Château Pomeaux

Identity

Château Pomeaux is a winegrowing estate located in Pomerol, in the Gironde department. The property is owned by A.-T. Powers and a group of investors. The estate benefits from the expertise of Michel Rolland as consultant oenologist.

History and philosophy

Formerly known as Vieux Château Taillefer, the estate was historically part of Château Taillefer. In 1998, A.-T. Powers and investors acquired the property. As early as 2001, the vineyard began its conversion to organic and biodynamic viticulture. The 2000 vintage is often cited as marking a revival for the estate. Château Pomeaux stands out by releasing its wines only after a minimum of six years of ageing.

Appellations

Château Pomeaux produces wines under the Pomerol appellation.

Practical information

The estate is located at 6, lieu-dit Toulifaut in Pomerol (33500). Direct sales and tastings at the property are available by appointment only. There are no guest rooms or holiday cottages on the property. Approximately 80% of the estate's production is exported, notably to the UK and the Far East.

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Pomeaux vineyard covers an area of around 2.2 to 3.8 hectares. It is situated on the south-eastern slope of the Pomerol plateau, characterised by soils composed of sand, gravel and clay, enriched with iron-rich hardpan and a clay-ferruginous subsoil. The vines, with an average age of 45 years, consist entirely of Merlot Noir (100%). The planting density is 6,600 vines per hectare, with an inter-row spacing of 1.5 metres. The pruning method used is double Guyot. The estate is committed to viticulture relying solely on non-chemical fertilisers and plant protection products, thus farming its vineyard organically and biodynamically.

Flagship cuvées

The estate's main cuvée is Château Pomeaux, a still red wine. It is distinguished by its extended ageing process, as the estate is the only one in Pomerol to release its wines after a minimum of six years of ageing. The wines are renowned for their cellaring potential and subsequent development in bottle.

Vinification and ageing

Harvesting is carried out by hand with meticulous grape selection. Following an initial manual sorting, optical laser sorting and densimetric sorting are performed. The grapes are destemmed prior to a five-day cold pre-fermentation maceration on the skins. Fermentation and maceration take place in large, temperature-controlled oak vats and last between three and six weeks. The estate uses indigenous yeasts. The wines undergo extended malolactic fermentation in small new oak barrels. Ageing is then conducted in oak barrels, with 70% new oak. The ageing period ranges from 18 months to two years.