CHÂTEAU MASSEREAU

JEAN-FRANÇOIS CHAIGNEAU

Bordeaux, France

Located about 30 kilometers from Bordeaux, Château Massereau was built in the 16th century and acquired by the Chaigneau family in 2000.   Siblings Jean-François and Philippe now manage the estate. The importance they place on quality and authenticity ensures that they always produce fine, natural, and authentic artisan wines. Their respect for the terroir, the vines, and the grapes is evident in the way they carry out all procedures manually, which not only allows the terroirs to express their typical qualities, but also assures they offer completely natural wines.

1 4

BACKGROUND OF NATURAL WINE IN BORDEAUX

The Bordeaux wine region is located in southwestern France and its fine wines are renowned worldwide, celebrated for their complexity, ageing potential, and ability to express terroir. The region is primarily known for red blends dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes. Bordeaux's classification system, established in 1855, further underscores its significance in the wine world by categorising estates based on quality and reputation, making it a benchmark for wine enthusiasts and collectors alike.

Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wine. What’s the difference?

To understand this concept and its various ramifications, it is necessary to keep something clear in mind: before the 20th century and the spreading of affordable synthetic fertilisers, all farming was organic. When the shift to the use of synthetics and pesticides happened, it became necessary to diversify traditional organic farming from the new modern farming. 


ORGANIC WINE

Simply put, organic farming forbids the use of synthetic fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms. The basic requirements are generally specific and engage the farmers not to use any chemical fertilisers and other synthetic products in the vineyard. It does not prevent the vintner from using the conventional winemaking process after harvesting. 


BIODYNAMIC WINE

Let’s take organic farming one step further: Biodynamic. The creator of this agricultural system is the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who developed the principles of biodynamics in a series of lectures given in 1924 in Germany. Here lies the foundation of true organic wines, with a strict limit in the use of additives, stringent requirements and at the end obtaining a biodynamic certification.


NATURAL WINE

The previous definitions are usually, and rightfully, associated with it, because most natural wine is also organic and/or biodynamic. But not vice versa!

Natural wine is wine in its purest form, simply described as nothing added, nothing taken away, just grapes fermented. No manipulation whatsoever, minimal intervention both in the vineyards and in the winery. Healthy grapes, natural yeast and natural fermentation, with no filtration nor fining. Sounds easy, right? However, making natural wine is unforgiving and it requires a bigger amount of work than conventional wine. To this day, natural wine has no certification yet.