Chateau Bonalgue 2019, Pomerol 6 Litre Imperial

Chateau Bonalgue 2019, Pomerol presented in a 6 Litre Imperial in an individual wooden box. Equivalent to 8 standard bottles of wine. Perfect for a special occasion.

Chateau Bonalgue is located in the  Pomerol wine-growing appellation of Bordeaux. During the French Revolution, the first reference to vines in the “Graves de Bonalgue” area appeared in local archives. A veteran of Napoleon’s Grand Army, Captain Rabion, inherited the land and built a handsome residence. The building housed his regimental arms, and the garden was filled with magnificent Lebanese Cedar trees; Chateau Bonalgue was born.

The Bourotte family bought Chateau Bonalgue in 1926 and it remains in the same family today. The vineyard today is in excellent condition, and the property continues to improve and refine its methods, while always paying tribute to the exceptional terroir of Bonalgue. As well as Bonalgue, the Bourotte family also own Clos du Clocher and Château Monregard La Croix in Pomerol, Château Les Hauts-Conseillants in Lalande de Pomerol and Chateau du Courlat in Lussac Saint-Emilion amongst others.

The vineyards of Chateau Bonalgue are planted with 90% Merlot, with Cabernet Franc completing the other 10%. They comprise a surface area of 7.55 hectares on gravel and sandy-clay soils, with a subsoil of gravels and alios – the rich band of iron-ore that so distinguishes the Pomerol terroir. These qualities make this a heat-retaining soil, which means grapes ripen early and evenly, reaching perfect maturity. The vines have an average age of 25 years old, and the precise and meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard means they produce quality grapes year after year.

Great care is taken in the vineyard with pruning, leaf thinning, debudding, and green harvesting. Grapes are harvested by hand into small-sized trays to ensure against crushing or damage. There is also an initial hand-sorting in the vineyard, bunch by bunch, then berry by berry, to ensure that nothing gets missed and that the grapes are in the very best condition when they arrive at the vineyard. The wine is vinified plot by plot with manual pumping over, punching of the cap and unballasting if necessary. There is a period of maceration for around one month followed by a gentle pneumatic press and malolactic fermentation in the barrel. The wine is then matured for  18 months in fine-grained French oak barrels (50% new, 50% second fill). Chateau Bonalgue is usually a blend of around 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Annual production is around 35,000 bottles. Michel Rolland’s team consults with wine-making.

Why Buy a 6 Litre Imperial Bottle of Wine?

The sheer size of the bottle is impressive. The Chateau Bonalgue 2019 Pomerol 6 Litre Imperial makes it a show-stopping centrepiece for any special occasion, which adds a sense of grandeur and spectacle to any event. Large format bottles allow the wine to mature and gracefully develop more complexity. These large format bottles are very rare. The rarity of the Imperial bottle size lends an exclusiveness to the wine, making it a great addition to any serious collector’s cellar.