From: South-West France
Varietal: Sémillon
Tasting Notes: A golden yellow wine with light, airy aromas reminiscent of the pure sweetness inherent in perfectly fresh pineapple, pear, and quince. Superb sweetness on the palate leaves a fresh finish thanks to the wine's beautiful acidity. The winemaker's experience making wine for the iconic Château d'Yquem is certainly evident in the quality of this gorgeous botrytized wine.
Pairing: We recommend drinking this wine with blue cheese, foie gras, a lemon apricot tart, poultry, or quite simply as an aperitif.
About this wine. Haut-Montravel is an appellation for sweet white wines that lies on the right bank of the Dordogne River as it flows out of the Aquitaine region of southwest France, towards Bordeaux. Château Puy-Servain exceeds the appellation's requirements, making its sweet wine from 100% botrytized Sémillon, grown on south-facing hills in the land between the Dordogne and forests to the north and east.
Grapes for this cuvée are harvested by hand in two to four passes. Chaptalization is prohibited, so the richness of this wine comes solely from the natural sugar concentrated in the grapes once they are infected with Botrytis, the fungus responsible for noble rot.
Château Puy-Servain. The estate is located high in the Montravel and Bergerac appellations, in the southwest of France. The estate takes its name, Puy-Servain, from the name of the locality Puy-Servain, which means ‘windy summit’ as it is located on a windy peak. Puy-Servain's owner and winemaker, Daniel Hecquet, honed his craft while working at Château Figeac (St. Emillion) and Château d’Yquem (Sauternes), before returning to run his third-generation family estate.
The 47 hectares of vines are sustainably farmed and are located in Bergerac, Montravel, Pécharmant, Côte de Montravel, and Haut Montravel. Haut Montravel and Côtes de Montravel are known for their sweet wines, while Montravel AOC is known for dry red and white wines. Located in the Lamothe-Montravel sector of France in the western part of Bergerac, Montravel is close to Bordeaux geographically, but its wines are more similar to those from Bergerac.
Like much of the southwest of France, Montravel’s climate is primarily influenced by the Dordogne River. The river’s gravelly banks are often the best sites for vineyards. In addition to gravel, the soils here have a lot of limestone.