About This Vineyard
Monbazillac is an attractive village on the Dordogne River near Bergerac that produces late harvest, sweet wines using the same grape varieties and methods as the more prestigious and expensive Sauternes and Barsac. Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle are grown on clay and limestone soils which results in wines with great aromatics and intense, complex fruit characters.
Thierry Despres, owner of Grande Maison, is one of the passionate young winemakers now committed to the production of first class organic wines in Monbazillac. Thierry owns 20 hectares of south facing vineyards with siliceous clay soils loaded with small stones. His vineyards are densely planted with 5,000 vines per hectare and range in age from 14 to over 90 years of age. Thierry follows the principles of biodynamism and his vineyards are totally organic using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. His grapes are all picked by hand and, like the 1er cru Sauternes estates, Thierry picks his grapes individually or in clusters in numerous tries or pickings to ensure maximum ripeness and concentration of fruit and botrytis.