The average age of the vines at Castera is 27 years. The oldest plot was planted in 1930. Guyot double pruning is done from November to March. This is followed by bud thinning in spring. Leaf thinning in July improves the ripeness of polyphenols. Green harvesting in August consists of leaving behind the ripest bunches. This also reduces yields. The harvest generally begins in late September. This is done mostly by machine (90%), and partly by hand (10%). The tendency in the past several years has been towards sustainable viticulture. At Château Castera, this entails maintaining green cover between vine rows, limiting the use of pesticides, leaving plots of grubbed-up vines fallow, earthing up, unearthing, and treating wastewater from operations in the vineyard and cellar.

Although very open to technological progress, winemaking at Château Castera is very traditional: meticulous sorting of grapes, daily pumping over, controlled temperatures, and fermentation of between 18-22 days. The quest for balanced grape tannin and oak tannin is essential in order to reflect the terroir and wine’s intrinsic fruitiness. After aging for 12 months in French oak barrels, the wine is bottled in the Château and stored in our cellars for 24 months prior to shipment.

The Winter of 2014-2015 was one of the sweetest of the last thirty years. The cold has yet settled for a month with 14 days of frost in February. The month of March was less watered than normal, followed by very good conditions in April with a regular bud break. The warmer and cooler periods alternated until the blossoming. The hot summer was punctuated by substantial rains after August 21, causing a rise in the berries. September was dry but without excessive heat and October, just as sunny, completed the last phase of maturation by improving the extraction of colored compounds without excessive loss of acidity.

A beautiful garnet color that has brilliant reflections and great intensity. The nose, marked by hints of blackcurrant, evolves on the second nose to slightly smoky and woody aromas tinged with sweet spices and black fruits. Licorice brings a certain freshness. On the palate, the sweet and warm attack is very pleasant. The mid-palate, full and silky, does not erase a beautiful tannic structure that gives it character. The whole, very balanced and harmonious, finishes on dominant cherry notes. It is an elegant and distinctive wine.