Chateau Lestignac Michel Michel

About Chateau Lestignac Michel Michel

Chateau Lestignac Michel Michel sees 3 weeks of skin contact and 7 months of aging in concrete. Gorgeous candied and stewed tangerine notes explode on the bouquet and palate. Secondary notes include citrus rind, orange blossom, and thyme. A more savory take with a lovely long mineral finish.

About Chateau Lestignac

Château Lestignac is managed by Camille & Mathias Marquet, a young couple who inherited the family farm in 2008. The farm originally included 17 hectares of vinifera vines. Still, the Marquets pared the vineyard down to the best sites. They introduced a diverse garden and livestock into the mix to develop a true polyculture complementing their conscientious, organic farming style. 2009 was their first vintage under the banner of Lestignac, and the couple began introducing biodynamic farming in 2011. In addition to the vineyard, the farm has over 200 fruit trees in addition to 80 chickens, and 20 sheep that can be found in and around the vineyards.

Half of the vineyards are on a gentle north-facing slope, with the other half on a plateau. Horses work all parcels instead of tractors or other machines. The increasing use of biodynamic preparations—including nettle, comfrey, yarrow, and wicker—has reduced the use of sulfur and copper treatments over time. Most vines are 40 to 60 years old, with selective replanting. The new vines are goblet pruned, unique in Bergerac, to provide more protection from the sun and foster a higher, natural acidity to ensure a fresher style of wine. Fermentation is always spontaneous with indigenous yeasts; nothing else is added except for a touch of sulfites at bottling. In 2017 the Marquets started a négoce brand, “Hors Les Murs,” and a project is in the works to start making ciders from the apples and pears grown on the property.