Château Clément-Pichon: Vineyards
Château Clément-Pichon and its vineyards are located on the outskirts of Parempuyre, which is about as close to the city of Bordeaux as you can get without broaching the suburbs. To the south is the commune of Blanquefort, then the Rocade and the urban sprawl of the city. To the north and west are the streets and houses of Parempuyre, while to the east lie the damp soils of the palus, and the waters of the Garonne.
The Clément-Pichon estate is large, covering 60 hectares, although only 24 hectares are dedicated to vineyards, and of this only 19.5 hectares were in production as of late 2015. Of the remaining 36 hectares there are 25 hectares of woodland, and what is left is accounted for by the rather grandiose château, the lake, gardens and so on. Although numerous kind authors already cited in this profile have tended to describe the soils as gravelly, they are in fact very sandy over about 80% of the vineyard. the other 20% being a mix of gravel and clay. These sandy soils are much better suited to Merlot, the Cabernets not ripening so well on such soils.
Thus in recent years the vineyard has shifted towards this variety, which today accounts for 95% of the plantings, the remaining 5% being Cabernet Sauvignon. There was previously more Cabernet, as much as 40% at one time, but such figures are now long out of date. The Merlot dominance gave the wine an accessible style, which the Fayat family seem to value. Nevertheless, seeking to improve the balance between the varieties, in March 2018 the Fayat family revealed they had bought Château Aney, in Cussac-Fort-Médoc. This has brought 15 hectares of vines on more gravelly terroir into the mix, planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.
