x
  • Weather

    6° C Moderate rain
  • Time

    16:16 PM
  • Wine average?

    96 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    32
  • Region Ranking?

    20
  • Popularity ranking?

    101

News

NEW EFFICIENT FACILITIES

The winery was designed by Bernard Mazières, who is renowned for his know-how on many winegrowing estates. The style of the new building is inspired by the traditional cellars on the right bank of the Garonne River that combine sober simplicity and noble materials, such as stone, timber and brushed metal. It is very light and faces the vineyard with large horizontal windows and views over the vines both for the vathouse itself and the offices, meeting rooms and tasting area on the first floor.

The vathouse is oval shaped and frees up space so that tasks can be efficiently carried out around the 22 epoxy resin-coated concrete tanks. The volume of each tank has been defined after the surface of the parcels of the estate. Each of them receive its own dedicated vat. By being lower and wider, the tanks naturally increase the contact surface area between the juice and the marc. The access hatches in the tops of the tanks are large and centrally positioned for effective pumping over. The vathouse design made it possible to totally reorganise how it is used:

  • In the new building, the harvest is brought right inside and ends up in the middle of the vathouse, from where the grapes can be sent up into the tanks with a mobile, removable system that is gentler with the fruit.
  • The flow of people and materials and access between the vathouse and the barrel cellar have been improved.
  • The vathouse is also an ideal venue for dinners and tastings, which permit its optimization when vinification is over.
  • A tasting room overlooking the vineyard and the vathouse is ideally located for welcoming professionals.

 

Close

History

The name “La Conseillante” appeared in the middle of the 18th century, when the influential Catherine Conseillan, who owned the property, decided to endow the estate with her name.

In 1871, the Nicolas family acquired La Conseillante, whose surface area (12 hectares – 30 acres) and plots have not evolved since, enabling the estate to hold on to its exceptional qualities. In 1960, Louis Nicolas’ heirs formed the Société Civile des Héritiers Nicolas company. In 2001, the organisation of the company progressed by recruiting an Estate Manager. Then in 2003, a Family Council was formed.Since 1st February 2010, the Family Council of La Conseillante has had three members, Docteur Bertrand Nicolas, co-Managing Director since 2001, Jean-Valmy Nicolas co-Managing Director since 2010 and Henri Nicolas.

Today, the fifth generation of the Nicolas family manages the estate, symbolising the long-lasting attachment of this family to a great wine.The Family Council’s role is to supervise the Estate Manager’s activities and to take part in strategic decisions, such as futures sale prices, allocations, investments, dividends and promotional activities. The Nicolas heirs are identified on the label, which has sloped corners and a silver border surrounding the coat of arms inscribed with the letters “LN”. The violet-coloured capsule is a reminder of the aroma and characteristics of the wine. These parts of the design chosen by the Nicolas brothers in 1871 remain elegantly modern in the 21st century.

For the 140 years that it has existed, Château La Conseillante has thus benefited from long-lasting, unwavering support from the Nicolas family, helping it to express the best of its terroir, one of the greatest in Pomerol. One of its characteristics is that no member of the family lives with income from the property.

 

Close

Vineyards

Located in the heart of Pomerol on an outstanding terroir, Château La Conseillante is one of the most emblematic properties in the Bordeaux winegrowing area. 80% of the vines that grow in this unique place, where the soils are predominantly made up of clay, are of the Merlot variety, which makes our wines round, deep and smooth. The remaining 20% that grow in gravel soils are Cabernet Franc, which contribute structure and freshness to the blend.

 

Today at La Conseillante, rational vine husbandry, controlled yields, a focus on achieving optimal ripeness of the fruit, rigorous sorting of the harvest and programmed replanting go hand in hand with unparalleled facilities to vinify the fruit on a plot-by-plot basis. The estate has acquired modern, efficient equipment, including a whole new vathouse with enough tanks to individually make the wine of each of the 18 mini-plots that make up our 12-hectare (30-acre) vineyard. The estate has remained unchanged since it was founded in the very middle of the great Pomerol terroirs, which is a guarantee of the quality of our wines. However, this quality could not have been expressed so regularly without the care and attention lavished on the 140 vintages produced here by generations of the Nicolas family, who have all directed the estate’s fortunes, while handing down and preserving its unique heritage.

