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  • Weather

    12° C Light rain
  • Time

    08:11 AM
  • Wine average?

    94 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    255
  • Region Ranking?

    136
  • Popularity ranking?

    219

History

According to a nice legend, the name « La Dominique » came from a rich merchant, owner of the estate during the XVIIIth century : he named this land “La Dominique” in memory of the island located in the Caribbean. Many historical elements allow us to trace the Château back to the end of the XVIIth century. 

 

1690

Stated in a feudal act of recognition

on behalf of King Louis the 14th :

Jean Micheau, carpenter of old-growth forest,

as owner of the property.

1785

« La Dominique » is mentioned in the map of Pierre de Beylleme.

The estate is known as Mr Fontémoing’s property, wine merchant in Libourne.

 

1788

Mr Jean Chaperon, wine merchant in Libourne, purchases the  land named “Dominique” from Mr Jean-Baptiste Fontemoing.

1850

The estate is still the property of Chaperon’s family and the production represents 25 to 30 barrels. 

1862

Mr Charles Chaperon sells “the estate La Dominique” to Mr Gabriel Henri Greloud (merchant from Bordeaux), which equals to 21 ha. 

1918

The property is sold by Greloud’s sucessors to Mr Louis Benoît Soualle.

1933

Louis Soualle lets the estate to Edouard Louis de Baillencourt called Courcol, Marie-Louise Soualle’s husband. 

1955

During the 1st report of Saint-Emilion classification, Château La Dominique is designated Grand Cru Classé, title which it has always honoured since then. 

1960

Death of Edouard de Baillencourt. The Château is managed among his 4 children.

 

 

1969 Château La Dominique is purchased by Mr Clément Fayat.

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Vineyards

In order to balance performance and environmental conservation, particular attention is given to the vineyard of La Dominique. Each plot is closely monitored, and its individual characteristics are taken into account for the vine works required throughout the seasons. For several years, the vineyard has been managed according to rules of sustainable agriculture.

  • Soil: 25% brown clayey soils, 75% ancient sands mixed with gravel on clay subsoils
  • Grape varieties: 81% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Average vine age: 35 years old
  • Plantation density: 7,000 to 9,000 vines/ha
  • Viticultural method: Traditional, natural grass cover every second row depending on vine vigour, works following sustainable agriculture principles
  • Pruning method: single and double Guyot
  • Harvesting: Entirely by hand, for good quality grapes
  • Vinification: Taperedstainless steel temperature controlled tanks
  • Maturation: 70% to 80% in new barrels 
  • Yield: 40 hl/ha
  • Average production: 90,000 bottles
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Winemaking

Inaugurated with the vintage 2013, the new wine cellar involves a set of tools selected for their technical performance. The aim is a quest for excellence in the development of wines with great cellaring potential, while keeping up with our traditions.

With great patience and passion, guided by a know-how acquired over time, Fayat’s family is deeply involved and determined to give to Château La Dominique a strong contemporary dimension.

Not only has the wine cellar been improved, but the process of harvesting has also been made more efficient, in order to keep the best quality of our grapes.

Detailed review, from the plot to the vat:

  • Hand-picking in 35kg boxes, starting spot from where grapes will be perfectly preserved,

  • Storage in cold-room for 12 to 24 hours, temperature cooled to make the most of pre-fermentation maceration,

  • Destemming with The Cube vertical vibration destemmer, for gentle treatment of the grapes,

  • Automatic sorting process by blowing grain separator, then hand sorting on vibration table so that only the best grains are kept,

  • Gently crushed grapes transferred thanks to a moving basin lifted up onto the vat, gravity allows for an accurate preservation of matters and colors,

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Inside information

Red and shiny, the new cellar of Château La Dominique was designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel. This modern project, as simple as it is daring, hosts the new fermenting room of the wine estate which recently increased from 25 to 30 hectares. The work was completed in March 2014 and it greatly transformed the appearance of the property, carrying the estate forward into the Nouvel Era.

Château La Dominique, Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Emilion benefits from an excellent location in this beautiful area, listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. Situated in the heart of a 1-hectare park, the Château is composed of a host house, two perpendicular cellars, one contemporary wine cellar completed in 2014 and a farm building.

The host house is a typical two-floor Bordeaux-house with dressed stones; the façade facing south has regular openings in a classical style. Various spaces are dedicated to welcoming visitors: a reception, a tasting room, the shop, as well as offices. On both sides of the façade, two symmetrical wings surround the main building, forming a U-shape. They host the fermenting room and the storage cellar. Since 2014, a contemporary cellar awakens the classical architecture, in a successful contrast between authenticity and modernity. This project was commissioned by Clément Fayat and implemented by the architect Jean Nouvel in order to increase the production capacity and improve the vinification tools.

Jean Nouvel imagined a building with pure lines, built on the existing dressed stones and rising over the vineyard. Beyond the technical building, the architect offered a masterpiece highlighting the exceptional location of the estate, while he also expresses his own and the universal vision of wine and the pleasure of wine tasting. The wine cellar is dressed with six shades of mirrored red-stainless-steel blades. With this unique covering, Jean Nouvel plays with our perception of the colour of the wine: the reflection, intensity, shades, deepness, etc. Looking at it, you are also able to see the vines, which are reflected in defragmented images. Finally, according to the location of the visitor, you will be able to see the viticultural landscape, reflected on the reverse thanks to the inclined position of the stainless steel blades.

The inside of the vat-room, 600 m², is bright and sober, surrounded by concrete walls and a huge bay window on the north façade, which illuminates the whole room. Very modern with tronconic stainless steel vats on both sides, the space was also made as a space to host events like professional wine tastings. The meeting-point between the concrete building and the back of the original house hosts the ageing room, displaying barrels in a warm and enticing atmosphere. The ceiling is lowered and the walls have the colour of the darkest shade of red from Jean Nouvel’s outside wall. The barrels are arranged in a half-moon shape, held up by the Oxoline system, with a lighting emphasizing the warm colour of oak.

The roof is a panoramic terrace offering the visitors a marvelous view over the vineyard landscape, sprinkled with great Châteaux, villages, etc. The terrace is covered with red glass pebbles, representing symbolic grapes which the visitor can tread. One part of the terrace is covered and includes a restaurant with excellent views, La Terrasse Rouge, which is open throughout the year, forming a unique belvedere in the Bordeaux vineyards.

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