x
  • Weather

    6° C Scattered clouds
  • Time

    08:14 AM
  • Wine average?

    94 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    237
  • Region Ranking?

    129
  • Popularity ranking?

    209

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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Highlights

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Wine Moments

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

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  518 wines 

Primeurs Vintage 2022 Part 2

7m 5d ago

 Tastingbook AI /Artificial Intelligence, Wine Writer  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . 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 9d ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  2 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  525 wines 

The arrivage tasting proved the great quality of the vintage 2020. The promises made in the glass during the en primeur tastings were kept in this tasting session. An excellent vintage with wonderful and convincing qualities.  


 

10m 4d ago

 Christer Byklum/ BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Norway)  tasted  2 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  25 wines 

2021 Château Cheval-Blanc / Ruby. Dark fruits, anise, some spices, layered and nuanced, detailed, deep nose, some violets nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, dark fruits, fresh, lively, lovely energy to it, detailed, smooth, nuanced, long finish. 13,25% alcohol. 94-96

1y 5m ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  2 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  745 wines 

This years "en primeur" tasting seemed like a journey in time. Bordeaux is back to a more moderate alcohol level and the style is lighter and more elegant. One could say the wines are reminiscent of the 80s, however made with more experience and the modern techniques today. It is not a powerful vintage. The wines are elegant, however the well made ones have an excellent persistence, depth and length. They offer a convincing potential for a long ageing and promote elegance in Bordeaux again. It is a true vintage of terroir although there is a lot of talk about a vintners vintage. However, terroir was the decisive factor in 2021.


Professor Axel Marchal has presented the 10 key points of this vintage on the occasion of the Union des Grands Crus press tasting:


"1. The start of the growing season was marked by severe frost on the 7th and 8th of April.


2. Wet and gloomy weather in May slowed down the vine growth although a providential window of fine weather helped flowering unfold in ideal conditions in early June.


3. Thunderstorms in June slowed down the onset of water stress.


4: Cool, dull weather in July increased the threat of vine diseases.


5. Véraison (colour change) was observed in mid-August, while vine growth had not stopped yet.


6. Thanks to a cool summer, the dry white wines are brilliant, lively and aromatic.


7. The wonderful Indian Summer allowed the red grape varieties to ripen in ideal conditions and preserved aromas.


8. The Merlots are fresh and aromatic while the Cabernets from the finest terroirs are well-structured with good balance.


9. The development of Botrytis cinerea in Sauternes was delayed by the cool summer and eventually triggered by rainfall in mid-September.


10. Despite low yields, the botrytised sweet white wines are of excellent quality."


It will be exciting to see the evolution of this vintage which produced in many cases yields on a very low scale. Arguably it will be a vintage praised for it finesse in the future. A vintage rated on finesse and persistence rather than on sheer power and opulence.

1y 6m ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  153 wines 

2020 – the paradox vintage - part two

2y 6m ago

 Markus Del Monego MW / BWW2024 Finalist, MW (Germany)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  650 wines 

2020 – the paradox vintage 


2020 began with mild temperatures even breaking temperature record highs at the beginning of February. These conditions led to a premature budbreak. Budding developed unevenly, very much depending on the locations although the coo and humid weather in April had not a very significant impact on slowing down the growth of the vines. Finally all the vines came into bloom at the end of May without any significant coulure or millerandage. At the start of June, frequent rain intensified the pressure of mildew. From mid-June, the weather changed. The whole Bordelais saw a period of very dry weather for two months. However, the earlier accumulation of water reserves prevented water stress. Around July 18 a heat wave began to build up but the cool nighty prevented water stress on the wines again. The veraison started at the end of July and went on till the beginning of August. The heatwave in August accentuated water stress, but shorter rainy episodes avoided a complete block. The dry and sunny weather in September encouraged the grapes maturity and harvest started on September 10 with a rather mild weather. Towards the middle of September, rain prevented the fruits from wilting but as its frequency was quite concerning, the haves was pushed forward. "Le diabolique" is the title given to this vintage by Véronique Sanders. It is a very special French word, which is not correctly translated with “diabolic” in English. In France, the expression means to overcome the devil. And the vintners succeeded. 2020 is clearly a vintner’s vintage which asked a permanent reinvention of the wineries, struggling hard with this difficult vintage. However, the vintage surprises with excellent wines, exemplary freshness and elegance and very dense structure. In former times it was said that the vine has to suffer to make exquisite wines, in this vintage the people have suffered to make a great wine. The first part of notes for this tasting with over 800 wines you will find today. More notes will follow over the coming days.

2y 6m ago

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

On April 6, 2020 over 90 samples from Bordeaux were arriving. This huge selection was allowing a more deeper insight into the 2019's qualities. The tasting showed for Lalande de Pomerol overall ripe qualities with silky tannins. Fronsac was comparable to 2018 however with more freshness. The wines from Saint-Emilion displayed wines with very firm tannins. The Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellation where various in style.

3y 7m ago

 Christer Byklum/ BWW2024 Finalist, Wine Writer (Norway)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  37 wines 

More than 180 wines was tasted from Saint-Emilion during late March and early April this year. With a margin my biggest report to date from here. Saint-Emilion is always heterogeneous as the soils and microclimates are quite varied. Some are on flatter lands, others on the plateau with gently rolling hills in almost all aspects and yet others again are on the quite steep côte, or hill. These make for very different expressions, but also different problems may occur during a year’s growing cycle. The limestone vineyards seem to have done very well. And as for Pomerol where Olivier Berrouet of Petrus said, “The effort this year was to resist the temptation”. Those that did exactly that made some astonishing and refined Saint-Emilions. The temptation being taking too much out of the must. For me, Angelus, Ausone and Valandraud made exquisite wines at the very top of what they have ever done. The first two are graceful, elegant, nuanced and refined, Angelus a bit richer than Ausone. Valandraud shows that as well as a treasure throw of complexity. 2018 as well as 2017 are the two greatest Valandraud’s I’ve tasted to date. If this continues, are we looking at Premier Grand Cru Classé A soon?  At Pavie the fruit was probably the most refined and elegant to date, but the wood was just so incredibly hard, I just hope it will handle it. If it does, it will be a spectacular Pavie.

4y 7m ago

 Sue Allen Smith / Sommelier, Sommelier (South Africa)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  20 wines 

Cheval Blanc 2018 / 100 points / The fruit and tannins reached full and perfect ripeness and the structure shows incredible cohesion, easily approaching the quality of the 2015 but with softer tannins. Beautifully complete with great integrity of coffee grounds and rich damson fruit. Opens up in the glass, the personality and complexity ripples through. Super Start of the vintage! 

4y 7m ago

 Christoffer Wahlberg, Wine Producer (France)  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  39 wines 

Château Margaux 1999 / The nose offers up additional notes of citrus rind, pear and spice nuances. There is even better intensity to the markedly stony medium weight flavors that terminate in a precise, complex and solidly persistent finish. 93 points

4y 9m ago

 Christer Byklum  tasted  1 wines  from  La Dominique . In a tasting of  30 wines 

Bottle variations on 1928? 1948? One magic dinner with all bottles coming directly from the estates and all ending in 8.

5y 4m ago

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