Most recent addition to our Bordeaux range comes from the estate located in the village of Saint Laurent-des-Combes, at the Eastern edge of Saint Emilion Grand Cru. The property remained in the hands of one owner for well over century and is currently run by Franck and Laurence, brother and sister who represent the ninth generation of the Moureau family. It was their father – Richard Moureau, who in the 1980´s modernised the estate, building the new winery adjacent to the plot called “Béard”, the site of an ancient chapel.  Franck, who oversees the winemaking, as well as looking after the vineyards, took over this 18-hectare property from his father in 2006. His vines are mostly planted on clay and limestone rich soils, typical for the best parts of the Saint Emillion Grand Cru. With quality in mind, Franck works with relatively low yields (49 hl/ha), planting his vines to higher density than required by the appellation law. Following the “lute raisonée” approach, he is working the vineyards as naturally as possible, using cover crops to eliminate excess of water, balance the vigour of the vines and encourage biodiversity in the soil. Green harvest and “leaf stripping” are both practiced to ensure the optimal ripeness. The grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and the winery, where after destemming the juice is gently extracted by the pneumatic presses. The wines are vinified in traditional Bordelaise way with frequent gentle pumping over and racking between the combination of new and used French oak barrels. The outcome always reflects the quality and character of the given vintage, yet it is possible to say that Merlot dominated wines of Béard La Chapelle always show certain elegance and balance between the supple, violet scented blackberry fruit and refined spice.