Château Thieuley: Vineyards
The domaine is located just outside Créon, in the Entre-Deux-Mers, and it is therefore within walking distance of Château Bauduc. There are 80 hectares of vines all told (although this includes Clos Sainte Anne and Château Saint Genes), of which approximately half is planted to red varieties, and half to white. This is a fairly high proportion of white varieties for the region; during the 1980s, when many domaines were pulling up their white vines and planting red instead, Francis Courselle did not waver. He remained convinced by the quality of his white wines, and did the opposite to his peers, planting more white vineyards instead. It is a decision that has stood the domaine in good stead I think, as it remains a point of interest for the domaine, the white wines standing head and shoulders above a sea of mediocre reds.
The white vineyards are roughly half Semillon and half Sauvignon Blanc, although the latter also includes a proportion of Sauvignon Gris. Francis maintained a good area dedicated to Semillon, because he liked the character it developed as it aged. The red vineyards are mainly Merlot, because this variety is more suited to the cool clay vineyards. There is a little Cabernet Sauvignon planted here, but it has difficulty ripening, says Marie Courselle. “It ripens fully perhaps one year in every three or four”, she admits. They also have a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot planted.
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