2009 La Réserve de Malartic, Bordeaux, France, Pessac-Léognan

If we are to single out one figure responsible for the revitalisation of Malartic-Lagravière it is Alfred-Alexandre Bonnie. A businessman of Belgian origin, he recognised immediately that the running of the estate under Laurent-Perrier had been less than ideal. The vineyards were well-tended but the cellars and equipment were outdated; run from afar with a corporation mind-set, there had been no interested party willing to go the extra mile, to push for the improvements that were necessary if the wines produced were to be worthy of Malartic-Lagravière's cru classé status. He set out - with a multi-million budget, it has to be said - revitalising the estate, with new developments in the château which was dramatically expanded, vineyard and chai.

The vines, averaging 25 years of age and planted at 10.000 plants/ha, cover an area of 53 hectares (the estate is 60 hectares in total), of which just 7 hectares are dedicated to white grapes.

The red varieties planted include equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at 45% each, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Harvesting is manual, at a typical yield of 45 hl/ha. There is a double sorting on a vibrating table, then destemming, followed by transfer of the grapes to the refurbished vat room by gravity feed.

In the newly-equipped chai fermentation is overseen by Philippe Garcia, who trained at Haut-Brion, and is performing a plot-by-plot basis, utilising twenty stainless steel and ten oak fermenting vats, all with temperature control. Consultants Michel Rolland and Athanase Fakorellis provide advice to the Bonnie family and Philippe. Following fermentation and blending, the red wine goes into oak, of which 50-70% is new each year, for up to 22 months. The white wine sees 40-60% new oak for up to 15 months. The wines see an egg white fining before bottling.

The name of the second wine was Sillage de Malartic, another nautical reference (sillage being the wake of a boat) but it has been renamed La Réserve de Malartic in the 2007 vintage. Selection is strict, with just 60% of the harvest going into the “grands vins”, compared to a figure more like 85% under the previous regime.