Château de Sales: Tasting & Drinking
An impressive château with an equally impressive vineyard, it is clear that there is a move towards ameliorating the quality of the wines of Château de Sales in recent years, a new impetus that arrived with the passing of control to the latest generation.
We are some way from the famous blue clay and gravel-strewn plateau and slopes of the Pomerol appellation here, but it is worth remembering that there are a number of successful wines made from the region’s more sandy terroirs. This is a château with great potential, with the ability to produce wines of good quality, perhaps with a focus more on the aromatic and elegant side of Pomerol rather than sheer power, but also wines with a good volume of production, which could serve as a benchmark for the Pomerol appellation, and perhaps – if the price is right – as an introduction to the region’s wines for many.
I hope this is the way the current team take things here. Recent vintages offer promise that this might be the case. The 2023 vintage, tasted as a barrel sample at the property, seemed more convincing than other encounters with the wines of this estate I have had in recent years, including the 2020 and 2019 vintages. I have my fingers crossed for Château de Sales. (11/9/24)
