vineyard bordeaux vineyard bordeaux Belgians producing top Bordeaux

Dirk De Mesmaeker

PHOTOS Andrew Verschetze

BELGIANS IN THE BORDEAUX REGION

There are about 35 of them: Belgians who produce in the Bordeaux region. This remarkable fact alone is already reason enough to write an in-depth book about it. Numbers aren’t everything, because quality is more important than quantity. In that sense, the Belgian winemakers in Bordeaux have achieved excellent results. It doesn’t matter in which appellation they work; the wines that are produced by the Belgians are clear- ly appreciated. This is illustrated by the numerous awards these wines have won worldwide, as well as the many positive reviews from the specialised press. It says a great deal that out of hundreds of other international winegrowers, all of these Belgians have managed to establish a strong position in one of the world’s most famous and prestigious wine regions, and that they have done so in a positive way. It also indicates that they work with a lot of respect and care as well as with an eye for top quality. Above all, they’re incredibly passionate. One of the great things about this is the exception- al variety. Not only the great diversity of wines that these Belgians bring to the market, but also the men and women that produce the wines. They are Flemish and Walloon, younger and older winemakers, wealthy investors and small, do-it-yourself winegrowers. They all share the same passion for good wine, and each one puts their wine region on the map in their own way. In a wine world that knows no boundaries and where the competition is more intense than ever, our wine makers in Bordeaux deserve all of our respect. Behind every good wine there is a great story. I tru- ly hope that the stories, enriched with Belgian colours, which you’ll find in this book, will intensify your desire to taste the wines. I’m sure you won’t regret it!

Dirk De Mesmaeker MÉDOC PESSAC-LÉOGNAN CHARENTE CÉRONS MARITIME & BARSAC CHÂTEAUX CADILLAC-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX BORDEAUX ET ENTRE-DEUX-MERS CÔTES DE BORDEAUX-ST-MACAIRE STE-CROIX-DU-MONT 1 Château Pabus 9 LOUPIAC

2 Château Villemaurine 37 ENTRE-DEUX-MERS STE-FOY-BORDEAUX 3 Château Branas Grand Poujeaux 49 8 GRAVES DE VAYRES 4 Château Le Pin 65 19 11 26 CASTILLON-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX ST-EMILION 5 Château Pellebouc 75 POMEROL

6 Château L’Hêtre 83 LALANDE-DE-POMEROL 17 ST-EMILION SATELLITES 7 Château Lagrange les Tours, Vignobles Choquet 91 FRANCS-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX 3 8 Château Petit Bocq 101 FRONSAC & CANON-FRONSAC 10a CÔTES DE BOURG 9 Château de Fontenille 119 BLAYE

10 Château La Croizille 131 18 10a Château Haut Breton Larigaudière 7 15 16 10b Château Tour Baladoz 4

11 Château de Côme / Château Clauzet 145 22 13 2 14 12 Château Badette 161 10b 12 6 BORDEAUX 10 13 Château de Set 173 23

14 Château Le Rey 185 5 1 9 25 15 Château Ad Francos 201 GIRONDE 24 21 16 Château Lion Perruchon 213

17 Château Les Hivers Grillet 223

18 Château La Tuilerie des Combes 237

19 Château Bertrand Braneyre 251 20 20 Château Closiot 261

21 Château Malartic-Lagravière 277

22 Château La Marzelle 293

23 Château Les Donats 305

24 Château Haut-Bailly 315

25 La Petite Source 321

26 Château La Haye 329

LANDES MÉDOC GRAVES PESSAC-LÉOGNAN CHARENTE CÉRONS MARITIME SAUTERNES & BARSAC CADILLAC-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX BORDEAUX ET ENTRE-DEUX-MERS CÔTES DE BORDEAUX-ST-MACAIRE STE-CROIX-DU-MONT LOUPIAC ENTRE-DEUX-MERS STE-FOY-BORDEAUX

