Château Coufran 2008

Tasting Characteristics and Tips for Château Coufran 2008

Tasting

Color

A deep ruby-red hue, almost opaque, reflects the wine’s concentration and the grapes’ optimal ripeness at harvest.

Nose

The nose opens with expressive aromas of dark fruits, notably black cherry and plum, alongside notes of dried fruit. Nuances of sweet spices and toasted oak add complexity, with hints of cedar and roasting gradually emerging with aeration.

Palate

The attack is broad and round, revealing a silky texture and remarkably fine, ripe tannins. The mid-palate offers lovely richness with a well-balanced concentration of dark fruit and spice. The finish lingers elegantly on notes of blackberry and black cherry, supported by a refined tannic structure that brings persistence without any astringency.

Food and Wine Pairings

This Château Coufran 2008 is an ideal match for a grilled ribeye steak or braised beef in sauce. It also pairs perfectly with slow-cooked lamb, duck confit, or roasted duck breast. Game meats, veal with mushrooms, or roasted poultry also make excellent pairings. For a more original match, serve it with a platter of fine charcuterie including duck foie gras, or with aged cheeses and cooked mushrooms, notably porcini.

An atypical Haut-Médoc dominated by Merlot

The estate

Established in the 1920s when Louis Miailhe purchased and replanted the vineyard, Château Coufran is located in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, in Haut-Médoc, facing the Gironde estuary. The estate, stemming from a vast historic property, is distinguished by an atypical grape mix dominated by Merlot, hence its nickname, “Pomerol du Médoc”.

The vineyard

The Château Coufran vineyard spans around 76 hectares in the north of the Haut-Médoc, near Saint-Estèphe. The vines grow on gravel and clay soils with rocky inclusions, providing excellent natural drainage. The terrain features slopes whose highest point reaches 21 meters above sea level, creating microclimates conducive to ripening. The average vine age is around 40 years. Since 1999, consulting oenologist Olivier Seze has supported the estate in optimizing vineyard management and winemaking practices.

The vintage

The 2008 vintage is considered exceptional in Bordeaux. The climatic conditions allowed for optimal ripening of Merlot, an early-ripening grape variety that makes up the majority of the estate’s plantings. Moderate temperatures and an extended ripening period encouraged full sugar accumulation while preserving the grapes’ freshness and natural acidity, allowing the fruit to fully express its ripe dark-fruit character.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for Château Coufran 2008 are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, allowing precise control of fermentation temperatures. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in tank. The wine is then aged for around 12 months in French oak barrels, 25% of which are new, with the remainder made up of barrels used for one vintage or more. This measured aging brings complexity and structure to the wine while preserving the fruity expression and finesse characteristic of the estate.

Grape varieties

Merlot (85%)
Cabernet sauvignon (15%)