Chateau Lyonnat Saint Emilion 1996

Today, Gerard and Brigitte Milhade manage The Chateau Lyonnat which comprises over 128 acres of vineyard in the Lussac Saint Emilion Appellation. The estate’s treasure is a vast 25 acres limestone vineyard with a South, South-East exposure, very similar to the Saint-Emilion plateau. The other parts of the estate are divided into typical clay-limestone and limestone soils.

In the vineyard, the grape variety takes into account the cold character of the soil. Merlot now dominates with 90% of the vines, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have been lowered to 10% to produce pressed rosé wines.

In the cellar, Chateau Lyonnat has not succumbed, like many other areas, to "all stainless": on the contrary, they chose to keep all its custom-made concrete tanks, which help the winemaker achieve a distinct style.