Day 6- Fun Amongst the Gravel and Clay, Pt.1

After finishing the previous day with the impeccably managed Ch. Lafleur and the haunting medieval beauty of Ch. de Sales it was hard to imagine that any day could be better. And though I am not sure that Friday, the 14th of December WAS any better, it was equally amazing in its own right. How, you may ask?

It goes something like this.

We woke in the morning and had a typical light breakfast of croissant, confiture, and coffee. Tasted some surprisingly nice wines made at our Chambre D’Hotes Ch. Montlot, and then got into the car again for the now familiar ride to Pomerol. Instead of going the extra 500 meters to Ch. Gazin we stopped short on the foggy road at the buildings forming like an apparition. The fog seemed to silence everything except for the occasional roar of an older model Renault or Citroen. Out of the fog lettering against a white wall formed. Petrus.

In the morning bluster of cold we were met by the export manager M. Lospied. Despite the cold he made sure to take us first to the vineyards. Like other chateaux of high quality M. Lospied emphasized that virtually everything at Petrus is done in the vineyard. He noted that Petrus was the first to start doing the “radical” practice of fruit-thinning– something now practiced by virtually everyone. Also, there is a clear plan for replanting vineyards. Every ten years the oldest block gets replanted in order to keep the average age of vine around 40 yrs. Yet, all the practices done in the vineyard are undertaken only to highlight the one thing that separates Petrus from every other place where wine is made in the world. The crown of dark green-blue clays that pokes its way through the gravel and clay that dominate the neighboring properties of Gazin, Lafleur, Vieux Ch. Certan and others.

Now this clay is imbued with magic. You can make a tonic from it and it will cure cancer. Really.

In actually the electric charge formed from the clay holds water differently. The result is a clay that holds some water under the surface and does not crack in hot weather. This means that vines are stressed to a virtually perfect level, where they are rarely water-stressed but are also never over-watered. In France, where irrigation is verboten, this is something like magic.

One remembers the basics about Petrus of course. That it is virtually all Merlot. That it is some of the sexiest liquid in the world. That Chanel, upon realizing that it could never match its smell, gave up on the perfume industry. That many tall-tales are told about it. That one needs to sell ones children into forced labor to afford a bottle.

Now, the wines are vinified about as traditionally as can be. Again, concrete fermentation vessels, regular pumpovers, some period of extended maceration depending on the lot and year. ML is undertaken in tank. Super old-school. But if you have a winning formula why mess with it right?

What is surprising about Ch. Petrus is how small the production really is. One hears about how rare it is, but when you walk into the barrel room and see four small rows of barrels which represent the entire vintage of 2006, it really hits you. When we were there they were fining the 2006 with egg whites– a couple of eggs per barrel– and mixing. It was one man with a stainless bucket filled with wine for topping, some eggs, and a groovy barrel mixer. Another reminder of how the most expensive wines from the right bank seem to be made the most simply and effortlessly.

On our visit we tasted the 2006. Still tight as nails it was surprisingly reticent and shy in the glass. In the 10-15 minutes we spent tasting the wine though it already was starting to emerge like a genie. I can only imagine what it will be like in ten years, or twenty. M. Rospied says the 2006 is the unfortunate follow-up to the 2005. While the 2005 was immediately amazing the 2006 took a long time to start winning admirers in the winery. It is now starting to flesh out and show some richness.

Anyone want to buy me a bottle of the 2005 so I can see if he is right?

Upon departing the sacred grounds of Pomerol we backtracked a bit on the road, turning left again at Vieux Chateau Certan and crossing the small stream that separates Pomerol from St. Emilion. Driving another 1000 M we turned left onto a gravel road that led to a large white building. Turning into the parking spot we could look across to Pomerol and trace the little buildings by winery name. Stepping out of the car and turning around we looked into the equine eye of Ch. Cheval Blanc.

There we were met by the assistant winemaker who took us on an in-depth tour through the tank rooms, barrel cellar, and vineyards. Young, and energetic, we were surprised by the candor of our guide who openly admitted the the many types of experimentation done at Cheval Blanc. We started with vineyard maintenance, spraying, how it was administered, common fungal problems and how they were dealt with– really everything. Just as our toes were getting numb from being out in the cold we entered the winery and looked at the excellent fermentation room. Again, concrete tanks, though stainless steel is played around with as well, particularly for blending tanks.

Malolactic is undergone in part in barrels, and part en cuve. Of coarse, what separates Cheval Blanc from its neighbors is the high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the wine. The resulting wine is perfumey and showy. The 2004 that we tasted was one of the best wines of the trip. Absolutely powerful and pretty at the same time.

After our morning at Petrus and Cheval Blanc we returned to St. Emilion for lunch. In the afternoon we would be visiting Ch. Figeac and Ch. Petit Villages.