CHÂTEAU PETIT VILLAGE

2017 Pomerol

EN PRIMEUR

Tried twice, once in Pomerol and once with Christian Seely at Pichon Baron. Plum and pronounced oak on the nose. Some cooked meat too. Lots of velvety soft dark fruit on the palate. The vanilla and violet flavour adds to the roundness. The tannins are ripe and acidity noticeable. Lovely viscous feel. Long attractive finish. Rating: 91-93 L&S (Apr 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2017 Petit-Village is raised in 50% new oak for 15 months, the vines did not suffer frost damage at all. This is a Pomerol cru that has left me feeling nonplussed in recent vintages and I am still seeking a version that reflects the terroir. It has plenty of red cherry and red plum fruit on the nose, hints of blood orange and just a touch of cooked meat. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannin, moderate depth, and just attenuated a little towards the finish leaving you wanting more. Drinking range: 2022 - 2036 Rating: 87-89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

Petit Village was completely spared from the frosts in 2017. Composed of 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Petit Village is deep garnet-purple in color and is a little reticent to begin, with slowly emerging notes of warms plums, blackberry pie and baked blueberries plus sparks of kirsch, licorice, camphor and chargrill. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a generous amount of mid-palate flesh and really ripe, plush tannins, finishing with loads of blue, black and red fruit layers. Rating: 90-92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

Impressive amounts of plums, black cherries, espresso, and graphite emerge from the 2017 Petit-Village. This ripe, incredibly sexy Pomerol has a deep, rounded texture, sweet tannin, and is downright loaded with charm (which can be lacking in far too many wines in the vintage). Falling under the helm of director Diana Berrouet-Garcia, this beauty is 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, all aging in 50% new oak. Drink it anytime over the coming 15+ years. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Will be aged 15 months in 50% new oak. Deep cherry red. Sudden burst of right-bank sweetness after tasting Pichon Baron, Pibran and Les Tourelles. Scented with violets. Cinammon buns. Sweet fruit and firm tannins give very good balance. Firm but juicy and generous too. Lots of pleasure and fruit depth. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

This is layered and very poised with plum and chocolate character. Full body and chewy tannins that are polished and focused. Very long and serious. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Very fresh, with a bright floral-infused core of raspberry, cherry and cassis flavors. Silky but persistent tannins let this linger nicely. There’s some sneaky depth here too. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

The blend here is 71% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Christian Seely reports no problem with frost here, the end result a wine with an IPT of 72, alcohol 13.7% and acidity 3.34 g/l. This starts off confidently, with a very concentrated nose of black cherry, black olives and violets, the overarching impression one of exotic and fragrant fruits. The palate shows wonderful substance and texture, with smoky fruit, some lovely mineral elements, black olive, grilled black cherry, tar and violets. It feels delightfully ripe, but wrapped up in a sinewy texture, with a substantial tannic backbone, bold and bright. The finish is firm, long, and intensely grippy, and is clearly a very impressive Petit Village. This estate has come on in leaps and bounds during the last decade, and this latest release is very impressive for the appellation and for the vintage. Tasted twice. The élevage will be in 50% new barrels and 50% second-fill barrels for 15 months. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

Up on the Pomerol plateau, just east of Catusseau, on ideal gravel and clay soil is Château Petit Village. A habitually complicated but unremarkable history comes to life with its purchase, in 1919 by the Ginestet family. This brought Petit Village into common ownership with Château Cos’d’Estournel and, later, Château Margaux. Despite its illustrious stable-mates, the Ginestet family’s tenure coincided with difficult times for Bordeaux estates, culminating in the disastrous frost of 1956 which wiped out vineyards across the region. In a move that seems bizarre in hindsight, much of Petit Village was replanted with Cabernet Sauvignon which made up an untypical greater portion of the vineyards until the 1970’s. Bruno Prats took control in 1971, having married into the family, and immediately set about replacing most of the Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and modernising the winery, but sold Petit Village in 1989 in order to concentrate his efforts on Cos d’Estournel. The new owners of Château Petit Village were AXA Millésimes, who own it to this day, along with Château Pichon Longueville Baron in Pauillac and Château Suduiraut in Sauternes as well as operations in Hungary and Portugal. AXA’s stewardship has seen Jean Michel Cazes (of Lynch Bages fame) and latterly Christian Seely overseeing considerable improvements at Petit Village. One of the more noticeable improvements has been the building of a starkly modern extension to the winery. The 10.5ha of vineyards sit in a single triangular block wedged between Conseillante, Vieux Château Certan, Certan de May and Beauregard. Le Pin sits near enough to be counted as a neighbour. There are 75% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, with the residual 7% Cabernet Sauvignon being among the highest proportions in Pomerol. The average age of the vines in 35 years old, although one plot of Merlot remains that was planted 1947.