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Château La Pointe

Pomerol is a place of small vineyards and small estates, not normally graced by anything so grand as a château. Most have nothing more than a collection of functional, often single-storey buildings. Many sit so low that I sometimes feel that they are perhaps trying to look inconspicuous, blending in, shrinking into the ground. The vineyards they accompany are often tiny, the average size being something in the order of 5 hectares. But there are exceptions to this rule; such as one estate which has a vineyard more than four times the average size, complete with an attractive two-storey château and several hectares of formal gardens, including a collection of centuries-old trees.

La Pointe: A History

The estate in question is Château La Pointe, a property which dates to at least the 19th century, although it is perhaps much older than that; the details are lost in the mists of time. What we know is that in its early years the estate was in the ownership of the Chaperons, a family long-settled and well-known in the region, and it was they that were responsible for the construction of the aforementioned château. Under their tenure the estate accounted for 21 hectares, an area much the same as that committed to the vine today, accounting for 3% of the modern Pomerol appellation. In size it is second only to Nenin, the vineyards of which neighbour those of La Pointe.

In 1941 the d'Arfeuille family acquired the estate, and it was subsequently passed down two generations to Stéphane d'Arfeuille, who together with his wife Dominique took charge in 1975. The family sold to the current owners in 2007, in part a response to France's Napoleonic laws of inheritance; it was preferable to sell, rather than divide the estate. After failing to reach an agreement with a sequence of three potential buyers, the fourth and successful suitor was Generali France, one of France's leading insurance providers, perhaps keen to follow AXA into the world of Bordeaux. The group already owned a vineyard in northern Italy as well as a minor estate in Bordeaux, Château de France, but La Pointe - with a price tag somewhere between €32 and €35 million - was certainly a step up for them. The deal was struck, and Generali France appointed Eric Monneret, an agricultural engineer who started out with Raymond-Lafon and who also runs Château La France, a somewhat larger estate at 90 hectares, as managing director.

The Vineyards

The 22 hectares of vineyards are located at the south-western extreme of the Pomerol appellation, near Libourne, and the name of the estate is said to be derived from their pointed appearance when viewed on a map. One of the first moves funded by Generali France was a detailed soil analysis by geologist Pierre Becheler, who has performed similar exercises at several other estates, including Cos d'Estournel, Montrose and Branaire-Ducru. Becheler concluded that the La Pointe vineyards could be divided into three sections; two are particularly favourable for viticulture, there being some large areas of gravelly clay, and to the west some more pebbly-gravelly soils. To the west a third terroir, of sandy soils over clay and gravel, accounting for 30% of the vineyard, is somewhat less prodigious. Part of the problem in this section in particular was determined to be water retention, and so the survey was followed by improvements to the field drainage, work carried out during the summer months of 2008 and 2009.

Following the study there was also some restructuring of the vineyards. In particular this featured a grubbing-up of the Cabernet Sauvignon vines; these once accounted for 15% of the vineyard. What was left was mostly Merlot, now accounting for 85% of the vineyard, and 15% Cabernet Franc, with an overall age of approximately 35 years. What remains today is planted at a density of 6300 vines/ha. These vines traditionally gave rather high yields which has been attributed in part to the high water content of the soil; Eric Monneret anticipates that yields will fall following the installation of the aforementioned drainage systems, and he has a figure of 35 hl/ha to aim for.

Vinification and Wines

The fruit is picked by hand into small creates to minimise damage, and sorted twice before fermentation, which takes place in the newly renovated cellar. In particular Generali France introduced new fermentation equipment, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats in a range of sizes allowing for plot-by-plot vinification, which were installed in time for the 2009 vintage. Some environmentally friendly initiatives were also introduced during this reinvigoration of the property, including a water recuperation system (evidence of which is a large water storage tank just outside the cellars) and solar energy equipment. Once finished the wine goes into oak for 12 months, with half undergoing malolactic fermentation here and half in vat; the percentage of new oak has also been increased, shifting from a figure around 30-35% to the current replacement figure of 50%. Perhaps most importantly in January 2008 Generali France engaged the services of Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, a man perhaps best known for his work at Angélus and increasingly Bellevue in St Emilion, but who consults widely, with a particular emphasis on the right bank appellations. The eventual result of all the work is the grand vin, Château La Pointe (featuring a new label from the 2008 vintage, shown below), and there is also a second wine, created in 1986, christened La Pointe Riffat. The combined output is in the order of 10000 cases.

