Location and Terroir
Château Tauzinat L'Hermitage is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru on the northern edge of the Saint-Émilion plateau in the Bordeaux. The estate is located near Libourne in a hilly, wooded landscape at around 95 metres above sea level. The site features a local microclimate with comparatively cool temperatures. The vineyards are on a clay-limestone plateau with red and brown clay over Astéries limestone.
Vineyards and Farming
The vineyard area covers 9 hectares. The average age of the vines is 25 years, with a planting density of 6,060 vines per hectare. The planting consists of 85 % Merlot and 15 % Cabernet Franc. The estate describes sustainable farming with ploughed or grassed soils, a mixed Guyot pruning method and manual work on the vines’ leaves, adapted to each individual plot. Since 2017, it has held the environmental certification HVE Level 3, and since 2015, an ISO-14001 certification.
Vinification and Wine
Château Tauzinat L'Hermitage is produced as a red Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. Vinification is carried out traditionally, with gentle, temperature-controlled maceration in concrete tanks. Harvest is carried out mechanically and manually; for the 2020 vintage, a mechanical harvest is given, with sorting according to ripeness, berry size and plot. The 2020 vintage comprised 93 % Merlot and 7 % Cabernet Franc. The estate describes aromas of red fruit and berries, as well as spicy, floral, mushroom-like and mineral notes and silky tannins.
Maturation and History
For the 2020 vintage, twelve months of ageing are given, 40 % of which in new French oak barrels. The general technical description gives 40 % new barrels, 20 % barrels used one or more times, and 40 % containers. Tauzinat l'Hermitage is documented on the Belleyme map from 1761 and became the property of the De Carles family in 1789. Antoine Moueix acquired the Château in 1953; according to the estate, the Moueix family has preserved and farmed it for five generations.