8 GRAVES DE VAYRES 19 11 26 CASTILLON-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX ST-EMILION POMEROL LALANDE-DE-POMEROL 17 ST-EMILION SATELLITES FRANCS-CÔTES DE BORDEAUX 3 FRONSAC & CANON-FRONSAC 10a CÔTES DE BOURG BLAYE

18 7 15 16 4

22 13 14 10b 2 12 6 BORDEAUX 10 23

5 1 25 GIRONDE 9 24 21

20

LANDES

CHÂTEAU PABUS AMERICAN-FLEMISH WEDDING IN SADIRAC

he story of Kris Couvent, owner of the Huis from a distance. In short: a chai with state-of-the- Vossen wine store in Lennik, reads like a good art technology! Behind the château, one will also find Tnovel. Couvent worked as a winemaker at Château Pa- the offices, a tasting room and a stunning roof terrace bus in Sadirac when the charming estate came into with a view of the château and the vineyard. the hands of a wealthy American who loved Bordeaux The entire vinification process at Château Pabus wines. Since that time Kris Couvent has been mak- takes place in a natural way, according to the law of ing wine on behalf of the American investor, and no gravity. No pumps are used, in order to prevent the effort has been spared. The wines of Château Pabus crushing of the grapes. ‘The grapes are like caviar. All are being made using the very best and latest tech- of the leaves and twigs are completely removed before nologies. They have quickly reached the top of the the grapes are vinified,’ says Kris Couvent. Bordeaux Supérieur appellation and now they can easily be compared to very best wines from other VINIFICATION INTÉGRALE excellent appellations. Château Pabus in Sadirac has undergone a com- For the production of wine at Pabus there are no limits plete transformation since 2012, the year in which Kris to the technical aspects and the use of materials. Only Couvent and Robert S. Dow reached a business agree- the best is good enough. Furthermore, Kris Couvent is ment. The winery, located approximately 15 kilometres assisted by two very experienced oenologists: Michel from Bordeaux, is still charming because of the sim- Rolland and Bruno Lacoste. ple, but incredibly stylish château. It was built in the Together they have decided to make the wine at 18th century by the architect Victor Louis. He was also Château Pabus according to the methods of vinifica- the man who designed Le Grand Théatre, one of the tion intégrale. It means that the grapes are placed in best-known buildings in the city of Bordeaux. wooden casks immediately after the (manual) harvest. While the château still looks the same on the out- This is different from the traditional method, namely in side, inside it underwent a thorough makeover. The stainless steel tanks. Both the alcoholic and malolactic largest investment was made in the vinification room, fermentation take place in the cask. The major advan- which is located behind the lit- tage of this method is a much better tle château. Here absolutely noth- CHÂTEAU PABUS and subtler integration between the ing was spared in terms of cost and Chemin du Menusey wood and the fruit of the grapes. Any effort. The result is a high-tech chai 33670 SADIRAC further vinification is done entirely in (vinification room) that is complete- www.chateaupabus.com one and the same cask. ly temperature controlled. Even more, [email protected] At Château Pabus, new casks the temperature of all the sepa- with a 500-litre capacity are used. rate vats and the room in which they HUIS VOSSEN Immediately after the grapes are stand is controllable and adjustable Alfred Algoetstraat 2b stored, dry ice is added. As a result, 1750 LENNIK 00 32 (0)2 532 42 20 www.huisvossen.be

