Following a visit of Château La Conseillante in Pomerol,
See here:
Tour and Tasting at Château La Conseillante, Appellation Pomerol - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
we drove all the way to Côtes de Castillon, which is in the Eastern part of the Bordeaux Right Bank.
Côtes de Castillon sits on a high plateau and has been the site of considerable interest and investment in recent years. Production is significant, and there are some of the most interesting wines made.
We visited Clos Puy Arnaud, one of the top wineries of the Castillon appellation today.
The visit started with an extensive walk in the vineyard, followed by a visit of the wine cellar and finished with a tasting of a range of wines in Thierry Valette's living room.
Clos Puy Arnaud
We visited one of the top wineries of the Castillon appellation today, Clos Puy Arnaud.
This 50 acres winery owned by Thierry Valette, the former owner family of Château Pavie, in the heart of the Côtes de Castillon region is not really a château, but a classic, small winery.
The vineyards of Clos Puy Arnaud are planted with roughly 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet-Franc, some 5% Cabernet-Sauvignon and lately some Petit Verdot and Malbec have been added. On average, the vines are 30 years old, but there are substantial parcels with wines 60 years of age. The vineyard sites are on the top of the Castillon plateau. The loam, limestone and clay soils found here are unique and known as Asteries, which is the hardest type of limestone found on earth.
Thierry is a piano-playing, highly educated winemaker and vineyard worker at the same time, and enthusiastic at work. When he bought this historic estate – its history goes back to 1871 – in 2000 he immediately started to convert to organic and biodynamic winemaking and was certified for biodynamic principles in 2006.
I quote Heiner Lobenberg, a German wine
connoisseur and importer of top-notch wines: “Clos Puy Arnaud has been
part of the triumvirate of the best wineries in the appellation.
However, this wine is different. Despite being 70% Merlot, Clos Puy
Arnaud shows far more characteristics of a classic Saint Julien than of a
Saint-Émilion. Bursting red fruit, always very fresh and Lively, with
lots of cream and fine-grained tannins. This peculiarity makes it very
special and highly interesting in the region. Clos Puy Arnaud is much
more than a shooting star of the Castillon appellation and since the
2009 vintage considered as Primus inter Pares here.”
Thierry Valette's Clos Puy Arnaud: Two Bottles, Two Soils in Castillon (Chamberswine)
Clos Puy Arnaud is located near the town of Belvès-de-Castillon, which is perched along a large plateau of limestone - a geological formation similar to the neighboring long stretch of elevated limestone belonging to the St.-Emilion AOC.
Thierry Valette purchased the estate in 1999 after selling his shares in Chateau Pavie. Valette is a staunch supporter of biodynamic farming, and his fields have been certified by both Demeter and Biodyvin. His focus is freshness and drinkability. His wines rely on a dazzlingly focused mineral core as a foundation for both flavor and structure.
At Clos Puy Arnaud, as with every great estate, the story here starts with the soil. Just like in St.-Emilion, vineyards planted in the soils atop the plateau are the most prized. Ninety percent of Clos Puy Arnaud's 32 plots (15 hectares) enjoy this esteemed location. This portion of vines represents the original property that Valette purchased more than 20 years ago, and it is from this area the estate's incredibly special, red-and-black-fruited, Grand Vin is derived.
A more recently purchased set of plots, just a short jump away in St.-Gene-de-Castillon, is planted to soils that are denser, with a higher percentage of clay mixed into the region's important limestone base. This does what you might think - creates a broader wine, with a touch more handsome grit.
I've discovered that one will inevitably encounter Burgundian
analogies if involved with the wines of Bordeaux. "If we are speaking in
[terms of] Burgundy," an expert told me in a recent email, "then the
2014 Grand Vin is grand cru and the Les Ormeaux is premier cru." There
is something ethereal that the Grand Vin has, that Les Ormeaux doesn't.
But there is an earthiness, something deliciously humble, about Les
Ormeaux that the Grand Vin floats above. I think it's safe to say,
whether you're from Valette's 'grand cru' or 'premier cru' vineyard
sites, you're a wine that tastes very, very good. David Hatzopoulos
Clos Puy Arnaud: Clos Puy Arnaud is an organic and biodynamic wine estate making wine under the Grand Vin de Bordeaux Appellation with a history dating back to back to at least 1871 in the Cotes de Castillon region- the modern era for the estate begins in the year 2000 when Thierry Valette purchased it. Thierry is related to the Valette family that also own Chateau Troplong Mondot and previously, Chateau Pavie.
The 11 ha Right Bank vineyard of Clos Puy Arnaud is planted to 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Their goal is to increase the amount of Cabernet Franc in the vineyards over time to 40% and they’re are also planning on adding a small parcel of Petit Verdot and perhaps Malbec as well. On average, the vines are close to 30 years of age but they also have old vines that are more than 60 years of age. With a terroir of limestone and clay soils, they’re located on the top of the Castillon plateau and the limestone soil is unique, known as asteries, which is the hardest type of limestone found in nature.
Tasting Notes: On the nose, aromatics of crushed stones, cacao, tobacco, and grill char
as well as blueberry, black plum, and violets. Medium-plus in body,
reminiscent more of elite-level Saint-Émilion bottlings than of juicier,
more chocolatey Pomerol. It is rigid and upright, with great energy and
tannins that loosen their grip after about an hour in a decanter. Pair
with cheese, pork dishes, and a variety of red meats.
Method: Made from 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, the grapes come from the Cotes de Bordeaux vineyard, using biodynamic farming techniques since 2008. Harvested by hand from vineyards on the plateau and slopes of the Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux AOC., the vines have an average age of 30 years. Once a cold, pre-fermentation maceration is complete, the grapes are whole berry vinified with indigenous yeasts in large oak barrels, stainless steel tanks and cement tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of vats and French oak barrels. The wines are then aged in 30% new, French oak barrels for 12 to 14 months before bottling.
Bye-bye
It was a phantastic visit. Thanks.
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