2023 Château Petit-Village, Pomerol, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
Amazingly dense, beautiful inky colour, lovely bright spice, this has lift and floral aromatics that come in waves through the palate, soft and successful extraction, 45% new oak, with a part in large format 400l barrels. Vincent Priou director.
Drink 2030 - 2048
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (April 2024)
The 2023 Petit-Village was picked beginning with the younger vines on September 6 and finished on September 20 just before the light rains. Yields were 36hL/ha and the wine matured in slightly less new oak this year (40%, 20% of which is 500-liter barrels). The nose is quite straightforward and just misses the complexity I have found amongst its peers. It displays pleasant black cherry and bilberry fruit and a touch of sous-bois, but it doesn't quite evolve in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and framed by supple tannins, with plenty of graphite-tinged black fruit and quite a structured finish. It should mellow during its élevage. This is a case where I feel that they could have held on a little longer with respect to the Cabernets in order to obtain that extra degree of ripeness and complexity.
Drink 2028 - 2046
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2024)
The 2023 Petit-Village emerges from the eastern blocks on the property—in other words, those on the Pomerol plateau. Black cherry, chocolate, espresso, licorice and spice infuse the 2023 with notable richness. This is an especially potent, bold style built on textural opulence and breadth. The Cabernet signatures are pretty strong here. Tasted two times.
Drink 2030 - 2048
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (April 2024)
65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 36 hl/ha. Certified organic. Cask sample.
Floral and dark-fruit notes with plenty of lift. Fruit juicy and crunchy. Palate structured and precise, the Cabernet element manifest. Line and length and nothing over the top. Can feel the progress being made under new ownership.
Drink 2030 - 2042
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 2024)
Aromas of dark wild berries, cassis, chocolate, spices and coniferous forest preface the 2023 Petit Village, a medium to full-bodied, layered and textured wine with a rich, concentrated core of fruit framed by a structured texture, powdery tannins and concluding with an oak-inflected finish.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (April 2024)
A racy, classy and linear wine with blackberries, minerals, stones and flowers. It’s medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins and a racy finish. Creamy texture as well. 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (April 2024)
Perfumed on the nose, heavily scented and lively with violets, roses, blackcurrants, slate, crayon and liquorice. Supple and agile on the palate, a great movement from start to finish with crushed velvet textured tannins as well as plushness and some sweetness from the ripe berry fruit. Powerful but also friendly and charming with lots of graphite and minerality on the finish. Still compact, but stylish and well made. 3.8pH. Ageing 16 months in French oak barrels, 45% new, 25% in 500l barrels. 50% grand vin production.
Drink 2029 - 2048
Georgina Hindle, Decanter (April 2024)
About this WINE
Chateau Petit-Village
Château Petit-Village produces classic lush Pomerol wines that sell for a fraction of the prices that are commanded by some of its more fashionable neighbours. Since 1989 it has been owned by AXA and is run by Jean-Michel Cazes and oenologist Daniel Llose. AXA also owns Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, Château Cantenac Brown and Château Suduiraut.
Petit-Village's 11-hectare vineyard is located on soils rich in gravel with a limestone and clay subsoil. It is bordered by Vieux Château Certan to the north and La Conseillante to the east. The vineyard was effectively destroyed by the 1956 frosts and had to be totally replanted.
Petit-Village's wine is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled concrete vats and the wine is matured for 14-18 months in 100% new oak casks.
Pomerol
Pomerol is the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations, with about 150 producers and approximately 740 hectares of vineyards. It is home to many bijou domaines, many of which produce little more than 1,000 cases per annum.
Both the topography and architecture of the region is unremarkable, but the style of the wines is most individual. The finest vineyards are planted on a seam of rich clay which extends across the gently-elevated plateau of Pomerol, which runs from the north-eastern boundary of St Emilion. On the sides of the plateau, the soil becomes sandier and the wines lighter.
There is one satellite region to the immediate north, Lalande-de-Pomerol whose wines are stylistically very similar, if sometimes lacking the finesse of its neighbour. There has never been a classification of Pomerol wines.
Recommended Châteaux : Ch. Pétrus, Vieux Ch. Certan, Le Pin, Ch. L’Eglise-Clinet, Ch. La Conseillante, Ch. L’Evangile, Ch. Lafleur, Trotanoy, Ch. Nenin, Ch. Beauregard, Ch. Feytit-Clinet, Le Gay.
Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grape varieties commonly used in Bordeaux-style blends, particularly in the Bordeaux region of France. When these two grapes are blended, they can create a wine that combines the best characteristics of each variety.
Merlot is known for its smoothness, soft tannins, and ripe fruit flavours. It often contributes black cherry, plum, and chocolate flavours to the blend. The grapes are relatively easy to grow and ripen earlier than other Bordeaux varieties, making them versatile for blending.
Cabernet Franc, on the other hand, adds structure, depth, and complexity to the blend. It typically brings aromas of red fruits such as raspberry and strawberry, along with herbal notes like bell pepper and tobacco. These grapes have thinner skins and can be more challenging to cultivate, requiring specific growing conditions to reach their full potential.
When Merlot and Cabernet Franc are combined, the result is a well-balanced wine with various flavours and aromas. The blend often exhibits a Bordeaux wine's medium to full body, along with a smooth texture and moderate tannins. The specific flavour profile can vary depending on the proportions of each grape in the blend and the terroir and winemaking techniques employed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Amazingly dense, beautiful inky colour, lovely bright spice, this has lift and floral aromatics that come in waves through the palate, soft and successful extraction, 45% new oak, with a part in large format 400l barrels. Vincent Priou director.
Drink 2030 - 2048
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (April 2024)
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