Chateau La Violette, PomerolOne of the most exciting wines made in Pomerol today, Chateau La Violette continues to attract cult status among collectors. This 1.8 hectare property was bought out by Vignobles Péré-Vergé in 2006, already owners of the prestigious Château Le Gay and Château Montviel in the same appellation.
On the heights of the famous Pomerol plateau, referred to as ‘The Saint of Saints’ by world renowned oenologist, Michel Rolland. Château La Violette takes its name from an original and exquisite scent of violets that has forever seduced the finest of palates. Vineyard management here is meticulous, three days a week are spent manicuring each individual bunch to allow perfect ripening. Harvest’s are conducted in several pickings, the fruit is de-stemmed by hand and yields are kept as low as 18 hectoliters per hectare. As a result production is only 400 cases a year compared to 700 at neighbouring estate Le Pin, making La Violette one of the hardest and more expensive Pomerol wines to find. Terroir plays a big part with the vineyard sandwiched between two of the top Pomerol Estates, Le Pin and Trotanoy, lying on a complex mix of clay and limestone with gravel and iron deposits. The wine at its best offers countless layers of dense, rich, opulent dark berry, floral and chocolate tones. Chateau La Violette 2015
Tasting Notes: This is a massive Pomerol with incredible concentration and power with chocolate, walnut and dark fruit character. Remains vibrant. 98-99pts James Suckling A hedonist style, with a caressing feel to the boysenberry and raspberry fruit flavours that melt into fruit cake and melted licorice notes on the velvety finish. 92-95 Wine Spectator |
Having been in Pomerol since 1985, the late Catherine PÉRÉ-VERGÉ spent all her time and energy at all three properties increasing the quality of the wine year on year. Her first vintage at La Violette was 2006 which received 100 points from critic Robert Parker
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A GREAT PERFECTIONISM IN THE VINEYARD AND IN THE CELLARS
In the vineyard consisting of 4 plots situated at the top of the plateau, the work is very meticulous with de-budding, green harvesting and leaf thinning depending on the age of the vines and of each individual plot. Since 2006, 2 to 3 pickings are undertaken on the same plot to harvest the grapes. The harvest is all hand-picked in small cartons to keep the grape bunches in impeccable condition before the manual de-stemming that is done by a team of 60 individuals. This is so that only the entire grape berry goes into the new oak barrels. The vinifications are directly carried out in barrels for 18 months. They are closely followed by the oenologist, Michel Rolland, who adds… “The extraction is significantly slower, therefore softer, the surface area contact between the must and the wood is greater than in the wooden vat. The objective is to produce an unctuous, charming, fleshy wine, in which the complete expression of the fruit is preserved. Pomerol is a jewel that obliges us to go beyond our limits. Our objective is both extraordinarily simple and of an extremely ambitious undertaking: To draw the best from the vines each year, regardless of the weather conditions”. |
TERROIR
1.8 hectares. The property is situated on the Pomerol plateau between Trotanoy and Le Pin Clay and gravel soil. GRAPE VARIETY 100 % of Merlot. Age of vines: pre-1956 vines – Missing and planted. PRODUCTION 4800 bottles (based on a yield of 20 HL/Ha), No second wine. VINEYARD WORK Undertaken by the same teams as Chateaus Le Gay and Montviel, the vineyard work is effectuated with the same attention whose sole objective is quality : a careful disentangling of the grape bunches during the month of July, followed by an equalization of the maturity at veraison, by removing the bunches if necessary. Leaf-thinning on one side then then other. Depending on maturity, the grapes will be harvested in 2 or 3 times in the same plot. The grapes are individually de-stemmed by hand and micro-vinified in new oak barrels without passing through a crusher. VINIFICATION AND BARREL AGEING The alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentations are all undertaken in new French oak barrels. Barrel ageing will last for between 12 and 18 months. |