9 10 CHÂTEAU PABUS marriage inBordeaux. a verysuccessfulFlemish-American S.Dow,agoodexampleof and Robert Kris CouventfromLennik (centre) vinification intégrale. Iftheharvest isabitdisap- years old,areeligiblefor vines thatareatleast 10 vats. Thesearedesignedtovinifythesecondwine this precept, ChâteauPabushasananswerforevery to beprocessedwiththevinificationintégralemeth- temperature not even alcohol fermentation takes place, temperature notevenalcoholfermentationtakesplace, the temperature in the cask drops to about 2°C. At this that leave an impressionofsweetness on thepal- (and allotherwines)oftheestate. assemblage of the wines is only done at the very end are placedintothestainless steel vats.Byfollowing ate,’ says KrisCouvent.‘These arewinesmadeforthe Pabus prefersqualityover quantity. remainsattheend put intothecaskonly250 litres possible scenario. pointing, forexampleduetopoorweather,novinifi- of theprocess.Noneedtoworry thoughasChâteau but apuremacerationdoes,whichresultsinmaximum of theprocess. cation inwood takesplace.Instead allofthegrapes od. ThisiswhyChâteauPabusalsohasstainless-steel extraction ofcolourandtaste fromthe grapes.extraction ‘This processresultsinbeautifullyroundedwines The vinificationalsotakesplaceperplotandthe Only theverybest qualitygrapes,producedby Not allofthegrapesarenecessaryquality two top-notch wineriesinthe region. there areonlyalimitednumberofwineries ty theyarecomparabletoaPremierGrand tial and concentration. In terms of quali- Château Pabus, other wineries that use this Château Pabus,otherwineriesthatusethis Cru Classé,forexample.’ future, thathave alotofstorage poten - which includes the wines of Château Pabus, which includesthewinesofChâteauPabus, 0-ir akesl ot 00 euros. 500-litre caskeasilycosts 3000 Meanwhile, from the 500 litres ofgrapes Meanwhile, fromthe500 litres la crèmeintermsofwinemaking.It’san method include Reignac and Le Girolate, using vinificationintégrale.Inadditionto expensive method though, because a new Vinification intégraleisthecrèmede In theappellationBordeauxSupérieur,

The soil of the vineyard High quality grapes form the in Sadirac consists basis of good wines. Only the of loam, clay and very best grapes are eligible gravel. The grapevines for vinification intégrale. never have to deal with drought stress, because of the clay in the substrate. The water stays in the clay, and as result the plants get the necessary amount of water during hot summers.

At Château Pabus the focus is on quality rather than quantity. This is why the vineyard is maintained with the greatest possible care and also the reason why the grapes are harvested manually. WINE IN AMPHORA

Kris Couvent is contemplating the idea of making some wines in amphora in the future, and he has a good reason for this. Sadirac, where Château Pabus is located, has been known for its pottery since an- cient times: vases and objects were made from the clay that can be found in the soil. More precisely it’s the so-called argile bleue, blue clay, which can be found 80 centimetres below the surface. Employees who were working in the garden of Château Pabus accidentally discovered the remains of an old pottery kiln from the 14th century that, accord- ing to researchers, was used until the beginning of the 20th century. Kris Couvent made sure that the archae- ological find was restored to its original state.

ORIGINALLY WHITE

The vinification process at Château Pabus is current- ly only red wine, but Kris Couvent would like to distin- guish himself with white wines as well. In this regard the choice for the Vioignier grape is very interest- ing. ‘Unlike Sémillon or Sauvignon, Vioignier is not a common grape in Bordeaux. However, it is a very no- ble, original and interesting grape,’ says Kris Couvent. even in the very dry periods that have occurred over Great examples are the wines of Château Grillet, a top the last few years. The climate is increasingly chang- appellation in Côtes-du-Rhône in which 100% Vi- ing in a way that favours a grape variety like Vioignier. oignier is used. And if it does rain, the 25-kilometre drainage system Vioignier is a grape variety that’s not officially recog- in the vineyard will dissipate the excess water.’ nised in Bordeaux. However, at Château Pabus they’re For the same climatological reasons Kris Couvent not particularly concerned about this. In addition, also gave the order to plant Malbec grapes in a small some wineries already use Vioignier, including pres- portion of the vineyard. In the past this grape was tigious names such as Château du Tertre (Margaux). quite common in Bordeaux, but it disappeared almost The composition of the soil was what particular- entirely in the 19th century due to the phylloxera cri- ly inspired the winemaker from Lennik to choose sis. This crisis was caused by an aphid that entire- Vioignier. Besides gravel and pebbles, Sadirac has ly destroyed the harvest. After the crisis Malbec never loam in the soil. ‘Sometimes this is also called “cold regained its previous popularity. However, the grape is soil”. Until recently it was not seen as the best terroir, gaining ground again because of its slow maturation but due to global warming this kind of soil now offers and good resistance to heat. more benefits. The maturation of the grapes in this , a grape that normally thrives in kind of soil is relatively slow. Because of the layer of warmer soils such as those of Médoc, might possibly clay, the winery also never has a shortage of water, not have a promising future in the Sadirac region as well.

