Le Clos du Beau-Père
The microscopic hamlets of Le Grand Moulinet and René, which sit side by side at the very bottom of the Pomerol slope, are home to some of the less widely appreciated gems of the Pomerol appellation.
This is a long way from the heady world of Petrus and Le Pin, both of which sit at least a couple of kilometres away, up on the peak of the plateau. Here, close to the banks of the Isle, the soils of sand and fine gravel might not set the heart aflutter in the way that blue smectite clay might, nevertheless if you know where to look there are some worthwhile names here, turning out wines which are more than worthy of our time.
They are of course less coveted than their more famous peers, but this means they sell for lower prices, offering a door to this appellation for Pomerol neophytes, a door that is otherwise not easy to find. The names worth knowing include Château Montviel, run by the same team as Château Le Gay, an ageworthy introduction to the appellation, not to mention Château L’Enclos, in the same hands as Château Fonplégade in St Emilion, and Clos René.
And now we have one more name to add to this list; welcome Le Clos du Beau-Père to the fray.
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