Clos Floridène

Clos Floridène is today a 42-ha vineyard in the Graves appellation; mainly located on the limestone plateau of Pujols-sur-Ciron, near Barsac, it also has a few plots on the stony terraces of Illats. Its name evokes the first names of its founders: Denis and Florence Dubourdieu.
At its beginnings, in 1982, Clos Floridène was a small enclosure comprising 2 ha of old white Sémillon and Muscadelle vines, a winegrower’s house, an old cellar and 2 ha of wasteland planted with Cabernet Sauvignon as soon as it was acquired. Gradually, through successive purchases of neighbouring plots, the present vineyard was built up. In 1991, Clos Floridène grew significantly through the addition of Château Montalivet, a 13-ha vineyard, essentially contiguous with Floridène (see the technical sheet for Montalivet, now the brand of the second wine of Clos Floridène).
The wines of Clos Floridène were first made in the cellars of Château Reynon. In 2004, supervised by Fabrice Dubourdieu, construction of the new Floridène cellar began. These new facilities make it possible to vinify the red Clos Floridène from the 2005 vintage. The fitting out of a white wine cellar at Floridène is planned
From a geological point of view, the terroir of Clos Floridène here closely resembles that of Barsac. A thin layer of clay-sand rich in iron oxide, “the red sands of the Barsac area”, covers the limestone subsoil. This rock slab limits the rooting depth of the vines to around 50 cm. During the summer, the finely porous limestone gives back to the vines the water it soaked up over the winter, preventing excessive water stress. A small part of the Clos Floridene vineyard (3.1 hectares), in the commune of Illats, occupies a gravel-clay rise.
Maintained exclusively by traditional ploughing, the soil of our vineyard receives no herbicides. Organic manures are based on plant composts. Disbudding, trellising and leaf removal are carried out by hand with meticulous care.
Thus “cultivated like a garden”, in an orderly and preserved nature, our vines ripen early, producing concentrated, tasty grapes with the sweetness and aromatic brilliance of fresh fruit that we wish to find in our wines.
Clos Floridène produces a white wine and a red wine of the Graves appellation. Since 2004, the Rosé de Floridène, of great aromatic brilliance, has also been produced. Made from young vines, the second wines (white and red) of Clos Floridène are sold under the name Grand Vin de Montalivet.
Denis and Florence Dubourdieu are also the owners of Château Reynon in Béguey. Denis Dubourdieu is also the owner of Châteaux Doisy-Daëne and Cantegril in Barsac. These two estates are run by Pierre & Denis Dubourdieu E.A.R.L., as is the tenant company of Château Haura in Illats in the Graves. All of his crus make up the Denis Dubourdieu Domaines range.