The golden Triangle
Caught between three mighty forces of its natural environment, the late summer mist hangs over a famous golden triangle bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Garonne river to the east and the great Landes forest to the south.
After meandering through the forest the river Ciron joins the Garonne, creating a temperature shock which generates the persistent mist
The alchemy of Botrytis cinerea at Château Coutet.
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It is a playground for Botrytis cinerea, which spreads and insinuates itself into the heart of the grapes during the morning humidity. It then does its work during the afternoon warmth, transforming aromas and concentrating sugars.
At the tip of the triangle, where the Ciron and the Garonne meet, lies Barsac, with its distinctive array of soils. At Château Coutet, they are clay and limestone, retaining water but not heat. Here, the influence of the soil is so clear that picking can take place up to ten days later than in neighbouring vineyards.