Chateau Tour des Gendres, Bergerac

Luc de Conti of Domaine Tour des Gendres is a well known character in Bergerac. He has been a precursor and a source for inspiration for many producers in the Sud-Ouest region. He has researched e.g. how the deposit may influence the character of the wine and he was a pioneer in using micro-oxygenation (micro-oxidation, micro-bullage). His view is that the lees (the deposit) nourishes the wine during the aging process. So to maintain the lees he does not rack the wines during the aging process. Instead, if the wine needs aeration, he uses micro-oxygenation. de Conti was also an early adopter of organic culture and is today moving towards bio-dynamic culture as the vineyards improve in health. Over time he has become more and more restrained in the use of oak and now he never uses more than 50% new barrels. On the white side he has a soft spot for Sémillon that achieves a wonderful expression in the excellent Cuvée de Conti.

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