Published the 08/27/2020 in The Cellar
This month's nugget is located in Saint Christophe des Bardes, near Saint-Emilion. A terraced vineyard, a clay-limestone terroir, a little blue clay, a touch of full winemaking, these are some of the ingredients that make this wine an indispensable nugget of your cellar at a sweet price.
Tour Saint Christophe is the last castle acquired by Peter Kwok and his daughter, owner of the K vineyards, in 2012. The owner of Bellefont-Belcier and Château Tourmaline, a small nugget of Pomerol, was seduced by the serenity of the place, and the potential of the terroir: a clay-limestone soil, vines with an average age of thirty years, south-southwest exposure, and terraces offering perfect natural drainage conditions. And if one looks closely at the cut of the vineyard soils, one notices slight blue veins on this soil, proof of the presence of blue clay, the terroir that has made the reputation of Pomerol, and particularly of Pétrus. This clay, because of its structure, retains more water and distributes it to the vines even during dry summers.
Freshly purchased, the owner begins the renovation of the premises, with on the one hand the renovation of the terraces, and on the other hand, the restoration of the site to make it an exceptional place to stay for a weekend. These famous terraces, stretching over a total of 1.5km, and whose walls have been dismantled and rebuilt with dry stone equipment as built in the 18th century, represents a titanic work since each stone has to be cut by hand.
This Saint Emilion Grand Cru is composed of a majority of Merlot (80%) and Cabernet France (20%). It presents beautiful notes of black fruits, soft and supple tannins, and a nice length in the mouth. The wood is perfectly integrated and enhances the delicate aromas of blackcurrant and black cherry.
"This has a rich and ripe dark-fruit nose with a wealth of stony attraction and a ligh- ter, floral edge. The palate has a very rich core of deeply ripe, fleshy fruit, framed in cedary oak. Really impressive clarity and web-like tannins. Superb finish. Try from 2023.» James Suckling February 2019, about the 2016 vintage
A beautiful discovery, approved by our team and a bargain since the average price of a bottle is 30 euros! We had the chance to taste the 2018, very promising.
And for those who love nuggets, you absolutely must not miss Tourmaline, the Pomerol of the K vineyards, a rare pearl since this vineyard of only 1 ha is next to Le Pin, with a plot close to Petrus.
Enjoy the tasting !