The wines of La Pointe are, historically at least, very different in style to many from the Pomerol appellation. As I have described above the extensive vineyard (for Pomerol) includes a large area where the soils are very sandy, conferring a significant disadvantage, and which I feel is likely to be at least partly responsible for the somewhat unfocused, soft style that La Pointe has often displayed. Looking first at the pre-Generali France wines, having tasted a few vintages against its peers, La Pointe has never been my favourite Pomerol. Nevertheless, having acknowledged that this sandy terroir might not be the best in this commune, I have long had the feeling that La Pointe should be able to give something more than it did. Looking at a spread of 20th century vintages in Bordeaux (Faber & Faber, second edition, 1991) David Peppercorn felt that the "splendid" 1970 was the estate's final flourish before standards declined. Wishing for a new era, he wrote that he hoped for a time "when the wines will recall the delight of the fifties and sixties, rather than the mediocrity of the seventies".

Judging by my tastings of vintages up to 2007, David's wish did not at that time seem to have been granted. But there are signs that the estate's acquisition by Generali France and the associated arrival of Eric Monneret and Hubert de Boüard de Laforest may be having some effect. New ownership means new blood; it can bring enthusiasm, fresh expertise and of course increased financial investment. The 2009 vintage, accepting that there may be a vintage effect here, certainly showed more mettle than many other recent vintages. The 2010 also showed some promise, although I am sorry to say I have mislaid my tasting note, a fact of which I am deeply ashamed, especially as it was La Pointe that hosted the 2010 Pomerol primeur tasting that I attended. Nevertheless, taking a broader look at the picture, there are clear signs of rebirth here, and I look forward to seeing how these developments at La Pointe pan out in the coming years. (29/7/09, updated 3/8/11)

Contact details:
Address: 33500 Pomerol
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 51 02 11
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 51 42 33
Internet: www.chateaulapointe.com
GPS: 44.92603, -0.216391

Château La Pointe - Tasting Notes

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Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2009: Merlot 85%, Cabernet Franc 15%. Pretty fruit on the nose, cream-tinged, fresh, and full of plum and damson fruit. An attractive palate, quite supple and fleshy, with a good substance. Ripe and grippy tannins, showing especially towards the end, and overall a lovely fruit character. The tannins are a little domineering at the end. It is a good effort for La Pointe, and they seem to have kept it together despite the heat of the vintage and the Merlot-dominated assemblage. Well done! From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (March 2010)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2008: A very clean style of fruit here, with a dark, smoky, cakey-Merlot richness. Pure and expressive with a good nuance of smoke on the side. A polished style on the palate, and a nicely judged substance, showing a dark and tannic grip at the core. A dry substance to it, dense, grippy and with a lightly bitter layer of tannin. Just a touch lean for the tannic force that lies within I think, but this still has plenty of potential. From a tasting of 2008 Bordeaux at two years of age. 15.5+/20 (October 2010)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2008: The aromas suggest dark fruits, and sweeter nuances than some, and yet it has a fairly crisp style on the palate. Cranberry fruit sits over a layer of ripe tannin, good extract and decent acidity. There is a somewhat rustic edge to the composition but nevertheless a better and more approachable effort in this vintage. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15.5-16.5+/20 (April 2009)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2007: Soft and slightly animally fruit on the nose here, with gently spiced wood. The palate is rather soft, poorly distinguished, with a rather hollow feel to it. A hard style, short on fruit, but showing plenty of overt structure. I find this over-built and lacking generosity. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 13+/20 (October 2009)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2007: This has a slightly jammy quality to the fruit aromas, which are rich and sweet. The palate seems very modern in style, rich and soft, creamy and flattering, with less prominent acidity at first. There are some finely presented acids apparent in the midpalate though, as well as a welling up of firm, extracted tannins. Simply piles of grip here. The extraction is on the edge for me. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 13.5-14.5+/20 (April 2008)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2006: Warm fruit here, nutty oak, otherwise this isn't really a very expressive wine on the nose. It has a very lean entry, and a firm character thereafter, lacking flesh. It seems to be all structure and tannin, and shows little to round off its hard edges. This doesn't possess the charm of some of the other wines. From a tasting of 2006 St Emilion & Pomerol. 13+/20 (October 2008)

Château La Pointe (Pomerol) 2004: A nice presence of spiced plum fruit on the nose, with a little oak still showing. A little more obviously extracted than the other wines in this line up, showing rather raw tannins over rather than beneath the fruit. A huge grip. More dried out in character. Good, with potential, but this is the short straw among these wines. From my Bordeaux 2004 assessment. 16.5+/20 (October 2006)