La Conseillante has a style unlike any other. Every vintage displays the characteristic bright, deep ruby robe. The bouquet develops a complex aromatic pallet of violets, liquorice, truffles and red berries. This wine stands out for its harmony, its elegance and its complexity. Château La Conseillante launched its second wine “Duo de Conseillante” in 2007. Made with fruit from younger vines, “Duo” nevertheless expresses all the complexity and elegance of this great Pomerol terroir with its hints of liquorice, violets and red berries.

Since 2016, La Conseillante has implemented a series of undertakings to reduce its environmental impact.
The estate has gained ISO 14001 and HVE 3 certification within the SME programme (Environmental Management System) for Bordeaux wines.
ISO 14001 certification implies the limitation of environmental impacts within a company. HVE 3 certification (High Environmental Value) is centred round 4 separate environmental themes: biodiversity, phyto-sanitary strategy, management of fertilisation and water resources.

La Conseillante also cultivates different species of plants, such as clover (used in different parts of the vineyard where vines lack vigour) and oats (used to break up the soil with their roots). Radish is also planted, particularly in clay parts of the vineyard, where it enables de-compacting and aeration of the soil.

These elements all enhance biodiversity within the La Conseillante vineyard.

 

 

Close

Winemaking

When the fruit has been placed in tanks, it is left to macerate at a temperature between 10 and 12°C without fermenting for a period ranging from 48 to 96 hours, depending on the characteristics of the vintage.

Then the juice and skins ferment together for a week and are left to macerate again for one to two weeks. When vatting is finished, the free-run wine is run off and the marc is taken out of the tanks and gently pressed with a traditional vertical press. The press wines obtained are then aged separately. If the quality of these press wines is high enough, a proportion of them can be blended with the free-run wines to balance their tannin content and add volume, structure and elegance to the final product. La Conseillante ages its wines in barrels 50 to 75% of which are new, depending on the vintage. The barrels are sourced from several coopers so as to prevent the domination of any one woody aroma and to enhance the complexity of our wines, which on average remain in wood for 18 months. At the end of January or beginning of February, the first traditional racking using air pressure is carried out to eliminate the solid particles that have been deposited in the barrels. The wines are then racked again every three months.

At La Conseillante, the wines are fined with egg whites at the end of the ageing period, using two or three whites per barrel. This fining, the length of time spent in barrels and racking make the wines remarkably clear without having to filter them. The wines are blended in spring. Each barrel is tasted separately and they are then blended to achieve the best possible balance. The 18-month ageing period is then finished as the wines are bottled. The Château La Conseillante bottle is unique, made in a specific mould, and has its own laser markings. Since 1971, eminent oenologists have contributed their expertise and experience to Château La Conseillante wines. The first were Professors Peynaud and Ribereau-Gayon, then Gilles Pauquet and Jean-Claude Berrouet, and now Michel Rolland.

Close

Inside information

For over a century now, the Nicolas family has placed its trust in the skilled hand of man. Successive vignerons have built on what they have learned from their ancestors while evolving thanks to the technical and scientific progress they have witnessed themselves.

Passing down knowledge and skills is crucial to the preservation of our vineyard. Yet it must also go hand in hand with a constant reassessing of the way we work and farm.

Each generation endeavours to pass its savoir-faire down to the next, to make the right decisions for the vineyard and the cellars, so that our wine may gain even greater purity and precision, while maintaining its identity, with its hallmark finesse, balance and suave velvety texture.

Owner: SC des Héritiers Nicolas

Managers: Dr Bertrand Nicolas et Jean-Valmy Nicolas

Consultant: Michel Rolland

Winemaker: Marielle Cazaux

THE VINEYARD

Soil composition: 60% grey clay and 40% sandy gravel, resting on red (iron) clay

Grape types: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

Pruning: Double Guyot

Planting density: 6,500 vines per hectare on average

Yield: 3,500 to 4,000 litres per hectare

Average age of vines: 34 years

THE WINE

Harvesting: At optimal phenolic ripeness, by hand, in low-capacity, open trays

Sorting: By hand and machine on 4 tables

Winemaking process: Pre-fermentary cold-maceration for 2 to 5 days, vatted for 3 to 4 weeks

Vats: 22 epoxy coated concrete tanks, fully temperature-controlled

Selection: Vertical wine press and separate ageing of press wines

THE AGEING

Ageing: 50% to 80% in new, French oak barrels, from a number of carefully selected coopers

Average length: 18 months

Racking: Racking using air pressure every 3 months

Fining: 2 to 3 fresh egg whites per barrel

 

