Château Petit-Village, 'Le Jardin de Petit-Village' Pomerol 2015

PRODUCER

Château Petit-Village is situated in the heart of the Pomerol appellation; its 11 hectares of vines lie next door to Vieux Château Certan. The estate shares an owner (AXA Millesimes) with Château Pichon-Baron and, as with the latter, Petit-Village has benefited from renovation and improvement over the last two decades. Lower yields in the vineyards, a new barrel cellar and fermentation vats have all been implemented by Daniel Llose and Serge Ley, who oversee the work in the vineyards and the winery between them. Le Jardin de Petit Village is the second wine of Château Petit Village.

VINEYARDS

The vineyard sits at the highest point of Pomerol, where soils are the most gravelly and thus drainage is optimised, which is an advantage in the maritime climate. The subsoil is known as 'crasse de fer', an iron-rich clay that is said to confer such complexity to the greatest wines of Pomerol. Vineyards are planted with 75% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Vines are between 15 and 20 years of age and grapes were hand- picked before being sorted several times to ensure only perfectly ripe berries entered the winery. Le Jardin de Petit Village is made from 100% Merlot and is intended for earlier drinking.

VINTAGE

The rainfall through winter was higher than average which replenished the soil water content. Favourable temperatures in April produced a strong and consistent budbreak. This was also followed by a good flowering and fruit set. Summer was warm and dry overall except for a succession of rainy periods at the end of July which ensured the vines remained healthy during the ripening period.

VINIFICATION

The fruit was kept as separate plots and fermented in temperature controlled, epoxy lined concrete vats for 10 days. Total maceration lasted between 26 and 30 days with punch downs at the early stages of fermentation. The wine was then aged in one year old French oak barrels for 12 months.

TASTING NOTES

This wine is powerful, yet elegant, with great finesse. The colour is deep red; the bouquet offers black cherries and spices, followed by velvety tannins on the palate. It has immense length and that freshness that is so characteristic of the site of Château Petit Village.