1970 | Château Olivier | Pessac-Leognan
Red Wine: 1970 | Château Olivier | Pessac-Leognan
This wine shows terrific balance and harmony. Quite delicate and smooth texture on the long finish.
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Producer: Château Olivier
Vintage: 1970
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend Red
Country/Region: France, Pessac-Leognan
Detailed Description
This wine shows terrific balance and harmony. Quite delicate and smooth texture on the long finish.
Producer Information
Château Olivier is a wine estate in the Pessac-Léognan appellation south of Bordeaux city. The property was ranked as a grand cru classé (for both its red and white wines) in the 1959 classification of the Graves. The estate, which covers a broad 220 hectares (540 acres) lies 14km (8.6 miles) south Bordeaux city center, just to the north of the town of Léognan. Neighbors include Château Brown, 1.5km (one mile) due north, and Château La Louvière roughly the same distance to the south. Château Olivier’s vineyard is sited on gravel soils over clay and limestone and extends to 60 hectares (148 acres). The vineyard has grown in recent years (from just over 50 hectares) as a geological survey in 2002 led to additional plantings and eight hectares (20 acres) of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon were added on gravelly soils at the western end of the estate. Now, there are almost 10 hectares (25 acres) of white grapes, made up of 70 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 28 percent Semillon and the remainder Muscadelle. Red varieties account for the majority of plantings and cover 50 hectares (125 acres). These are roughly split equally between Cabernet Sauvignon (50 percent) and Merlot (48 percent) with a tiny two percent of Petit Verdot. The estate used to grow Cabernet Franc but this has been pulled out. The Château Olivier blanc (the white wine) is fermented in barrels, one third of which are new, and spends 10 months aging on its lees. The red wine (often listed as Château Olivier rouge, or sometimes simply Château Olivier) is fermented in small stainless steel vats, fined and filtered, then aged in barrel (again one-third new oak) for 18 months. Château Olivier also makes a second red wine, La Seigneurerie d’Olivier, and a red and white wine under the Le Dauphin d’Olivier label. The property itself dates back to the Middle Ages when it was inhabited by the d’Olivey family and used as a feudal estate and hunting base. The actual château building is today classified as a historical monument. The estate is currently owned by Alexandre de Bethmann (in whose family the estate has remained since the late 19th Century) while its running is overseen by Laurent Lebrun. Production totals 160,000 bottles each vintage.