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Chateau Meyney

The history of Chateau Meyney dates back to at least the 17th Century (although it is almost certainly much older), and was originally the site of a convent entitled the Prieuré des Couleys, occasionally also referred to as the Couvent des Feuillants. Indeed, this ecclesiastical origin still has some influence today, as a number of writers still refer to the estate as Prieuré de Meyney. Traces of the early buildings, from the time this was a religious settlement, still exist at the estate today. With the Revolution in the ensuing century, in which the church lost out just as much as the nobility, the estate was seized as a bien national and thus entered private ownership. There was not much in the way of active viticulture, although the site undoubtedly had potential. This was recognised by Désiré Cordier, who purchased the estate in 1917.

Meyney For much of the 20th Century the estate was part of the Cordier portfolio, quietly turning out good value wines, many of which were of remarkably high quality. No doubt this was in part due to the skill of Georges Pauli, better known for his sterling work at Gruaud-Larose, another Cordier property, who from 1978 oversaw the activity in the chai at Meyney. This was very much an insider's estate, not a great or well known name, yet the wines were actively sought out by those in the know, and I recall the 1989 was a classic example of what the vineyards here were capable of. As such the estate eventually came under the umbrella of Cordier-Mestrezat when the two négociants amalgamated. Here it formed part of a small portfolio of top estates also including Grand-Puy-Ducasse and Rayne-Vigneau. Over the years there have been many interested parties, most recently including the Vignerons de Val d'Orbieu, a leading Languedoc co-operative, who held a significant share in the business. In 2004 the Mediterranean investors sold out, and Cordier-Mestrezat saw some fresh and seemingly much needed investment from the French bank Crédit Agricole. This famous French financial institution acquired more than 400 hectares of vineyards, including Meyney, in exchange for 95 million Euros, leaving Cordier-Mestrezat one of the few debt-free businesses in Bordeaux. Today Meyney is thus under the ownership of Crédit Agricole Grands Crus, alongside Ducasse, Rayne-Vigneau and a handful of Cru Bourgeois estates also acquired by the French bank.

The Meyney vineyard is in a single plot, covering an impressive 51 hectares of the St-Estèphe appellation, adjoining those of near neighbours Montrose and Phélan-Ségur. It enjoys an attractive position on gravel ridges overlooking the Gironde, beneath which is a mix of iron-rich blue clay and sand, over calcareous bedrock from a depth of about two metres. It is planted with 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc, although there has been a replanting scheme ongoing in recent years, replacing the oldest vines, aimed at reducing the percentage of Cabernet Franc. They have an average age of about 35 years although this may fall a little with the ongoing planting, with a density of up to 7500 vines/ha. Once intensively fertilised, this is no longer the case, the soil left unnourished and merely ploughed each quarter to aerate it, although some lesser sections are interplanted with grass and are thus left untouched. The estate is moving towards a system of minimum intervention viticulture. The fruit is harvested by hand, with a selection in the vineyard, followed by a sorting table at entry to the chai, then destemmed before a cold maceration for up to six days, at a temperature of around 10ºC. The fermentation is in glass-lined cement vats with temperature control, rising to 32ºC, using cultured yeasts, with pumping over to submerge the cap. Subsequently the wine will go into oak, although there are also stainless steel vats to hand for storage and blending as required. The oak is 70-90% new each vintage for the grand vin, Chateau Meyney (24000 cases per annum) and 10% new oak for the second wine, Prieur de Meyney (6000 cases per annum). The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel, is racked every three months, and after fourteen will be fined and then bottled.

Over the years the wines of Chateau Meyney have given me (and many others) much pleasure, with vintages such as the aforementioned 1989 firmly rooted in many a tasting memory. But Meyney is no one-hit wonder, and although the wines have been criticised in recent years for not matching earlier successes, they remain very good and at the right price should still be considered. The 2003 in particular has, despite its rather low acidity, a lovely freshness and appeal which is atypical for the vintage, and is very welcome. (15/5/07)

Contact details:
Address: 33180 St-Estèphe
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 95 53 00
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 95 53 01

Chateau Meyney - Tasting Notes

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2004

Chateau Meyney (St Estèphe) 2004: A deep colour, rather dark and concentrated. Dark, nutty fruits on the nose. Rather glossy, obvious structure, lots of appealing texture too but does seem a touch hot too. Slightly attenuated perhaps. There is a pile of grip. It seems somewhat over-worked. It has promise though. 15-16+/20 (February 2007)

2003

Chateau Meyney (St Estèphe) 2003: A deep, rich colour. On the nose this wine offers a fine array of perfume, with a melange of cassis, graphite, smoke and coffee, this is a very expressive and attractive bouquet. The palate follows through, with a remarkable well-knit backbone of tannins, rather than the huge and obtrusive wall experienced with many wines of 2003. They have a lovely ripe, velvety feel. The wine has a fine, plump, presence, with rather low acidity, but with good but with grip and backbone. This gives lots of pleasure now, but is not really for the long haul as it doesn't possess the structure which I would like to see in a wine destined for the cellar, but it is lovely now and should remain so over the next few years I think. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (January 2007)

2002

Chateau Meyney (St Estèphe) 2002: Quite a stylish nose here, a little woody, although with appealing deep fruit. Nicely textured, well rounded, but with some grip beneath. Good weight and presence of fruit through, nicely structured. Attractive cherry and black fruit character, altogether really rather good for the vintage. 16.5+/20 (February 2007)