Clos Saint-Julien: Vineyards
As noted in my history of this domaine, the property is located at the top entrance to the town of St Emilion, close to the five-way roundabout. It sits in the southernmost corner of the lieu-dit of Le Jardin, bounded on the south and west side by roads. Further north lie Château Guadet, another under-the-radar grand cru classé property, and beyond that the little-known Château Pontet-Cadet.
The soils here are a thin colluvial sandy-clay over a limestone bedrock which the roots should have no difficulty accessing. These soils are planted to just 1.2 hectares of vines, with just two varieties planted. Of note, Cabernet Franc dominates at 50% to 60% of the total, the remaining 40% to 50% being entirely Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon found here during the 1980s has long since disappeared. The Cabernet Franc vines are aged more than 40 years, and the Merlot are aged more than 80 years.
The vineyards are managed by the team from Château Petit Gravet Aîné, which is not far away. The philosophy of work in the vineyard has for many years been, to the best of my knowledge, conventional, but in recent years this has shifted to organic, as can be imagined from the wall-to-wall (literally, in the case of this clos) carpet of green pictured below. The soils are worked by manually with herbicides, entirely feasible with such a small vineyard, which can be managed akin to a small garden.
Perhaps this is why the lieu-dit has the name Le Jardin?