13 14 CHÂTEAU PABUS Just liketheCuvéeBentVan Looy thiswineismade very best wines,winesthatcaneasilyholdtheirown the composition. tem foryears, inwhich the betterwineriesfrom tunately notallofthemmakegoodqualitywines. Couvent’s daughters, is also made at Château Lamothe. Couvent’s daughters,isalsomadeatChâteauLamothe. oftheappellationBor Château Pabuswineryispart Château Pabus haseverything it needs tomake the with SauvignonBlanc,Grisand Sémillon. would receive aseparateclassification.Amongoth- with the estate today. Kris Couvent is currently mak appellation with 6500 active winegrowers,andunfor- appellation with6500 active Looy hasbeencloselyinvolved intheproduction 2011.BentVan has designedthewine’slabelsince Bent Van Looy, who namedafterthesingerandartist market undertheL’EspritCouventlabel. ing whitewinesatLamothe,whicharebroughttothe Kris Couvent has a special connection to another win- Kris Couvent has a special connection in comparisonwithaGrandCruClassé.However,the large BordeauxandSupérieurappellations of the cuvée and he partly determinesitstaste and of thecuvéeandhepartly of benchmarks. studies atBordeaux University heoften lived at the er things it should be based on a strictly definedset er thingsitshouldbebasedonastrictly estate and hestill hasemotionalandcommercialties ery aswell:ChâteauLamothedeHaux.Duringhis deaux andBordeauxSupérieur.Thisisaverybroad The CuvéeCharlotte,namedafteroneofKris These winesareL’EspritCouventBlancandCuvée Kris Couvent has been an advocate for a new sys- AT TOP APPELLATION THE THE OF ESPRIT COUVENT ESPRIT - - The story ofKrisCouventasawinegrower(andwine American winelovers butalsothosearoundtheglobe,

tion oftheChâteauLamothewines.Inordertokeep than average wines.However,thequalityinbottle to 70,000 bottles by2025. high-qualitywines.Thiswill that ChâteauPabusoffers Couvent. ‘Incomparisonwiththewell-knowntop wines of Château Pabus are a little bit more expensive wines, whichhave the becomealmost unaffordable, we’ll convincepeoplethroughourquality,’ saidKris wines. ButKrisCouventwantstoconvincenotonly a business agreement with Damien Chombart, owner a businessagreementwithDamienChombart, are goingtobekept towork theland. also translate into increasing production from 60,000also translateintoincreasingproduction a growingnumberofpeopleappreciateChâteauPabus munication andnetworking… vineyard management consulting, com- partnerships: his winebusinessinLennikand andotherprojects but also not only his wines and wine growing activities underwhichKrisCouventhasplaced brella structure ple, organicvegetableswillalsobegrownandhorses rise tothetopofappellationandtakeBor- investor have andnotonlyonthe agreatconnection, higher level!TheambitionofChâteauPabus’ wine business level! Increased sales in the U.S. are proof that business level!IncreasedsalesintheU.S.areproofthat of ChâteauLamothe. label, KrisCouventalsoheadsupthedistribu - Besides hisownwinesmadeundertheEspritCouvent is significantlyhigherandthat’swhywe’redoingit.’ over time, isnotonlyaplacefortopwines.For exam- seller) isfarfromover. Thegoalisclearlydefined:to everything runningsmoothly, Couventhasconcluded growers isevident,asthemuch-neededcapital. deaux andBordeauxSúperieurappellationitselftoa ‘An ambitiousgoalthatwilltakealotoftime,but The Sadirac estate, which has grown to 20 hectares In doingso,L’EspritCouventhasbecometheum- Fortunately theFlemishwinemaker andtheAmerican AN ESTATE WITH AGREAT FUTURE - Vinification intégrale is the crème de la crème in terms of winemaking. From the initial 500 litres of grapes put into the cask, only 250 litres remains at the end of the process.

