Clos René: Vineyards
Clos René can be found on the rue du Grand Moulinet, in the hamlet of the same name, to the west of the D1089. As such it sits close to the western periphery of the Pomerol appellation, and there is not much room here for vines. Further to the west is the aforementioned hamlet of René, beyond that a few vines including those of Château Mazeyres and Clos Mazeyres, and then the suburban sprawl of Libourne, creeping northwards along the avenue Georges Pompidou. To the east and south is the rest of Pomerol, on the other side of the D1089, including Château Bonalgue almost directly south, and then Libourne of course. To the north is the impressive-looking Château de Sales, the largest property in the appellation, and beyond that the Barbanne, and then the vines of Lalande-de-Pomerol.
The soils here are very sandy in nature, rather than the gravel that is found higher up the plateau. There are some deeper deposits of iron, known locally as crasse de fer, which are said by many to give the wines of Pomerol much of their character, but otherwise these are clearly some of the less desirable soils in the appellation. A number of proprietors who own châteaux here, including neighbours Château L’Enclos, which is located barely a hundred metres further along the rue du Grand Moulinet, and Château Montviel, which is almost next-door, also own vines up on the plateau (either managed as part of the same estate, or vinified and marketed separately), but to my knowledge this is not true of Clos René. The closest the Lasserre family ever came to such an arrangement was Pierre’s joint management of Château L’Église-Clinet, and it is not hard to imagine that Pierre would like to have taken complete control over that estate one day.
