiming 10 small domaines, most of which were clearings in the forest planted to vines by small farmers in the 19^th century and either abandoned or on the verge. The Auneys keep each parcel separate, since each has a distinctive terroir and ripening times vary widely. All are farmed organically and harvested manually (the only estate in the commune of La Brède to do so). The Cana cuvées, red and white, are the top wines. While Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are well known, the other two varieties are less familiar. Sauvignon Gris is quite perfumed and weightier than Sauvignon Blanc. Muscadelle, unrelated to any of the Muscats, contributes aroma and youthful fruitiness to the blend.

 Grapes for this wine usually come from a one-hectare parcel on limestone-clay and sand topsoils over deep gravel subsoils. Vines average 20 years of age. Grapes are pneumatically pressed, and the fruit ferments with indigenous yeasts in 400-liter demi-muids, 25% new. Malolactic fermentation is blocked by the wine’s naturally high acidity. It spends nine months on the lees in demi-muid, with frequent batonnage. If necessary, the wine may be fined with bentonite and plate filtered. Production was about 4,000 bottles

Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Fish (white), Fondue, Green Salads, Just for Cocktailing, Shellfish, Thai or Vietnamese