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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Deep color and delicate bouquet, as well as a softness typical of Pomerol and a generous, powerful side reminiscent of Saint-Emilion are the hallmarks of the wines of Château Le Bon Pasteur.
This extraordinary complexity results from the mosaic of identities of its 21 cadastered plots in the Pomerol appellation, to the French border of St. Emilion.
The Pomerol appellation encompasses a multitude of micro-terroirs. What makes Château Le Bon Pasteur, with a total surface area of 6.7 hectares, so unusual is that it is located on the border between two world-famous regions: Pomerol and Saint-Emilion. As opposed to the great châteaux of the Médoc, the vineyard is not in a single block, but spread out over 21 plots. This patchwork of terroirs accounts for the wine’s considerable complexity, deep colour and delicate bouquet, as well as a softness typical of Pomerol and a generous, powerful side reminiscent of Saint-Emilion.
Château Le Bon Pasteur’s wide range of different geological profiles includes clay-gravel and gravelly-sand, deep gravel, and a subsoil of sandy molasse or clay molasse (called molasse du Fronsadais) with traces of crasse de fer (ironpan). The complexity of these various terroirs is accentuated by the varying depth of topsoil, different sun exposure (south and southeast), as well as the gradient and type of subsoil that determine natural drainage.
Each plot of vines has unique characteristics calling for tailor-made attention. The “Caillou” plot, planted entirely with Merlot and located 200 metres from Pétrus, is one of the key components of Le Bon Pasteur. The clay-gravel soil overlays a rare blue clay subsoil that is found only in Pomerol. Rich in iron, this terroir absorbs water when it rains, thus avoiding an excess supply to the roots. Conversely, during hot dry weather, the blue clay loosens and releases water to nourish the vine roots, even deep down. This naturally-regulated system enables the Merlot vines to produce wines that epitomise this variety’s intrinsic concentration, velvety texture, and great delicacy.
The “Pomerol Maillet” part of the vineyards features Cabernet Franc vines an average 40 years old. This variety is early-maturing here thanks to the clay-gravel-siliceous soil. This tendency towards early-ripening reduces the risk of rot during the rainy month of October in Bordeaux. The Cabernet Franc vines from this part of the vineyard produce fresh, spicy, and very fruity wines that are also balanced, structured, and show good ageing potential.
Other plots, poetically named “La Maugarde”, “Le Barrail”, “La Chichonne”, “Chantecaille”, and “Troque”, are also located in the hamlet of Maillet, which has no centre as such, but rather climats like in Burgundy. Our winemaking team takes great pains to adapt to each of these climats. Thanks to our technique of vinification intégrale (alcoholic fermentation in 225 litre barrels), we can target optimum ripeness down to the smallest parts of the vineyard.
Vuosikerta 2018
Report and recommendations for the 2018 Bordeaux vintage
by Andrew Caillard MW
2018 is an exceptional year. Bordeaux whites and Sauternes are very good, but from an Australian perspective, the excitement is all in the red wines. All sub-regions produced examples of very good wines, but some performed better than others. Generally, the largest estates have made exemplary wines illustrating that the human factor and wealth can have a major impact on the terroir! Over the past few weeks I have tasted around 350-400 wines, sometimes in large format forums like UCG tastings or at various châteaux. These days it is difficult to taste wines blind, but color density, aromatic freshness, tannin density and overall balance are obvious indicators. In some cases, I tasted wines a few times, which allowed me to cross references.
The weather until a few days ago was clear with bright sunshine, warm days and a cool breeze. Temperatures have dropped now with more cloud cover and intermittent rain. Driving from Sauternes to St Emilion we passed through some light hail but not enough to cause too many problems. In two weeks, we saw dormant vines and trees come to life. The growing season starts a little early and, of course, people worry about the chance of frost. After the devastating frost episodes of 2017 and the challenges created by hail and mildew in 2018, there is a feeling that climate change could well have an unpredictable impact on future Bordeaux vintages.
We have tasted a good amount of primeur wines now. As usual the vintage will be exaggerated. The growing season was almost calamitous, but long hours of hot sunshine over the summer cleaned everything up and allowed the grapes to ripen very, very well. The colors, flavors, density and acidities are truly impressive and as a result the vintage is generally quite exceptional. It's difficult to truly understand overall crop losses, as growers are naturally quite cagey. But they vary from almost nothing to less than a third. At Ch Climens in Sauternes Barsac, I estimate that the harvest is around 20% of the average. When we know that this area lost its entire harvest in 2017 due to frost, the shock must be keenly felt. Mother Nature has been particularly cruel lately. The growing season story will inevitably create a negative impression, but few people will remember the details in years to come. They will only remember the wine. For some people with long memories, they believe the vintage is like 1947 or 1961. If so, it's not just an exceptional vintage, it's something beyond the norm. An immortal year. The concentration, weight and vitality of the wines are impressive. Despite the incredible density of tannins, saturated colors and flavors, the wines are actually quite easy to taste, indicating remarkable balance and life.
In my opinion, the strongest sub-regions are Pauillac and St Julien – both of which have produced wines of great consistency and classicism. They are powerfully expressive with pronounced ripe tannins and pure fruit flavors. The combination of better microclimatic conditions, wealth and physical resources contributed to the result. Ch Pontet Canet is an exception because of its approach to biodynamic viticulture. It suffered terribly from downy mildew and only produced a third of the harvest. The wine is distinctly different from wines like Ch Latour or Ch Pichon Lalande, but its overall buoyancy and fruit richness are convincing. It also represents something worthwhile and important.
I still think Pauilac is the benchmark for Bordeaux. Typically, the wines are extremely expressive with aromas of pure cedar and fine grainy tannins. This year, the wines are particularly dense and inky with abundant graphite tannins. They are not at all tense or soft and so when the tannins settle in, the wines will be exceptional.
There are many exceptional wines from Pauillac, including Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Ch Pichon Longueville Baron, Ch Lynch Bages, Ch Batailley, Ch d’Armailhac and Ch Grand Puy Lacoste. The premier crus Ch Latour, Ch Mouton Rothschild and Ch Lafite Rothschild are very impressive. Their second wines Les Forts de Latour, Petit Mouton and Carruades are also of very high quality.
