Château Micalet

Château Micalet - Wine of the craftsmen

Château Micalet is a wine estate in Bordeaux. It is one of the 36 Crus Artisans (artisans), which joined together as an association in 1989 to promote each other and highlight the reputation of small Bordeaux wineries in the shadow of the huge premier crus of noble families and financial conglomerates, as they are often inferior to them in quality. 

The history of the estate can be traced back to 1893, when the confectioner Jean Péraud acquired the vineyard. He produced just 10 barrels of wine at that time. As early as 1900, Jean succeeded in winning the Grand Prix d'Honneur de Paris diploma at the World's Fair with his wines. in 1940, his daughter Madeleine Guiet took over the winery, and in 1972 Denis Fédieu bought it from her. The Fédieu family still owns the estate today.

The Crus Artisans - a piece of history

The families of the Crus were established in the 19th century in order to classify the vineyards in the Bordelais. The brokers who tasted the wines on the estates to offer them to the merchants decided to distinguish the wines according to the social status of the owner. Thus, peasants produced a Cru Paysan, artisans a Cru Artisan, the upper classes a Cru Bourgeois, and finally the aristocracy and the great families Crus Classés. The social hierarchy and the price hierarchy merged at that time. Today, these classifications do not establish a qualitative scale, but rather reflect the origin of the winery. To convince oneself of this, it is enough to hold blind tastings.

In the vineyard of Château Micalet

Typical Bordeaux grape varieties thrive in Château Micalet's vineyards, namely:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Cabernet Franc
• Petit Verdot

Although the latter variety is one of the most elaborate, it is the favorite of the winemakers at Château Micalet. The soils, typical of the Médoc peninsula where Château Micalet is located, are characterized by gravel and pebbly soils. 

Organic farming - a matter of conviction

Denis Fédieu always wanted to respect his land, refusing the use of herbicides and continuing the plowing he had learned with horses in his youth. This love for the land led him to choose the organic farming method at the end of his career, with the support of Damien.
The questions raised by the effects of pesticides derived from synthetic chemistry on human health, primarily farmers, only reinforced this decision to go organic in 2004. It was a natural evolution of Château Micalet, whose Fédieu family has always maintained a farming inspiration. Observing the lunar calendar to determine the timing of treatment with sulfur or Bordeaux broth (to combat powdery mildew and oidium), letting the earth rest for seven years after clearing a vineyard plot (to kill harmful fungi naturally), performing alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts, all methods that have long worked for the Fédieus.

The wine of Château Micalet

Once the wine is harvested, Château Micalet ages it in French oak barrels, typical of Bordeaux. One third of the barrels are renewed every year, and the aging period is 12 months. Thus, two wines are created - the Château Micalet, as well as the "big brother" - the Reserve Prestige, which is aged only in new oak barrels and whose production volume is just 2400 bottles per year.