Close

Highlights

Latest news

WINERY NEWS Gaja / Vintage Report 2023 The 2023 vintage has been showing common characteristics throughout all of ou  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS FINE Wine Magazines / Now users can read the previous issues of Fine Wine Magazine and Champagne Magazines digitally
WINERY NEWS Salon / France offered a bottle of Champagne Salon 1948 to King Charles III, during his first official visit  more ...
WINERY NEWS Maison Louis Latour / The Bourgogne 2023 vintage: Surpassing all expectations!  It's been some time since Bour  more ...
WINERY NEWS Olivier Leflaive / 2022 is a sunny and warm vintage with a immediate generous character. Highly long-awaited after a  more ...
WINERY NEWS Graham's / Introducing a Limited Edition Case of 1970 and 2020 Vintage Ports – Our First NFT Launch We  more ...
WINERY NEWS Alois Lageder / The Year 2023 at the Alois Lageder Winery Alois Clemens Lageder: „The first musts and wi- n  more ...
WINERY NEWS Tenuta Belguardo / BELGUARDO V - The first DOC Maremma Toscana Vermentino Superiore   October 2023_Foll  more ...
WINERY NEWS Bec Hardy / Vintage 2023 - WINEMAKING VINTAGE WRAP UP Vintage 2023 was a real rollercoaster ride; the in  more ...
WINERY NEWS Luciano Sandrone /  The growing season 2023 - Towards the harvest The agrari  more ...
WINERY NEWS Gramercy Cellars / Spring Release Wines for 2023! This is a release that everyone at Gramercy is honored to show.   more ...
WINE NEWS: Black Label NV (10's) / Champagne Lanson ditches Le Black Label Brut After db broke news of the planned move ea  more ...
WINE NEWS: Brut Premier NV (10's) / Louis Roederer Launches its Replacement for Brut Premier with Collection 242 NV Louis Roederer Re  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Tastingbook organized the world's largest tasting of the 1990s decade. / Over 250 best wines from 1990-1999 tasted 
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Finland could seek EU recognition as a wine-producing country by 2028 / Wine production in Finland is extremely small-scale.
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS Hill of Grace – Celebrating 60 Years. / by Andrew Caillard MW
WINERY NEWS Henri Boillot / 2020 Vintage was a delight as both winegrower and winemaker. It is with great sadness and emotion  more ...
WINERY NEWS Catena Zapata / HARVEST REPORT - 2023 The 2023 wines will be among the most age worthy. After the October and Nov  more ...
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS BWW 2023 - The Best Wine of the World -Competition voting is over! / Almost 3 million votes have been cast for 17,721 wines from 543,000 wine professionals and wine enthusiasts
TASTINGBOOK WINE NEWS 100 BEST CHAMPAGNES 2023 / by Champagne Magazine

Wine Moments

Here you can see wine moments from tastingbook users.    or    to see wine moments from your world.

 Christer Byklum/ BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Norway)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  16 wines 

Krug Vintage 1929 / 100 points / Best mature Champagne I have ever had! Served blind. Roasted almonds, nuts, brioche, intense, smoky notes, almonds, hazelnuts, dried fruits, so detailed, yellow oxidative apples picked from the ground, nuanced. Amazing nose. Leaps out of the glass. Floral notes and some fine caramel hints with more air, peach, layered, you could smell it all night, especially since it was enjoyed next to Beethoven's moonshine sonata, played on the most magnificent Steinway. 
Fresh acidity, so detailed, intense, nuanced, bright fruit, perfect balance, such smoothness, fruit stones, minerals, chalky, layered, gorgeous, absolute perfection. Many young wines promises perfection, this has kept that promise, quoting Markus del Monego MW. 

2m 2h ago

 Juha Lihtonen / The Best Scandinavian Sommelier 2003, Pro (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  46 wines 

Impressive tasting that confirmed why First Growths are the First Growths. Super solid and tremendously good condition wines from the 19th century! Not the best wine of the tasting, but the true starfor me was Moët & Chandon Vin de Sillery 1807 – what a champagne!!!  

2m 3d ago

 Pekka Nuikki / Editor of the Fine Wine Magazines and Champagne Magazine, Wine Writer (Finland)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  50 wines 

The 100-tasting 1727-1949 / Day I with wines like Mouton 1899, Cheval Blanc 1929, Moet 1807, Apostolwein 1727, Palmer 1884, Margaux 1884, Krug 1929, Roederer 1915, Mumm 1893 etc.

2m 4d ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  113 wines 

An exciting tasting weekend in Finland has been a journey through time. Wines ranging from the 18th century till nowadays guaranteed an impressing tasting experience. 

