Chateau Puygueraud

A tiny appellation – a mere 450 hectares – situated on some of the steepest banks of the Gironde to the east of St Emilion. Unlike most of the Bordeaux, where viticulture precluded other forms of agriculture by the late 18th century, this appellation remains a patchwork of cereal crops and grazing lands as well as vineyards. It is also a relative newcomer, having been established only in 1967. Here an appellation producing some of the most precise, refined wines that Bordeaux has to offer—and yet, for all this, it has not yet lost its rustic charm.

The sudden rise of this appellation is down to a single family, the Thienponts. Former negociants from Flanders, the family also owns Veiux Chateau Certan – one of the greatest estates in Pomerol. George Thienpont purchased Chateau Puygueraud, which dominates the tiny appellation, in 1946. The estate was then in a decrepit state, with the vineyards in ruins. At once he set about reversing the fortunes of this maligned property, replanting the cereal crops as well raising cattle that would roam on the pastureland. An ambitious project, he only set about replanting the vineyards in the 1970s; the first wines were only produced in 1983. Today the chateau produces three wines: Chateau Puygueraud (the grand vin), Chateau Lauriol (the second wine) and Cuvee George (an interesting wine that is a blend of 35% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon). It is George’s son, Nicolas, who manages vinification across the various properties.

The soils of the estate were restructured and restored over a period of three decades before being carefully replanted with grape vines at the end of the 1970s. Yields are kept in check to preserve quality, green harvesting and de-budding are the norm and harvesting is a manual affair. Picked grapes that pass the stringent quality standards are then placed in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats to ferment. Ageing on the lees takes place, though there are no strict time limits – interventions are dependent on tastings. Bottling takes place after 16 to 18 months in the barrel.