Château Montfollet - Intense (sans sulfites ajoutés) 2019

The 67 hectares of vineyards on this family-owned estate overlook the Gironde estuary, directly across from Margaux’s most prestigious wines. Committed to unlocking the potential of these magnificent terroirs while respecting the environment, Dominique Raimond employs every possible method of cultivation and winemaking to produce a great wine from the Blaye region. The whites are generally very aromatic, with lovely structure and a perfect balance of freshness. The Côtes-de-Bourg “Cuvée Altus” is always top-notch, as is the grand vin from Blaye-Côtes-de-Bordeaux. A flagship estate in both appellations. Montfollet is part of the Châteaux Solidaires association, which brings together ten winemakers from the Blayais region who maintain their own identities while sharing cellars and equipment in a cooperative spirit. Château Haut-Prieur is part of this association, and its 2016 vintage is superb.

Château Montfollet, one of the leading estates in the Blaye and Bourgeais regions, has been managed since 1991 by Dominique Raimond, who also owns several other châteaux: Haut Lalande, Graulet, Merigot, Haut Grela, and Puy d’Amour. Dominique Raimond is a member of the Cars cooperative (founded in 1937), renamed “Châteaux solidaires” in 2011, which vinifies the harvests of about ten member châteaux—all of which are selected through a very rigorous process—separately.