| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Fabulously situated alongside Cheval Blanc and L'Evangile, this property has a long track record of making outstanding Pomerol that is never forced or over-extracted. Purchased by Louis Nicolas in 1871, it has remained in his family's ownership ever since. 11.8 hectares planted 83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc. Always consistent and reliable, quality has been further improved in recent years by the production of a second wine - Duo de la Conseillante. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux has been doing a fine job since her arrival in 2015.
A superb effort that transcends the challenges of the vintage, the 2021 La Conseillante offers up a beautifully perfumed nose of wild berries, raspberry coulis, violets, exotic spices and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it's a sensual, seamless wine that's deep and layered, structured around supple tannins and lively acids. Perfumed and penetrating, the 2021 isn't the most powerful wine this estate has produced, but it brilliantly exemplifies the rare structural elegance and almost Burgundian aromatic range that so often set this great estate apart from the rest of the Pomerol appellation. It's a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.
2021 marks the 150th vintage of Nicolas ownership which will be commemorated with a subtly different label at La Conseillante. It was harvested from 28th September to 12th October, starting with Merlot and ending with late-ripening Cabernet Franc plots. This is one of the latest harvests ever and this decision did not affect the yield, which is a healthy 39hl/ha. Extraction was gentle after a cold soak, with 7% of the fermentation carried out in barrel. Maturation will take place in 70% new oak, with 27% in old oak and 3% in amphora. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and the abv 13.3%. Bright purple in colour with violets, blueberries and baking spices on the nose. The palate retains the same sweetness but offers fresh acidity and grippy, fine tannins, adding a lightly savoury tone and bringing real focus. Tense and tightly coiled, this unforced yet structured wine will need time to unfurl and reveal its potential, but there is a wonderful intensity that builds on the finish and promises an excellent wine in the bottle.
Lovely, balanced and linear with seamless, fine tannins that are soft and creamy. Medium-bodied. Very attractive berry, light walnut and violet character. Long finish.
The 2021 La Conseillante is a blend of 85% Merlot, harvested from 28 September to 1 October, and 15% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 6 to 12 October, with a yield of 39 hl/ha. It is aging 70% in new oak and 3% in amphora. Deep garnet-purple color, it strides confidently out of the glass with notes of fresh blackberries, ripe raspberries, cracked black pepper, and lavender, plus vibrant accents of roses, cinnamon stick, and pencil shavings, Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and quivering with tension, delivering a vibrant core of bright red fruit and subtle spicy sparks, leading to a long minerally finish. pH 3.6.
2027-2039
Flavoursome, sculpted, successful, this is rippling with violet and rosebud aromatics, followed by raspberry and black cherry fruits. It maintains momentum through the mid palate with a creamy texture and gourmet touches of liquorice root, cocoa bean and precisely-expressed slate minerality. Harvest began the latest ever, on September 28 through to October 12, 39hl/h yield, almost exactly average for the property (the average in Pomerol this year was closer to 29hl/h), from 9.77ha of vines in production, 3.6ph, 70% new oak with 3% amphora and 3.5% press wine. A successful showing for the 150th vintage of the estate from director Marielle Cazeaux. Michel Rolland consultant.
