At their finest, the wines of Sainte Croix du Mont can rival the great wines of Sauternes and Barsac which are directly opposite Sainte Croix du Mont on the other side of the river. The Armand family has invested great effort over the past decades to prove the worth of this appellation. Seeking extreme ripeness, the harvest is done entirely by hand and proceeds in successive passes over a series of weeks. The fermentation occurs over a three to six week period at controlled temperatures [between 18 and 22 degrees centigrade]. The traditional cuvee is then aged for two years in "cuve" before bottling. It is frequently blessed with significant levels of botrytis and exhibits a high level of concentration and complexity. Semillon is the exclusive grape in this cuv�e. Harvest levels are usually under 30 hectoliters per hectare (25% less than the permitted amount). The wine is not fined and is only lightly filtered before bottling.
