• Tasted - Summer 2011
The pursuit of quality: Château Grand Corbin Manuel
The members of the de Gaye family have been château owners and wine producers in Saint-Emilion for several generations now. As we reported in an earlier article Stéphane de Gaye together with his children decided to buy Château Grand Corbin Manuel in 2005. Since then, Yseult de Gaye, his daughter, is entirely in charge of the property.

Château Grand Corbin Manuel is situated on a premium calcareous terroir with its closest neighbours being some of the Grands Crus Classés of Saint Emilion, yet the property is also not far away from the great wine estates of Pomerol.

The vineyards of Château Grand Corbin, are all situated around the château, which makes it much easier to constantly watch over the vineyards, something which is of paramount importance, particularly in so called “difficult vintages”, confirms Yseult. For instance, “2007 was one of those vintages which are made in the vineyard, the constant observation of the vines as well reactivity and constant work were essential in order to succeed the vintage. Today I’m very pleased with the result,” admits Ms de Gaye.

Yet, even in easier years, vineyard work and the work of the soil is something that really matters to Yseult. “We have separated our vineyard in different plots, each approximately the size of one hectare. For each plot we have determined exactly what the soils and the vines need according to the specific microclimates and soil compositions of each of these plots.” The vineyards have been drained to avoid excess humidity in wet years. Pruning is very severe so as to limit yields and increase quality. The high trellising of the vines allows for both good aeration of the grapes and optimum photosynthesis. Complantation is practiced to ensure constant harmony and quality of the vineyard.

The continuous strive for quality is of course also an issue in the cellars, thus the château and its facilities have been entirely refurbished and renovated. The new winemaking cellar is now equipped with small thermo-regulated stainless steel vats. Therefore alcoholic fermentation and pre-maceration fermentation take place in stainless steel. Each vat corresponds to one plot.

The new barrel cellar is temperature controlled and equipped with an atomizer for perfect humidity control. Here a part of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels, the other part experience it in vats. Just as wine, oak is a natural product that still “lives” and constantly develops and changes, continuous observation is therefore required.

The wine of Château Grand Corbin Manuel is rich and powerful enough to benefit from oak contact and to become even more complex thanks to its action. All the wines of Château Grand Corbin Manuel are elaborated and aged in French oak for 12 to 18 months, according to the character of the vintage.

However, what really makes the quality of the wines of Château Grand Corbin Manuel is the fabulous calcareous terroir and the immense work which is done in the vineyards even if the greatest care and attention is also, of course, given to the wine at all levels of its production.

Yseult de Gaye considers that it is extremely important to harvest grapes at their optimum stage of ripeness, not too early and not too late either. The wines of Château Grand Corbin Manuel are a blend of Merlot, which gives them roundness, generosity and the complexity of aromas; Cabernet Sauvignon, which brings structure, beautiful bouquet and great ageing capacity; and last but not least, Cabernet Franc, which confers suppleness and elegance to the wines.
Of course each vintage is different due to varying weather conditions, the evolution of individual vines due to their age and grape variety, the nature of the soils and the work done in each plot of the vineyard.

“A big capacity of reactivity and adaptability is required, it is very important to make the right decisions at the right moment, as it is simply impossible to correct mistakes,” states Yseult. “It is the conjunction of all these factors that makes up a vintage; however, you will always find the same unmistakable character of Château Grand Corbin Manuel in all our vintages. This character is what makes our wines unique and distinguishes them from others. The wines of Grand Corbin Manuel are famous for their immense freshness, a gift of our great terroir,” affirms Yseult.

Naturally, the grapes of Château Grand Corbin Manuel are handpicked and then brought to the cellar in small baskets so as to preserve the entity of each berry and avoid uncontrolled maceration. This extreme attention to quality also allows the team to deal with the berries of each plot and each variety at a time.

“Making Grand Corbin Manuel is a demanding task that requires know-how, technique and imagination”, states Yseult, “what we want in the end is an elegant, balanced, racy and aromatic wine. This is the definition of passion and that is what drives us and makes us improve our wines year after year through a more appropriate approach to each situation with which we are confronted with in terms of weather, to mention but one,” concludes Yseult.

Follow the story of this fascinating property!

• Guide des vins 2012 - Gilbert & Gaillard
Parution 2012 - Millésime 2007
Belle robe soutenue. Nez élégant mariant le fruit rouge à des tonalités torréfiées très plaisantes. En bouche des qualités d'ampleur, de soyeux, de fondu. Une harmonie sans faille qui met en valeur un fruit très croquant. Belle bouteille à découvrir. Dégustation optimale : 2012 - 2015
Note : 90/100

• La Revue du Vin de France
Parution 2008 - Millésime 2002 Grand Corbin les Anges
Dans ce millésime, ce vin se distingue par sa fraîcheur aromatique et son équilibre fruité. Il séduit par sa fluidité, son fondu d'ensemble, sans avoir pris de traces d'évolution prématurée. Très bon vin à boire dans les deux ans.
Note : 15/20

• Guide Hachette des Vins 2007
Millésime 2003
Cette propriété fait partie d'un groupe de crus établis dans le secteur de Corbin au nord-ouest de l'appellation. Le terroir se compose de sables anciens sur crasse de fer et d'argiles. En dégustation, le rubis est encore vif. Le nez, assez ouvert, offre du fruit frais, un bois légèrement cacaoté et une touche mentholée. La bouche est sans aspérité, et d'une grande fraîcheur ; elle demande un ou deux ans de patience pour que tout se fonde.

• Tendances Magazine
Parution Septembre 2008 N°3

• Le 20h de France 2
Reportage Septembre 2006
La propriété Grand Corbin Manuel a fait l'objet d'un reportage au journal télévisé de 20h de France 2. Le but était de connaître les nouveaux acheteurs de propriétés à Saint Emilion et les raisons qui les poussaient à acheter.Yseult de Gaye fut interviewée en tant que nouvelle propriétaire.