Ideally located on the plateau of Saint Emilion, a short distance from Saint Christophe des Bardes, this estate was formed from several reputable plots towards the end of the 20th Century and is today owned by the Duval-Fleury family.
The estate, which consists of 16 hectares, is managed by Patrick Baseden. The consulting oenologist is Stephane Derenoncourt.
Vineyard and Vinification
The soil consists mainly of clay and limestone. One of the plots is comprised of iron hard pan sands. Most of the vines are over 30 years old.
The Bienfaisance style of vinification combines traditional methods and oenological innovations involving small yields, green harvests, manual harvest with baskets and two sortings with gentle de-stemming, grapes picked only when fully ripe, use of renovated temperature controlled cement vats, temperature controlled fermentation, early barreling, in-barrel malolactic fermentation, and aging on the lees in new and one-wine old barrels.
The Bienfaisance wines are made from a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
Sanctus is the highest-end cuvee produced by Chateau La Bienfaisance. These wines are made to age at least 15-20 years. The grape varieties consist of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, manually picked and carefully sorted (three sortings), fermented in temperature controlled cement vats, and then aged for 12-14 months in French oak barrels.
