Until 2014 Michel Rolland had provided consultancy
input at this property for many years, first to the late Jean-Michel Arcaute,
then to Jean-Louis Laborde and finally to his son, Ronan. The style has
remained consistent throughout the period. Ripe to very ripe, full, rich and
almost opulent with a supple silky texture, the wine had always been bottled
with neither fining nor filtration and was aged in 100% new oak until 2004 when
policy was changed to ageing in only 60% new oak which has resulted in the wines
being more approachable earlier. Ronan is now the driving force of the estate
and apart from purchasing new vineyards to add to the size of the estate, now
approaching 12 hectares, the old wooden vats used for vinification have now
been replaced (since the 2014 vintage) with state-of-the-art, temperature
controlled stainless steel vats to allow for greater control of the development
of the wines. Since 2009, the wines have been continuously improving in quality
and now rank amongst the best in Pomerol. Prices are very reasonable for the quality, but they do vary depending on the vintage. (NB)
