`Le Petit de Petit-Village` Pomerol 2020 Pomerol, Bordeaux, France

PRODUCER

Château Petit-Village is situated in the heart of the Pomerol appellation, next door to Vieux Château Certan. The estate shares an owner (AXA Millesimes) with Château Pichon-Baron and, as with the latter, Petit-Village has benefited from significant renovation and improvement over the last two decades. These changes include the construction of a new barrel cellar and a move to lower yields and organic practices in the vineyards. Winemaker Guillaume Frédoux works closely with consultants Stéphane Derenoncourt and Marielle Cazeaux.

VINEYARDS

Fruit for the Le Petit de Petit-Village comes from a 10.5-hectare plot of 35-year-old Merlot vines in Pomerol. The vines are double guyot trained and planted on deep clay gravel soils on the Plateau de Catusseau. These typically have better drainage than clay soils, making them warmer than other Pomerol sites and helping the vines achieve balance even in wet, cool years. The vineyard is farmed organically is midway through the process of becoming officially certified organic.

VINTAGE

The 2020 vintage in Bordeaux was one of the earliest harvests in recent decades. The vintage began with a mild winter, followed by a wet and cold spring. Budburst occurred earlier than usual in mid-March and flowering and fruit set took place under optimal conditions in mid-May. The ripening process was accelerated by an exceptionally hot summer, though cooler nights ensured that the grapes still retained refreshing acidity and aromatics. Harvest at Château Petit-Village began on 9th September and ended on 23rd September and the grapes harvested were excellent quality.

VINIFICATION

Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-harvested Merlot grapes were destemmed and underwent a rigorous sorting by individual berry. The berries were crushed and underwent a cool pre- fermentation maceration to extract smooth tannins before undergoing fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 16 months, 50% in new French oak barrels from six different cooperages, the remaining 50% in clay amphorae.

TASTING NOTES

Deep ruby in colour. The Petit de Petit-Village is brimming with ripe plum and black cherry aromas on the nose with subtle notes of spice. On the palate it has quintessentially plush Pomerol tannins and a bright acidity which carries the flavours onto the juicy finish.