Grand Corbin Despagne (BIO-ORGANIC) - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022
Owners of Grand Corbin-Despagne in Saint-Emilion for over 2 centuries, seven generations of the Despagne family have shared the same love for a vineyard and respect for its traditions.
The Despagne name has been inextricably linked with the land of Saint-Emilion since at least the beginning of the 17th century. The oldest known family document is that of the baptism in 1665 of the son of Pierre Despagne, a ploughman, and Lison Raynaud. Their descendant, Louis Despagne, born in 1789, would be instrumental in creating the family’s renown.
In 1812, not far from Cheval Blanc, where Louis’s family were tenant farmers, he settled at a place called Corbin and acquired the first plots to be owned by the family.
His son expanded “Crû Grand-Corbin – propriétaire Despagne”, as the growth was known at the time. It was towards the end of the 19th century that the name Château Grand Corbin-Despagne came into existence.
In the 20th century, Paul Despagne, who was an extraordinary winemaker, developed the good reputation of the growth, making wines of consistently high quality.
Different generations have brought their savoir-faire and when the first official classification of the growths of Saint-Emilion took place, the estate was awarded the rank of Grand Cru Classé.
François Despagne represents today the seventh generation of the same family at this growth. As its manager, he seeks to preserve respectfully those values he has inherited from his ancestors.
François Despagne owns the estate today and conducts all aspects of this subtle wine growing symphony. His devotion to this land, passed down to him from his ancestors, embraces a deep respect for the vineyard’s natural environment. Describing himself as a modern traditionalist, this ambassador of terroir nevertheless keeps a constant eye on modern solutions to enhance and perfect his wines.
Located in the north of the Saint-Emilion appellation, adjacent to Pomerol, the vineyard of Château Grand Corbin-Despagne is situated on two great soil types: sandy-clay with iron deposits and ancient sands over clay.
Each vintage is unique. However, all of them have an undeniable family trait -complex hints of red berry and floral notes, developing with bottle-age towards more spicy nuances and hints of truffle, violets and cherries, underpinned on the palate by delicate, unctuous and velvety tannins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UmfjRk11m4