Chateau Tirecul La Graviere

Château Tirecul La Gravière is a wine estate in the Monbazillac region of southwest France. It is best known for its dessert wines, which rival and often surpass Sauternes in quality. This highly respected estate was created as recently as 1992, when Bruno and Claudie Bilancini leased 9 hectares of one of the region’s leading vineyards - a site historically regarded as one of the region’s Premier Crus. Bruno, a trained oenologist, had previously worked at the local co-operative. They bought the 400-year-old estate five years later in 1997, and now have 16 hectares (40 acres) under vine.

The estate’s production is based around four principal wines that are produced in most years, a dry white IGP Périgord named Cuvée Andrea and three Dessert wines from the Monbazillac appellation. The Dessert wines increase in concentration and Dessertness from the “entry-level” Les Pins, through the Cuvée Chateau, finishing with their, intensely-Dessert, top-wine the Cuvée Madame. The latter is made only from individually-picked, botrytis-affected berries. Also produced are limited quantities of red Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot blends, dry whites and sparkling wines. These are predominantly sold on the local market. During the early 2000s the Bilancinis also briefly produced a Pomerol at Château Feuilleraie.

The estate uses a high proportion of Muscadelle in their wines. Bruno Bilancini argues the quality of Monbazillac’s Muscadelle is higher than that found in Bordeaux, as the vine-stock in Monbazillac is largely virus-free. Therefore instead of simply comprising a tiny proportion of the assemblage, Muscadelle makes up around 40 percent of the blend for Les Pins, increasing to approximately 60 percent of the blend for the Cuvée Madame. The remaining balance of these blends is predominantly Semillon with just tiny amounts of Sauvignon Blanc added, if any is used at all. The exact proportion of each variety in a given blend is unknown as the varieties are picked and fermented together. The estate has two soil-types clay and limestone, comprising some of the best hillside slopes of the region. When Bruno and Claudie bought the property, it was in a badly neglected condition, but there were a high proportion of old vines and the soils had never been treated with chemical fertilizers.

The couple have extended the estate and now cultivate 16 hectares. As part of their expansion of their vineyards the Bilancinis have also planted Chenin experimentally. Currently this is used in their sparkling wines and a dry white blend called Ulma. They have always farmed using environmentally-friendly methods, deciding to adopt organic farming in 2009. Certification was achieved for all their vineyards from 2012. All the wines produced here are fermented using indigenous yeasts, and all the premium wines receive extended periods ageing in French oak barrels. The top Dessert wines spend two years in new oak while the Les Pins and Cuvée Andrea are barrel-aged for 18 months, utilizing progressively smaller proportions of new oak.