Château Bauduc: Vineyards
The château sits to the south of Créon, and is accessed by a winding track surrounded on both sides by vines. These are just part of the estate, however, and there are many more vineyards running up and down the south-, west- and east-facing slopes beyond the château. There is also a lot of pasture, hay from which is collected up and donated to some local stables, as well as a large area of woodland. All told the estate covers an admirable 75 hectares, of which approximately 25 hectares are currently planted to vines.
The vineyards are dominated by the whites at 56% of the plantings, which is mostly accounted for by Sauvignon Blanc (75% of the total area) partnered by Semillon (which accounts for the remaining 25%). The reds thus cover 44% of the Bauduc vineyard, with Merlot in the lead (accounting for 70% of plantings), followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). In addition there are very limited plantings (by which I mean experimental – just a few vines of each) of a broad range of other varieties, some associated with Bordeaux and some not, including Malbec, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache, Riesling and Chenin Blanc. These are there more to satisfy Gavin’s curiosity, however, rather than any fulfilling any significant commercial role.
The soils underfoot are typically clay-gravel blends, with some clay and limestone in parts, largely on the slopes. Of all the parcels the most important for white is the aforementioned Les Trois Hectares (named for the size of the plot – although it is actually about 2.7 hectares) which is about 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. This is a field blend planted by one-time proprietor Bernadet in 1947, making these Bauduc’s oldest vines, and although some pieds have died and been replaced the majority are still the original vines, now more than 75 years old. The soils here are a mix of sand and clay, and the yield from these vines is typically 35-40 hl/ha. There are also some plots of red vines dating to Bernadet’s era.
