Château Tirecul La Gravière - Sémillon Old Vines - Zero Dosage 2019
Château Tirecul La Gravière is an iconic address in the southwest, located on the clay-limestone slopes of Monbazillac, in the heart of a natural amphitheater ideal for great white wines. Managed with organic farming, the estate tends each plot like a garden, with deliberately low yields and precise work on the old Sémillon vines. The property became known for its benchmark sweet Monbazillac wines, but it explores with the same rigor a range of dry and sparkling wines of high precision. The slopes facing north and east, cooler exposures, offer an ideal terrain to produce elegant and taut sparkling wines. The Bilancini family thus crafts characterful cuvées that combine the natural richness of Sémillon with an unexpected crystalline freshness for the region. Sémillon Old Vines Zero Dosage 2019 is part of this quest for pure expression of the terroir, with a very contemporary interpretation of the sparkling style.
Sémillon Old Vines Zero Dosage 2019 is a sparkling wine made by the traditional method from old vines deeply rooted in the limestone and clay-limestone soils on the north face of the Tirecul valley. The harvest is entirely manual to preserve the integrity of the berries, with a rigorous selection of the finest Sémillon grapes. After gentle pressing, the first fermentation takes place slowly to maintain precision and aromatic purity. The secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, followed by a long aging on lees, around four years, which brings creamy texture, complexity, and fine bubbles. The disgorgement is done without the addition of liqueur, making it a true zero dosage, where no sweetness softens the structure. This choice embraces a straightforward, dry, very readable style, aimed at lovers of gastronomic sparkling wines and terroir wines without artifice. The 2019 vintage, ripe but well balanced, gives this cuvée a broad and aromatic base that the traditional method elegantly extends.
On tasting, it presents itself in a pale golden robe with bright reflections, animated by a cord of fine and persistent bubbles. The nose reveals a refined bouquet of yellow fruits, white peach, and mirabelle plum, complemented by notes of ripe apple, white flowers, and lightly toasted brioche, with a touch of delicate spices. On the palate, the attack is lively and precise, carried by a tonic effervescence that highlights the straightness of the zero dosage. The Sémillon brings a pulpy flesh, a sensation of volume and slight richness, immediately balanced by a taut acidic framework and a limestone minerality. The flavors evolve towards grilled notes, ripe citrus, and fine dried fruits, then the finish extends into a powerful and salivating sensation, almost chewy, leaving the palate clean. At the table, this cuvée proves ideal as a gastronomic aperitif, with oysters, seafood, sea bream tartare, or sashimi, but also with roasted poultry, grilled fish, or lightly aged hard cheeses. It will also find its place with refined bistro cuisine, around marine tapas or vegetable fritters, where its sharp freshness and complexity will play a guiding role.
Grape variety: 100% Sémillon
