2021 L'Hêtre Castillon

When Jacques Thienpont visited this estate in the Côtes de Castillon during the 2015 harvest, he was immediately struck by its magnificent location and breathtaking views, nestled at the end of the limestone plateau that extends east from Saint-Émilion. We all know Jacques Thienpont from Le Pin, of course.

A Belgian couple, Stéphane and Béatrice Goubau, owned the château for ten years and named it "Château Goubau" after their family. During this time, they converted the estate to organic farming. It comprises 10 hectares of vineyards surrounded by forests and meadows; a diverse and rich habitat, situated at an altitude of 100 meters on the Saint-Philippe-d'Aiguilhe plateau, the highest point in the Bordeaux region.

Together with his sister, Anne De Raeymaeker, Jacques decided to purchase the estate as an investment for the two related branches of the Thienpont family. The following year, in 2017, the families had the opportunity to purchase the adjacent estate, Chateau Montagne, a 25-hectare estate with an impressive château, including the potential to plant an additional 10 hectares of vineyards.

The families hired Maxime Thienpont, their cousin who had grown up on another family estate, Chateau Labegorce Zédé in Margaux, as manager and renamed the estate L'Hêtre (the name of a beech tree in French), thus continuing the tree theme that Jacques had used for all his properties.

The vineyards enjoy a favorable southeasterly exposure, a constant gentle breeze, and are spread between the limestone plateau and a mixture of clay, limestone, and chalky slopes. The wines are fermented in concrete and oak vats and aged in a mixture of one-third new oak, one-third year-old, and one-third second-year barrels. Although the Thienponts matured the 2015 vintage, the 2016 vintage was the first to be made entirely by the new owners and is therefore the first to bear the new name: L'Hêtre. The artwork for the labels was created by Belgian artist Anne Van Hereweghen.

The 2021 L'Hêtre is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, aged for 15 months in oak barrels. It has a dark purple color; fresh and sweet on the nose with a good expression of autumn fruit. The attack is firm and rich with good, ripe tannins and a round, silky structure; on the palate, the wine is fresh and spicy. A truly wonderful organic Bordeaux with an excellent price/quality ratio. The wine comes from plots located on the estate's limestone plateau, from 20-year-old vines that are organically grown and certified by Ecocert.