2m 23d ago

 Izak Litwar / BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Denmark)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  35 wines 

BORDEAUX 2022 TOP WINES / Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2022. Aromatic cherries, blackcurrants, tobacco leaves, great acidity, powerful on the palate with a strong backbone, big concentration, multilayered, and great length. Long, long finish. Impressive effort. 98p.


 

5m 14d ago

 Christer Byklum/ BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Norway)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  60 wines 

BORDEAUX 2022 / TOP 60 WINES / Château Angelus 2022 Ruby. Blackberries, anise, dark fruits, a gentler and dare I say more feminine nose, floral notes from a summers breeze, nuanced, you have to look for all the details, they do not come jumping out at you. 
Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, superb texture, such finesse and details, bright, energetic, layered, pH 3,65, smooth and velvety, it comes back at you in waves, long finish. Layered, detailed and nuanced. Not the easiest to read, it seems light yet it has enough effortless concentration to hide 14,5% alcohol completely. The gentle giant. 


 

6m 22d ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  87 wines 

BORDEAUX 2022 VINTAGE - TOP 80 Wines. It was an advantage that 2021 was a wet year so there was a base for this 2022, says Thienpont. Excellent nose with fragrant fruit, blackberries, cerise noir, raspberries, red forest berries and fine floral hints of violets backed by subtle oak, discreet toasting and gingerbread spices. On the palate delicious tannins with silky texture, sweet fruit quoting the nose, great precision and sophistication. An exceptional VCC very close to perfection, with excellent freshness, class and an almost never ending finish. 

7m 4d ago

 Tastingbook AI /Artificial Intelligence, Wine Writer  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  100 wines 

Tastingbook.com has rated Bordeaux’s 100 best-known wines from 2022 vintage without tasting them. The points are formed by the tastingbook AI which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's 50 best-known wine Critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook's professionals from the last 52 Bordeaux vintages (1980-2021), also taking into account the climatic conditions of those vintages, the quality and the reputation of the producers and their ability to produce wines in vintages similar to 2022. As a new element, regional weather information collected from satellites over the past 12 years has now been included.
 
Based on tastingbook’s more than 70,000 wine reviews and other statistics generated during the last 51 Bordeaux vintages, the tastingbook’s artificial intelligence predicted the score for the 2022 Bordeaux wines, like it did successfully for the 2020 and 2021 vintages. The score now given is the one to which the wines of the mentioned wineries should be able to achieve according to this prediction.

9m 7d ago

 Izak Litwar / BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Denmark)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  20 wines 

Domaine de Chevalier 2021- 80% C. Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% C. Franc and 5% P. Verdot. It's the first vintage with that much C. Sauvignon in the blend. 13% alcohol. Intense black- and redcurrants, crushed rocks, coffee beans, cigar box, graphite, fresh, fine structure and complexity. Persistent aftertaste. Splendid effort for the vintage. 94-95p.

1y 4m ago

 Izak Litwar / BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Denmark)  tasted  11 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  11 wines 

LA CONSEILLANTE 2005 98p / Tasted in November 2021. Yield - 38 hl/ha. Great stuff coming from this outstanding vintage. Truffles, seductive nose, elegant and incredibly classy wine, red meat, very sophisticated, great structure, and incredibly long aftertaste. Fantastic wine and the best example of this wine I’ve had.

1y 11m ago

 Jeff Leve / BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (United States)  tasted  1 wines  from  Château La Conseillante . In a tasting of  20 wines 

2020 Bordeaux is the grand finale of the never-before-experienced, three consecutive run of great vintages. Yes, there has been a few back-to-back double plays, but this is the first time Bordeaux has ever experienced a full hat trick. There are differences in the vintages, which will become more apparent as the wines age and evolve. Each vintage is unique. Perhaps 2020 is closest to 2018, for its opulent, velvet drenched, sensuous style.  Though, it is important to note that you also find freshness, lift and elegance. Here is something to consider about 2020, alcohol levels are lower for many estates, which is surprising with hot, dry years like 2020.

2y 2h ago

Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register
BWW 2024

BWW 2024 - Who is the Best Wine Critic of the World?

 

VOTE NOW YOUR FAVOURITE WINE CRITIC!

 

Wine Professionals and wine lovers from all around the world choose, who is most reliable and influential wine critic in the world.

BWW - Best Wine of the World -Competition is the largest wine competition in the world, whether measured by the number of wines, the number of consumers involved or the judges taking part.