Country: France Region: Haut Medoc Varietal: Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon/ Cabernet Franc Vintage: 2015 Colour: Red Style: Dry Producer: Chateau Citran Description: The Donissan de Citran family ruled this estate in the 13th century until 1832, when the last heir had to sell the estate to Mr. Clauzel. This rich, ambitious businessman defined the property’s boundaries and gave Château Citran to prominence among the Medoc estates. The Miailhe family bought the property in 1945 and undertook a renovation programme until 1987. Then, a Japanese group acquired the property and made major investments. This marks the resurrection of this great growth of Medoc.  In 1996, the Merlaut family, a major actor of the Bordeaux wine industry, took over Citran. They kept on increasing the quality of growth and developed its renown while respecting its history. Highly lauded, the Château is designated a historical monument heritage in 2012. Chateau Citran is a large, Left Bank estate, with 105 hectares of vines with a terroir of sand, gravel, chalk, and clay soils. Located in the far south of the Haut Medoc appellation, the vineyard is planted to 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot. On average, the vines are 25 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare. The massive estate can be divided into two large blocks of vines. Much of the better part of the vineyard is placed closest to the chateau, which is where you find their deeper, gravel soils. Tasting Note: Tobacco and cherry fruit in the front end, and crisp bright, red fruit on the back end is what you will find here in this medium- bodied, lean wine.   Chateau Citran is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.