Chardonnay Cuvée du Pape 2020
Château Ksara is the oldest wine-producing winery in Lebanon. It was founded in 1857 by French monks in the Bekaa Valley. In Lebanon, Ksara is the best known and most important producer. It produces a range of internationally acclaimed wines that are exported all over the world.
| Country | Lebanon |
| Region | Bekaa Valley |
| Wine maker | Château Ksara |
| Grape varieties | 100% Chardonnay |
| Terroir | The Bekaa has an altitude of 1000 meter up to 1600 meter above sea level. It has a semi-continental climate. The winters are cold with moderate rainfall and the summers are hot and dry. The altitude means that the hot summer days are balanced by cool evenings with a temperature difference of around 15°C. There is between 600 and 700mm of yearly rainfall, concentrated in autumn and winter. In contrast, the weather is dry during summer months and growing seasons, resulting in far fewer diseases. Pesticides and herbicides are not used, so the grapes are grown almost organically. The soil ranges from chalk, to clay and chalk, to clay and limestone, but it is always stony. |
| Vinification | The grapes are fermented en than matured for ten months in a combination of new and one-year-old French oak barrles with regular batonage (lees stirring). |
| Impression | A full-bodied, layered and textured wine with notes of citrus, stone fruit and savory notes underpinned with vanilla and toast. |
| Did you know? | In 1997 Pope John Paul II visited Lebanon. During his trip, he was offered a glass of this Chardonnay from Château Ksara. He wrote in a letter to the Château that he liked it very much. Since then, this wine has been called the Cuvée du Pape, the Pope's Cuvée. |