OUR PHILOSOPHY

HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE!

In the former hunting grounds of Richard the Lionheart, we proudly continue the winemaking tradition of the Cahors region with deep respect. This tradition has been rooted here since the Roman Empire.
We rely on the AOP-certified Malbec grape, valued for its distinctive expression. Our vineyard follows strict organic standards, aging hand-selected wines in barrels according to time-honored methods. Rather than focusing on high-yield young vines, we cultivate mostly over 40-year-old vines that cover nine of our eleven hectares. This gives our wines a robust and distinctive character. In this way, the quality and heritage of our vineyards remain at the heart of our work.

Our range includes three different red wines:
  • N° 3: 100% Malbec matured in finest and new made Barrique barrels for at least two years
  • N° 6: 100% Malbec matured in Barrique barrels for 15 to 20 months
  • N° 9: A cuvée of 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot, aged in stainless steel tanks

 

For decades, our wines have received numerous awards and, since 2013, have been ECOCERT organic certified. As recently as 2024, we were awarded eight gold medals at the Berlin Wine Trophy: our N° 3 from the 2016 and 2018 vintages and our N° 6 from the 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 vintages were recognized.

The Terroir

The Terroir in Cahors consist of three terraces, which are rich in limestone and clay. At Château la Gineste we are predominately located on the second Terrace. To produce the best wines possible, the vines, planted in the 1980s, are exeptionally deeply rooted in the soil. The other plants, such as clover, alfalfa and saltpetre vetch, take away the nutrients from the upper layers, which means that the vines have to root deeper and thus reach the more valuable layers in the soil, which consist of limestone and clay. 

The work in the vineyard 

The vines are pruned using the single guyot method. This means that there is a short root and a long strech on the vine. The last year's strech is cut off and a new one is wrapped around the wire. The fruit branch closest to the root is left on and shortened to 6 -12 eyes. Afterwards it is wrapped around the lowest wire. Every year in July, a green harvest or thinning takes place. When thinning, the grapes are deliberately reduced. This reduction of grapes on a vine causes the remaining grapes to have a more intense and better quality, as they receive more nutrients. As protection against various external influences, we use a Brodeaux mixture with well thought-out copper management. The yield we get per hectare from our vineyard is in most cases even less than 30hl per hectare.

 

The Vinification  

After the grapes are brought to the Château and sorted they are put into vats. The most and grapes are kept in the vats together and rotated daily to ensure a good blend. The vinification takes place at 28°C to ensure a very gentle extraction of the tannins. After a successful vinification the malolactic fermentation takes place either in vats or oak barrels, depending on the different wines. After the successful ageing of the wine it is bottled without filtration at the Château.