1970 | Chteau Olivier | Pessac-Leognan

Description

Red Wine: 1970 | Chteau Olivier | Pessac-Leognan

This wine shows terrific balance and harmony. Quite delicate and smooth texture on the long finish.

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Producer: Chteau Olivier

Vintage: 1970

Size: 750ml

ABV: 12%

Varietal: Bordeaux Blend Red

Country/Region: France, Pessac-Leognan

This wine shows terrific balance and harmony. Quite delicate and smooth texture on the long finish.

Producer Information

Chteau Olivier is a wine estate in the Pessac-Lognan appellation south of Bordeaux city. The property was ranked as a grand cru class (for both its red and white wines) in the 1959 classification of the Graves. The estate, which covers a broad 220 hectares (540 acres) lies 14km (8.6 miles) south Bordeaux city center, just to the north of the town of Lognan. Neighbors include Chteau Brown, 1.5km (one mile) due north, and Chteau La Louvire roughly the same distance to the south. Chteau Olivier’s vineyard is sited on gravel soils over clay and limestone and extends to 60 hectares (148 acres). The vineyard has grown in recent years (from just over 50 hectares) as a geological survey in 2002 led to additional plantings and eight hectares (20 acres) of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon were added on gravelly soils at the western end of the estate. Now, there are almost 10 hectares (25 acres) of white grapes, made up of 70 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 28 percent Semillon and the remainder Muscadelle. Red varieties account for the majority of plantings and cover 50 hectares (125 acres). These are roughly split equally between Cabernet Sauvignon (50 percent) and Merlot (48 percent) with a tiny two percent of Petit Verdot. The estate used to grow Cabernet Franc but this has been pulled out. The Chteau Olivier blanc (the white wine) is fermented in barrels, one third of which are new, and spends 10 months aging on its lees. The red wine (often listed as Chteau Olivier rouge, or sometimes simply Chteau Olivier) is fermented in small stainless steel vats, fined and filtered, then aged in barrel (again one-third new oak) for 18 months. Chteau Olivier also makes a second red wine, La Seigneurerie d’Olivier, and a red and white wine under the Le Dauphin d’Olivier label. The property itself dates back to the Middle Ages when it was inhabited by the d’Olivey family and used as a feudal estate and hunting base. The actual chteau building is today classified as a historical monument. The estate is currently owned by Alexandre de Bethmann (in whose family the estate has remained since the late 19th Century) while its running is overseen by Laurent Lebrun. Production totals 160,000 bottles each vintage.