Situated 40 kilometers southeast of the city of Bordeaux, Château La Rame is among the oldest and most renowned properties in the Sainte Croix du Mont appellation. The house and chai sit on a hill overlooking the Garonne River. The estate was the property of the Baron de Vertheuil, Governor of the Ile d’Oleron, after the French Revolution. It has been recognized throughout its history as one of the prime sites for producing outstanding wine (gold medals at exhibitions in Bordeaux in 1895 and in Paris in 1900). The property was purchased by Claude Armand, the father of the current owner, Yves Armand, at a time when the appellation had fallen out of favor. The Armand family has undertaken to re-establish Sainte Croix du Mont as an appellation of merit set to rival the great estates of Sauternes and Barsac. We have represented Château La Rame in the US market since the 1989 vintage.
The vineyards are planted 75% to Semillon and 25% to Sauvignon Blanc with an average age of 50 years (as of 2011).
The 20 hectares of Château La Rame are set on a clay-limestone soil blessed with an exceptional substratum marked by a bed of fossilized oysters dating from the Tertiary era. The hillside vineyards overlook the Garonne River and face full south as they slope down towards the river. The vineyards are planted 75% to Semillon and 25% to Sauvignon Blanc with an average age of 50 years (as of 2011). It is from these vineyards that the Bordeaux Blanc Sec (Sauvignon) and the Sainte Croix du Mont “vin liquoreux” is produced. On the sandier soils of the property where the land slopes toward the river, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are planted and are used to produce a Bordeaux Rouge and Bordeaux Rosé. An additional six hectares are sited on a hillside around the neighboring village of Monprimblanc. Here, the Armand family produces a Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux Rouge from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Treatments
No herbicide, synthetic treatments only when necessary
Ploughing
Annual ploughing to maintain vineyard health
Soils
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on limestone-clay, White varieties on limestone soil rich in fossilized oysters.
Vines
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on limestone-clay, White varieties on limestone soil rich in fossilized oysters.
Yields
Controlled through pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest. Yields average 20-30 hl/ha, well below the appellation’s maximum of 40 hl/ha.
Harvest
From late August to late October. Manual for white grapes and Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon harvested by Machine.
PURCHASING
Entirely estate fruit
Fermentation
Rosé, dry white, and red wines are totally de- stemmed and ferment with indigenous yeasts in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts 3-4 weeks. Sainte Croix du Mont Réserve du Château ferments with indigenous yeasts in barrel (30% new). Sainte Croix du Mont Tradition ferments with indigenous yeasts in stainless-steel tank (50%) and barrel (50%) (30% new).
Extraction
White wines see regular bâtonnage during élevage; red wines see punchdowns and pumpovers during fermentation.
Chaptalization
None
Pressing
Pneumatic pressing
Malolactic Fermentation
Spontaneous for red wines, in tank following alcoholic fermentation. White wines do not go through malolactic (blocked by wines’ naturally high acidity)
Élevage
Dry white and rosé wines age 3-6 months in stain- less-steel tank. Bordeaux rouge ages 18 months in stainless-steel tanks (90%) and neutral barrel (10%). Cadillac Côtes de Bor- deaux Rouge ages 18 months in barrel (30% new). Sainte Croix du Mont Tradition ages 18 months in stainless-steel tank (50%) and barrel (30% new). Sainte Croix du Mont Réserve du Château ages 18 months in barrel (30% new).
LEeS
Red wines remain on their lees until the end of malolactic. White and rosé wines remain on their fine lees until bottling.
FINING & FILTRATION
Bentonite fining, diatomaceous earth filtration
SULFUR
Applied after malolactic and at bottling, 20-25 mg/l free for red, rosé, and dry white wines; 35 mg/l free for sweet wines