Château Peybrun - Rouge Libre 2023
Château Peybrun is a family estate located on the hillsides of Cadillac, on the banks of the Garonne, where the vines overlook the valley on clay-limestone and gravelly soils. Rooted in a peasant and sincere approach, the estate works its plots with great restraint in interventions, favoring soil life and just the right maturity rather than the pursuit of power at all costs. Here, the traditional Bordeaux grape varieties find a human-scale setting, far from industrial standards, with a true desire to produce wines with identity. This philosophy naturally led the château towards freer, less formatted cuvées that let the fruit and vintage speak with minimal artifice. Rouge Libre fits precisely into this approach, as a manifesto of a gourmand, digestible, and resolutely contemporary Bordeaux.
Rouge Libre 2023 is a natural red wine from the hillsides of Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, made without oenological additives and with zero or minimal sulfur addition depending on the vintage's stability. The blend is dominated by Merlot, complemented by a touch of Cabernet, and comes from clay-limestone soils that bring freshness and fine tannins. The harvest is manual, with sorting in the vineyard to keep only healthy and well-ripened grapes, a guarantee of aromatic purity in a low-intervention vinification. In the cellar, fermentations take place with indigenous yeasts only, in tanks, to preserve the juicy profile and the sought-after "glouglou" dimension of this cuvée. Extractions are gentle, favoring fruit and smoothness rather than power and wood, and aging is done in tanks to retain the wine's energy. Rouge Libre 2023 thus positions itself as a new generation natural Bordeaux, at the crossroads of immediate pleasure wine and assumed terroir wine.
On tasting, Rouge Libre 2023 reveals a bright ruby robe with violet reflections, announcing a young and vibrant red. The nose first evokes fresh raspberry, crunchy cherry, and redcurrant, then becomes more complex with notes of violet, sweet spices, and a very seductive slight floral touch. On the palate, the attack is juicy and fluid, with immediate fruit that coats the palate without any heaviness. The acidic framework brings a lot of dynamism, the tannins are fine, supple, perfectly integrated, and the finish is frank, fresh, and very digestible, with a slight spicy return. Served slightly chilled, this wine is ideal for everyday dining, accompanied by fine charcuterie, roasted poultry, simple grilled dishes, Mediterranean vegetable cuisine, or fresh cheeses. It is particularly suited to impromptu meals, large friendly gatherings, and convivial moments where one seeks a natural, gourmand, and accessible red.
Grape varieties: 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
