1962 | Château Coufran | Haut-Medoc

Detailed Description

A wine of distinctive character with great cellaring potential. Surprising aromas of fruit and spices. Lots of body and brilliance thanks to the Merlot from the old vines picked at their optimal ripeness. Full-bodied and flavoursome.

Producer Information

Château Coufran is an estate in the Haut-Médoc region of Bordeaux. In contrast to the majority of their Left Bank neighbors, the grand vin is a Merlot-predominant Bordeaux blend, with only around 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate is located to the north of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, a town near Saint-Éstephe. The vines have an average age of 50 years and are planted on gravelly soils on a low hillside close to the Gironde estuary. There is one single 76-hectare (188 acre) block on mainly gravel and clay soils. In the winery, vinification is carried out in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. After drawing-off to concentrate flavor and color, the juice undergoes fermentation and malolactic fermentation. The Coufran wine ages for 12 months in French oak barrels, a quarter of which are new. This is followed by fining, final blending and bottling-ageing. About two-thirds of production goes into the grand vin each year. Some lots make up the second wine which, straightforwardly, is called “No. 2 de Coufran”. Château La Rose Maréchale is made from the younger vines at the estate. The Miailhe family have been proprietors here since 1924. The current spelling of the estate dates from this time. Earlier incarnations were known as Cousran and Couffran. The Miailhe family were historically wine brokers. Elie Miailhe was appointed as Royal Broker in 1793, and in 1818 the family established a brokerage business. In the mid 1800s, Frédéric Miailhe became the first winegrower in the family at Château Siran. His two sons, Louis and Edouard, later joined the family business. After World War I, Louis’s wife was gifted Château Coufran as compensation for war-related losses. Louis Miailhe was responsible for replanting the château’s Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards with Merlot. Today, Marie-Cécile Vicaire and Eric Miailhe oversee the running of the business.