Domaine du Grand Mayne
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Domaine du Grand Mayne is in the Cotes de Duras Appellation, south of the Dordogne river, and to the east of Bordeaux. The soil is mainly a mixture of sand and clay, with some limestone, ideally suited to growing vines, especially when the summers are very dry.
Because the substructure of the vineyard is clay, the soil retains water deep in the ground to feed the roots. This means the vines do not suffere from lack of water once they are established. The climate is dictated by the Atlantic, but the position in the valleys gives a special microclimate, and rainfall is below the regional average, especially in summer.
The vines planted are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for the white wines, and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc for the red wines.
Grand Mayne produces two white wines, a typical crisp, fresh zingy sauvignon to be drunk young, and a special Cuvée des Vendangeurs, using the best grapes, which are left on the vine for a few more days, and which is matured for several months in new oak casks, producing a rich, fuller wine that improves in bottle.
The Domaine's red wine is matured in stainless steel for 18 months, and since 2000, to give extra finesse and length, 10% of oak-aged wine has been added. The more robust Cuvée Prestige is intended to mature well with age. All the vats are carefully tasted, and the richest, most concentrated wines are selected to be aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.
Domaine du Grand Mayne also produces a top Cuvée Révolution, named after the new technique of rotating the barrels daily for several weeks to gently extract more colour and flavour from the skins. Hand picked from the best Merlot grapes, the first vintage was 2003, and the wine has great complexity and ageing potential.
The most popular recent addition to the WineShare wines is the Grand Mayne sparkling rosé. Using the Méthode Traditionelle, it is made from the clear juice of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and benefits from nine months bottle age before release.
