Chateau Franc Mayne St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Franc Mayne St. Emilion with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn all the best vintages, the history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Franc Mayne History, Overview

While most of the story for Chateau Franc Mayne begins in the 1700s, there are ruins on the estate that date back to the ancient Romans who were the first people to cultivate vines on the property. Over the years, Chateau Franc Mayne has had more than its share of owners.

More recently, the large insurance group AXA-Millesimes bought it in 1984. In June 1996, the AXA group sold Chateau Franc Mayne to a Belgian entrepreneur, Georgy Fourcroy who later sold Chateau Franc Mayne to the Laviale family in 2004. The Laviale family also own Chateau Vieux Maillet in Pomerol and Chateau de Lussac in the Lussac St. Emilion satellite appellation.

One of the first decisions made by the new owners was to change to make up of the vineyard and thus, the blend of the wine. Previous vintages were often 100% Merlot. Starting with the 2004 vintage, the blend began to include 10%, Cabernet Franc.

Chateau Franc Mayne, which is one of the 17 different, Bordeaux producers with the word, Franc in the title, was owned and managed by a fashionable couple, Griet Laviale and Herve Laviale until January 2018, when they sold the estate to Jean-Pierre Savare.

Jean Pierre Savare was already quite familiar with Franc Mayne as was a minority investor in the vineyard, along with the Cazeneuve family, the owners of Chateau Paloumey in the Haut Medoc appellation.

Under the control of Griet Laviale and Herve Laviale, Chateau Franc Mayne was completely renovated, from top to bottom. The very modern, energy-efficient, sleek cellars were created by the noted architects Lanoire and Courrian.

When you are at the property, ask to see the underground, limestone caves, and cellars, they are worth your time to visit.

Chateau Franc Mayne is more than a Right Bank vineyard. It’s also a charming hotel in Saint Emilion, located not far from the village. The hotel is interesting as each room is unique.

They have a total of 10 rooms and all of them are distinctly different. Each guest was built with a specific theme in mind. There is even a treehouse in the middle of their St. Emilion vineyard you can stay in.

Chateau Franc Mayne Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 7-hectare vineyard of Chateau Franc Mayne is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The estate started added more Cabernet Franc to their vineyards in 2018. It is the goal of the estate to continue slowly adding more Cabernet to the vineyard overtime. Chateau Franc-Mayne was certified organic in 2022.

The terroir is clay, limestone, and clay with sandy soils on sloping hillsides which gradually reach 75 meters at their peak. On average, the vines are kept at 30 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a density of 6,000 vines per hectare.

The vineyard is located just outside of the village. They have vines that are quite close to Chateau Grand Mayne, as you can probably surmise, from the name. They are also located not too far from Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot.

To produce the wine of Chateau Franc Mayne, vinification takes place in a combination of 5 stainless steel tanks and 5 wood vats. The steel vats range in size with 2, 60 hectoliter vats, 2, 50 Hectoliters and one 40 hectoliter vat.

The wood vats range in size as well with 2, 50 hectoliter wood tanks, 2, 40 hectoliter tanks, and one 28 hectoliter tank. The smallest vat at 28 hectoliters is always reserved for Cabernet Franc.

Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of barrel, vat, and tank. The wine is aged in an average of 85% new, French oak barrels for between 12 to 16 months, depending on the quality and character of the vintage. Michel Rolland is the consultant.

The best vintages of Chateau Franc Mayne are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2009, and 2005.

Chateau Franc Mayne also produces a second wine, Les Cedres de Franc Mayne. On average, the annual production of Chateau Franc Mayne is slightly less than 3,000 cases of wine per year.

When to Drink Chateau Franc Mayne, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Franc Mayne is better with at least 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Chateau Franc Mayne is best enjoyed in the first 5-18 years of life.

Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 hour to 90 minutes. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau Franc Mayne with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Franc Mayne is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Franc Mayne is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Franc Mayne is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

www.chateau-francmayne.com