Ever heard of Château du Cros? Probably not. Château du Cros is not one of the 300 or so winemakers in Bordeaux that produce a premium Bordeaux which sells en primeur for 50 to 500 Euros per bottle. No, Château du Cros is one of the other 18.000 producers or so that are not in the limelight and that make so called petites Bordeaux wines. These producers have to struggle against the competition of wines from all over the world, including the New World. In my view, many of these petites Bordeaux producers offer very good value for the price.
During the 2013 Bordeux Tour by ombiasy PR and WineTours, we had a chance to get to know a bit better one of the petites Bordeaux producers. We had lunch with winemaker Julien Noel and owner Catherine Thibault d'Halluin (nee Boyer) - Château du Cros, Château Mayne du Cros, Château Courbon and Clos Bourbon. We also visited Château du Cros and went with Julien Noel on a hiking tour.
See:
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy
The Wines of Michel Boyer and Catherine Thibault d'Halluin (nee Boyer)
Following Michel Boyer's retirement, his daughter Catherine d'Halluin (nee Boyer) has now taken charge of winemaking at the family properties Château du Cros, Château Mayne du Cros and Château de Courbon along with her brother Henri and her husband Thibault d'Halluin. These properties are all south of the City of Bordeaux. In addition, Catherine Thibault d'Halluin owns and runs Clos Bourbon, with her husband her husband Thibault d'Halluin.
A range of different petites chateaux wines covering 6 appellations is produced. The wine is sold in France and exported. Exports account for 40% of total sales. The principal markets are the EU, USA, Switzerland and Japan. In the US, the wines are available through Calvert and Woodley.
See:
Tasting Château du Cros and other Petites Bordeaux Wines with Winemaker Julien Noel at Calvert and Woodley in Washington DC, USA
Château du Cros
Château du Cros is a 60-hectare property in the town of Loupiac. Château du Cros produces a noble sweet white wine under the Loupiac appellation as well as a red wine and a dry white wine under the Bordeaux appellation: 1300 hl AOC Loupiac, 500 hl AOC Bordeaux Blanc and 400 hl AOC Bordeaux Rouge.
Château Mayne du Cros
Under the Château Mayne du Cros label, the family produces a white and a red wine: 500 hl AOC Graves Blanc and 400 hl AOC Graves Rouge.
Château de Courbon
Under the Château Courbon label, the family produces a Graves AOC Rouge and a Graves AOC Blanc.
Clos Bourbon
The 18th century Clos Bourbon estate is located on the slopes over-looking the Garonne River, 30 km south of the City of Bordeaux. It totals 15 hectares in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux (ex 1ères Côtes de Bordeaux) AOC.
Since 2009, the Côtes de Bordeaux AOC is composed of 4 different regions: Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux (formerly 1ères Côtes de Blaye), Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux (formerly Côtes de Castillon), Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (ex Côtes de Francs), Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux (ex 1ères Côtes de Bordeaux).
Production: 450 hl AOC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux Rouge and 300 hl AOC Bordeaux Rosé
Julien Noël
Julien graduated in winemaking/winegrowing from the School of “Château La tour Blanche” in Sauternes. He also has a Bachelor Degree in Wine Business and Marketing from the “Bordeaux International Wine Institut INSEEC” in Bordeaux. Before joining Château du Cros, he worked for 2 years as winemaker assistant in Bordeaux and 1 year as a wine retail store manager in New Zealand.
Lunch with Wine Pairing at Restaurant Château de la Tour in Cadillac.
We started the afternoon with a 3 course lunch with wine pairing at Restaurant Château de la Tour in Cadillac. Julien Noel was our host. We were joined by Owner Catherine Thibault d'Halluin for dessert.
Winery Tour at Château Du Cros in Loupiac
After the luncheon, we took a short drive to Château Du Cros for a winery tour.
Hiking
After the winery tour we walked up to an old medieval castle on the hill from where we had a spectacular view overlooking the Garonne river, with Bordeaux City in the distance to the north and the Landes region to the south.
While walking to and from the castle, we had plenty of opportunities to check out the vineyards.
