Chateau Le Bon Pasteur
Château Le Bon Pasteur is the childhood home of renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. For more than 40 years, he has represented the winery. The château can be found in Pomerol, a stone's throw from the renowned Château Pétrus. A few years ago, the winery was sold to a Chinese investment group, but Michel and his wife Dany are still responsible for vinification.
Together, the vineyards have a total area of 6.7 hectares. This number is spread over 21 different plots, all with their own microclimates. The plots lie on the border of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion. Among other things, this creates a lot of complexity, in which you recognise the typical softness of Pomerol together with the powerful side of Saint-Émilion. In addition, the vines have an average age of 40 years. The soil is broadly composed of (blue) clay, gravel and sandy soils. Caillou is the house's main plot. Located just 200 metres from Pétrus, this vineyard is entirely planted with merlot. There are also cabernet franc vines planted in the other vineyards.
The harvest is brought in by hand, after which the bunches undergo two rounds of selection. This happens before and after the grapes are destemmed. Fermentation then starts in partly stainless steel tanks and partly in new oak barrels. For wood ageing, the wine is transferred to 225-litre barriques. Maturation lasts 15 to 18 months on average. Besides the Grand Vin, Le Bon Pasteur produces three other wines: L'étoile de Bon Pasteur, Château Bertineau St Vincent and Château Rolland Maillet, The blend of the wines usually consists of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. With Michel Rolland as winemaker, Le Bon Pasteur's wines cannot fail to be of very high quality. The best vintages of Château Le Bon Pasteur are: 1982, 2005, 2010 and 2015.
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