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Anne Le Naour is the technical and managing director for Ch\\xe2teau Meyney of St-Est\\xe8phe in the M\\xe9doc of Bordeaux. She also manages the other properties of CA Grands Crus. The company is owned by the top bank that supports wine in France, Cr\\xe9dit Agricole Group (sometimes referred to as "la banque verte" due to its historical connections with farming). Its current portfolio includes Chateaux Meyney, 5th growth Grand Puy Ducasse in Pauillac, and Santenay in Burgundy.
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Le Naour is a trained oenologist with global experience and since she began at Meyney\\xa0in 2016, she has transformed the Ch\\xe2teau, restructuring vineyards, improving viticulture, and moving towards organics. She has introduced better winemaking \\u2013 less extraction, less obvious oak, and more care in handling vine and wine. Her deep knowledge of wine and winemaking, plus her unwavering dedication to quality has meant that the wines of Meyney\\xa0are attracting more attention than ever.
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These are exquisite wines, underpriced for what they are (Meyney is right next to second growth, Montrose, incidentally, even though it was unfairly omitted from the 1855 classification) and Anne joins to tell us about her outstanding career, the underappreciated area of St-Est\\xe8phe on the Left Bank, and the beautiful wines of the historic Ch\\xe2teau Meyney. Here\'s my quick tasting video for a review.
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Here are the notes from our conversation:
Photo: Ch\\xe2teau Meyney
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We move on to St-Est\\xe8phe, and why it is not as esteemed as it should be\\u2026
Map: Bordeaux.com, Vins de Bordeaux
The we discuss the specifics of what Anne has done to improve the vineyards and wines of Meyney. This is a great education session on what actually matters in the vineyard and why. We discuss some specific improvements that have been made at Meyney to boost wine quality:
We wrap up with a discussion of how we need to keep terroir in mind, but be flexible about our ideas of the appellations.
Here is a link to the video with the soil and plantings map, that is so very well done: Meyney Video
This was an excellent conversation from one of the best people working in wine today! I learned more than I can express, and I think you will too. Take a listen!
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