Tasting
We finished the visit with another tasting in the winery’s tasting room.
Wine Portfolio
Here are the wines that are currently produced by the family.
Château du Cros Bordeaux AOC Blanc
Grapes: 90% Sauvignon, 10% Semillon
Soil: Clay and limestone
Chateau du Cros Sauvignon - well known in America and Belgium - is a very fruity wine with hints of lime. Bright and bold, it accompanies seafood and fish beautifully. In the 1970’s this was one of the first white Sauvignons to be aged using the now widely employed “on the lees” method.
Château du Cros Bordeaux AOC Rouge
Grapes: Merlot 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
Soil: Clay and limestone
Aged in barrels for 12 months
Tasting notes: fruity, supple, round and fleshy, it offers a palette of red currant fruit, flavors of cherry, a rich and fleshy mouth and a vanilla and toasted finish that shows its "oak " breeding.
Château du Cros Loupiac AOC
Cépages: 90% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon, 5% Muscadelle.
Soil: Limestone subsoil, clay and limestone ridge
Harvest: Grapes are selected by hand, the pickers making two to four separate selections depending on the year.
Ageing: 12 months in oak barrels.
Tasting notes: Nose of lime, acacia, candied orange with, on the palate, a hint of plum. Young, this wine is fruity and dynamic, and as it gets older, it acquires elegance, body and hints of candied fruit.
Food and wine: Great as an apéritif, it traditionally goes with foie gras and blue cheeses. It is wonderful with apple rolls, peking duck, rice, monkfish on a bed of leeks, a carpaccio of scallops and all white meats such as a chicken roast, or a roasted pig with pineapple. A wine that invites you to be daring when matching it with food.
Château Mayne du Cros, Graves, Rouge
Grapes: 30% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot.
Soil: Large pebbles on the surface and subsurface of sandy limestone.
Tasting notes: Carefully selected grapes from the Céros & Toulenne vineyards, in the south of the Graves appellation. These are fine wines combining body with finesse. Distinguished by a remarkable freshness and offering a marvelous fruit bouquet with toasted notes derived from barrel ageing. A good minerality defines it as a true product of the Graves terroir.
Château Mayne du Cros, Blanc, Graves
Grapes: 60% Sauvignon, 40% Semillon
Soil: Large pebbles on the surface and subsurface sandy limestone.
Ageing: Wine aged in barrels until May / June and then aged an additional year in bottles.
Tasting Notes: Straw yellow color. On the nose citrus notes combined with white flowers and toasted bread. In the mouth large, powerful, and long. The ageing in barrels provides smooth grilled notes that allow the citrus flavors to show. A complex wine, balanced and fine.
Château Courbon Graves AOC Rouge
Grapes: 60% Merlot, 15% Cabernet sauvignon, 25% cabernet Franc
Soil: Gravelly sand
Harvesting and vinification: The grapes are harvested by machine, at peak ripeness. A pre-fermentation maceration allows the extraction of fruit.
Ageing: Mainly in tanks and barrels for 12 months.
Tasting notes: The color is grenadine with purple highlights. The nose is fresh, with dominant Cabernet and with notes of red fruits and spices. On the palate, the attack is supple and frank. The tannins are saturated and the palate generous, there are aromas of spice, toast and fruits.
Château Courbon White Graves AOC
Grapes: 30 % Sémillon, 70 % Sauvignon.
Soil: Pebbles on the surface, limestone sand beneath.
Ageing: Aged in barrels on the lees for 6 months.
Tasting notes: Yellow straw color. Nose of aniseed and fennel, with toasted notes. In the mouth this wine is supple, ample and of good length, with aromas of grapefruit and toast.
Château Clos Bourbon - Rosé de Bourbon, AOC Bordeaux
Made primarily from Cabernet Franc with a small amount of Merlot, this crisp, fruity rosé features bright flavors of cherry, berry, and melon, energized by mineral and cedar character from the Cabernet Franc. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, this finishes dry and fresh.
Château Clos Bourbon, Rouge, AOC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux
80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; aged in 25% new oak barrels.
Bye-bye
Thanks Julien and Cahterine for a wonderful visit.
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