Chateau La Pointe Pomerol 2012

The 2012 La Pointe has fresh, wild berry, cranberry, incense and wild heather aromas that unfurl in the glass, a touch of black truffle emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still some new oak to be absorbed, but it is well balanced with good acidity, notwithstanding what you might describe as a solid structure towards the finish. It is a very fine Pomerol, though my advice is to wait 4-5 years to get the most from Eric Monnoret’s fast-improving Pomerol. Tasted March 2016.

A sleeper of the vintage, it exhibits a healthy dark ruby/purple color and the bouquet offers lots of mocha, raspberry, black cherry, incense, lavender and background oak aromas. Medium to full-bodied, plump, rich, dense, pure and well-balanced, it can be drunk over the next 10-12+ years. One of the finest wines I have tasted from this property, which is in the process of being reborn, the 2012 La Pointe is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc grown in clay and sandy soils in the Graves sector of Pomerol. Consultant Hubert de Bouard has exploited the quality of this estate since 2008, and to reiterate, the 2012 may be their best wine to date.

Chateau La Pointe History, Overview

The formation of Chateau La Pointe dates all the way back to the middle of the 19th century. The estate found the inspiration for its name due to the unusual, triangular shape of their Pomerol vineyards.

Pomerol is the smallest appellation in Bordeaux. Perforce, most of the estates in Pomerol are understandably small. That is not the case with Chateau La Pointe, which is the third largest property in the Pomerol area with 23 hectares. Only Chateau de Sales and Chateau Nenin are larger. In fact, Chateau La Pointe is so big, it takes up more than 2% of the entire Pomerol appellation!

Things change at Chateau La Pointe after the property was purchased by the d’Arfeuille family in 1941, who later purchased Chateau La Serre in St. Emilion. Following their ownership, Chateau La Pointe was sold to the French insurance company, Generali France in 2007.

Chateau La Pointe The Modern Era

Eric Monneret, who had been in charge of Chateau Raymond Lafon in Sauternes was named the new director. One of the next decisions the new owners made was to hire Hubert de Bouard, the owner of Chateau Angelus in St. Emilion, to consult and help manage Chateau La Pointe. Under the direction of Hubert de Bouard, the estate began replanting their Right Bank vineyards.

They pulled out the Cabernet Sauvignon and added more Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Both grape varieties are much better suited for Chateau La Pointe.

Additionally, massive amounts of money were spent to improve the wines and wine making facilities at Chateau La Pointe. The main area of improvement made by the estate was to add enough temperature controlled stainless steel vats to allow for vinification on a parcel by parcel basis.

The estate also added new concrete vats. However, at the time of the purchase, the vats were quite large at 140 hectoliters.

Hubert de Bouard advised them to make the tanks smaller and instead of purchasing new vats, he suggested they just add more concrete to the older vats, decreasing their size, allowing for more parcel by parcel vinification while saving them money as well.

The new cellars of Chateau La Pointe were designed to be green, energy efficient facilities with solar panels and a water recycling system.

The renovations were completed just in time for the legendary, 2009 Bordeaux harvest. However, the work on Chateau La Pointe did not stop there, as they completed a new drainage system and ecologically friendly, vatroom. The new vat house allowed for parcel by parcel vinification.

Chateau La Pointe Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 23 hectare Pomerol vineyard of Chateau La Pointe is planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The property is one of the larger vineyards in the tiny, Pomerol appellation. Most of their vineyards are placed just north of Catusseau, close to Libourne, with the exception of 1 parcel, situated close to Trotanoy.

The terroir consists of gravel, sand and clays soils. The vines are on average 35 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,300 vines per hectare to 7,600 vines per hectare. The higher levels of vine density are found in the newer plantings.

Much of their works takes place with the goal of lowering yields. While previous and current vintages were close to 35 hectoliters per hectare, give or take, the goal is to further reduce yields to an average of 20 hectoliters per hectare, to improve the concentration in the wine.

To produce the wine of Chateau La Pointe, vinification takes place in traditional concrete vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels for 50% of the harvest. The remaining 50% of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in tank. The wines are then aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for an average of 12 months.

Previous vintages were aged in 50% new, French oak. Chateau La Pointe produces more than 12,000 cases of Pomerol wine per year from their Right Bank estate. There is a second wine, Pomerol de la Pointe. The name of the second wine has changed as it was previously known as La Pointe Riffat.

When to Drink Chateau La Pointe, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau La Pointe can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour or so. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau La Pointe is usually better with at least 3-5 years of bottle age. Of course that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau La Pointe offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 4-15 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau La Pointe with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau La Pointe is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau La Pointe is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Chateau La Pointe is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.