The Estate
The name of the illustrious Janoueix family, hailing from the rural French region of Correze, first became associated with Bordeaux wine in 1867, when Jean Janoueix entered the wine business. Jean Philippe Janoueix is the current owner of the domaine; he first started making wine in 1994 with the founding of Château de Chambrun on a small 1.7-hectare plot in Lalande de Pomerol. Quickly, Chambrun became the reference for quality in the appellation and a center of attention. This was to be the first in a long series of successes.
Time, steady perseverance, and care have enabled Jean Philippe Janoueix to build up a fine portfolio of wine estates. The properties are spread carefully across Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Pomerol, Saint Georges Saint-Emilion, and Bordeaux Supérieur, offering rare diversity and quality Chateau La Confession, located in Saint-Emilion, had its first vintage in 2001.
Château La Confession Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Production Area: 7.3 ha
Grape Varieties: 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon (percentages vary depending on the vintage)
Plant Density: 6,666 plants/ha
Average Age of the Vines: 39 years old
Soil: Clayey and chalky on 5.1 ha, clayey and siliceous on 2.2 ha.
Cultivation: Plowing of the soil, vineyard grass cover, no trimming, just topping. Yield control by two cluster thinnings (at the closure of the grape cluster and at the beginning of veraison). Leaves were thinned out at rising sun side only.
Yield: 37 hl/ha
Harvest: Double sorting of the crop: first in the vineyard and second at the winery.
Vinification: Filling of the vats by gravity without crushing. Vinification in open wooden vats of small capacity. Punching of the caps every 3 hours until 1070 of density, every 8 hours until 1040 and once a day until 1000. Temperature during alcoholic fermentations: 26/27°C max. Vatting period: 21 to 24 days. Filling of the barrels heated at the same temperature as the wine: 26-27°C. Malolactic fermentation in new barrels.
Aging: Coopers–Demptos: 25 %, Darnajou: 25 %, Remond: 25 %, Radoux: 25%. 25 % cigar-shaped barrels, 75 % traditional barrels. Maturing on lees during 6 months. No fining, no filtration.
Alcohol: 14% by vol
Production: 27,200 bottles