November 30th, 2009 | 
Author: One of the best Monbazillac wine producers has recently become the new president of the Bergerac wine growers. Francois Gerardin makes a wide range of dry white and red wines in order to appeal to a wide range of tastes but his clients do have expensive tastes, he says: “you need fairly well off clients to buy Monbazillac.”
Francois family has been making Monbazillac longer than anyone, and he has inherited the family estate Chateau Le Fage. The 40 hectares of vines make it one of the largest properties in the area, which looks over the main north facing slope in the Dordogne, overlooking the town of Bergerac.
Half of his property is dedicated to making Monbazillac, with the rest being shared between making Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
He blends grapes from all over the slope of the Dordogne valley with the aim of “finesse, finesse, finesse”, he says: “I don’t like wines that are too sugary, with a potential of 25 or 26% alcohol. I like fresh-tasting wine. I want it to be crispy. I sell wine, not cooked fruits.”
Francois’s wine is different and so successful because of its location and orientation on the hillside, along with its soils and its complexity. He described his growing process: “some parts are more sandy, others are more based on limestone. Wines from the top of the slope have more finesse; those from lower down have more power, especially the Semillon.”
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