Château Quintus on Bordeaux’s Proper Financial institution rises from a former categorized progress property.
Château Quintus, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
It could be a comparatively new model, however this property on Bordeaux’s proper financial institution bears a noble lineage. For starters, its president and CEO is Prince Robert of Luxembourg. However its parentage can also be important: Since 2011, it has been owned by Domaine Clarence Dillon, which additionally owns Château Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion (Clarence Dillon, an American financier, purchased Haut-Brion in 1935 and is Prince Robert’s nice grandfather). In its former incarnation, Château Tertre Daugay, it was a categorized progress of Saint-Émilion.
Its storied historical past is in any other case famous within the Les Grands Vins de Gironde (1899) by François Guillaume and Charles Lallemand during which the authors wrote, “One cannot think about a extra lovely state of affairs for an property, or another beneficial for the manufacturing of a primary progress wine.” Different historic references within the nineteenth century notice its status and desirability among the many higher lessons, and its gold medal win on the 1867 Exposition Universelle de Paris.
Now named “Quintus,” an historic Roman reference to the fifth born—it’s so known as because the fifth wine in a distinguished umbrella portfolio.
That exact set of circumstances brought on property supervisor François Capdemourlin, to name the reorganized property “the rising star of Saint-Émilion,” at a pre-pandemic tasting he hosted in New York Metropolis. He was fast so as to add, “Being French, I do know that sounds smug.” However he didn’t hesitate to dispel any notion of privilege. “A brand new model takes years to determine and we wish Quintus to be impartial of Haut-Brion,” he mentioned. Doing which means taking a distinct strategy to advertising and marketing.
“Ten years in the past we didn’t spend that a lot time with shoppers however that has modified, “ he mentioned. “Day-after-day we’re in contact as a result of we needed to adapt.”
Now a “Grand Vin,” Quintus is making its identify and fame with refurbished and expanded vineyards, incorporating vines from Chateau L’Arrosee and this 12 months’s buy of the acquisition of Chateau Grand Pontet. The common age of vines is 30 years (some as outdated as 100) and are planted to 66% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and eight% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, vinification takes place in stainless-steel tanks and picket vats, after which aged in new French oak barrels. Head winemaker Jean Philippe Delmas helms winemaking at Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, however is already distinguishing the brand new property by itself deserves. In the present day, the 28 hectares (69 acres) sit atop a limestone plateau, the distinctive characteristic of Saint-Emilion,
High wines:
Two high wines from Château Quintus
Château Quintus
Château Quintus 2018, Merlot-driven (55%) with loads of plush and brooding black fruit—plum, black cherries and cassis. Current tannins, however fine-grained and absolutely built-in with the concentrated fruit. Elevated by brilliant anise and an exotic-spice end. (Pricing diverse, $120-138 on winesearcher.com)
Château Quintus Le Dragon de Quintus, 2018. The second label of the property is a extra approachable, fruiter model with youthful, much less concentrated fruits on extra of the pink spectrum. Whereas the primary label is beneficiant and opulent, “Le Dragon” is juicy and simple going with out sacrificing a way of refinement. ($45)
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