Château de Tracy, 2021 Update
In the Loire Valley, a vigneron is lucky if he can trace his domaine’s history back more than a century. It is not uncommon for the current generation to be only the second or third to be occupied entirely with the vine. Grandfathers (and grandmothers too, of course) were often agriculteurs rather than viticulteurs, smallholders who perhaps maintained a few rows of vines alongside other crops, as well as fruit trees and livestock, not unusually goats.
A notable exception to this rule is Château de Tracy, an estate sitting on a slope of Portlandian limestone on the right bank of the Loire, in what is today the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. When I caught sight of the château for the first time, more than a few years ago now, it was immediately clear it was of ancient build. And so it was no surprise when I learnt that documents held by the estate describe the cultivation of the vine in the estate’s grounds during the 14th century. This predates proof of viticulture at just about any other estate that comes to mind, not just in the Loire Valley but probably any other French region you care to name.
Sadly, the estate cannot boast seven centuries of unbroken viticultural heritage. At some point viticulture here petered out, only to be reintroduced by the estate’s proprietors – who can trace their ancestry all the way back to the property’s 14th-century inhabitants – during the 1950s. With more than 30 hectares of vines the volumes made here have always been more than ample, which perhaps explains why the estate provided some of my earliest experiences with the wines of Pouilly-Fumé.
Today the estate is run by Juliette d’Estutt d’Assay, the gazillionth generation of the noble de Tracy/d’Estutt/d’Assay family to run the property (gazillion might be an exaggeration; more accurate details can be found in my profile of Château de Tracy, which includes a full family lineage, from the 14th century onwards). The range of wines has expanded a little since my earliest encounters with them, and now includes, alongside the domaine cuvée, two super-cuvées named HD and 101 Rangs. I recently had the opportunity to take a look at the latest release of all three wines.