Nothing is left to chance, especially during the harvesting and the vinification. Only the very best is good enough at Château Pabus, nothing is spared in terms of cost and effort in order to produce top wines.

A rigorous selection of the grapes not only takes place in the vineyard, but also when the grapes arrive in the nearby chai, immediately after harvesting. Excellent grapes form the basis of great wines.

18 CHÂTEAU PABUS American businessman.Duringhisvariedcareer,hehasreceivedanum- AMERICAN LOVE FOR BORDEAUX LOVE AMERICAN firm’s assets from 18 to 135 billion dollars, which made Lord Abbett & Co. fixed-income divisionat Lord Abbett.Hewaspromotedtotheposition Since 2002hehasalsobeenaboardmemberofthePeterWestbrook States. S. Dow oftheAmerican workedathisgreatpassion:fencing.Hewaspart to studyattheNewarkCollegeofEngineering,whereheearnedhisBS (Bachelor ofScienceDegree)incivilengineering.Subsequently, hestud- fencing teamduringthe1972MunichOlympics. of managing partner in1996.of managingpartner S.Dowmanagedtoincreasethe Robert one ofthe30largestinvestment-managementconcernsinUnited ied at the N.Y.U School of Engineering and Science, followed by busi- ness coursesatNewYork’s ColumbiaBusinessSchool.MeanwhileRobert ber ofawards. S.Dow,theownerofChâteauPabus,isaverysuccessful Robert programme. Ten years S.Dowbecametheheadof laterRobert lyst atLord Abbett &Co.,wherehealsocompletedtheColumbiaMBA- pline, hardworkandperseverance. New Yorkers thehowtofence.Dowintroducesthemvalueslikedisci- Foundation, anorganizationthatteachesyoungandunderprivileged example, from1990to2005hewasatrusteeofTuxedo ParkSchool. At For S.Dowinitiatedseveralotherprojects. thesametime,Robert Following S.Dowdecided hismilitaryserviceinthe USArmyRobert Robert S. Dow started hisprofessionalcareerasaquantitativeana- S.Dowstarted Robert financial problemsafulleducation.Healsoestablishedscholarshipat the prestigious title of Doctor ofScienceforhisoutstandingcareerand the prestigioustitleofDoctor the NewJerseyInstituteofTechnology toassiststudents.Dowreceived the best experts andengagedMichelRollandhislieutenantBruno the bestexperts the property. ofourobsessionwithquality, Aspart Idecidedtocallin someseriousworkon to thepinnacleofappellationandundertook to itsformerowner,KrisCouvent,aBelgianwinemerchant.Ourdetermi to be run using modern methods, so in 2012, Ientrusted its management fell in love with Château Pabus. I wanted to make sure it would continue and rationalwinemakingtobringouttheverybestofourterroir.With was establishedbyhiswife.Thisindependentschool,whichislocated of Technology. our dream-teaminplace,outlookisserene.’ in Trenton, NewJersey, giveschildrenfromsingle-parentfamilieswith his commitmenttohelpingothers,awardedbytheNewJerseyInstitute Lacoste. Our shared objective wastopromoteprecisionin thevineyard Lacoste. Oursharedobjective suaded me to invest in a property in the area. After a couple of visits, we suaded me to invest in a property my teethinto.MydaughterknowsIlove Bordeauxwines,sosheper- Robert S.DowisalsothetreasurerofChristinaSeixAcademy,Robert which nation knewnobounds.We werereadytodoeverythingelevatePabus ‘After forty years‘After forty infinance,Iwaslookingforsomethingnewtoget New challenge… -