Château La Conseillante

130, Rue de Catusseau

33300 Pomerol

Tél. +33 (0)5 57 51 17 55

contact@la-conseillante.com

www.la-conseillante.com

Château La Conseillante, great wine from Pomerol

Get to know Château La Conseillante in the Pomerol appellation.

The estate's current name dates back to the mid-18th century. The property's name evokes Catherine Conseillante, the person who ran the estate nearly 300 years ago. The current Nicolas family has owned this prestigious cru since 1871, and Jean-Valmy and Bertrand Nicolas (5th generation) are still at the helm of this Pomerol beloved by wine lovers the world over.

Over 300 years of history before the Nicolas family's key possession.

The story of La Conseillante begins in the 18th century. Between 1735 and 1776, Catherine Conseillan, an influential metal merchant in Libourne, created a 12-hectare vineyard and built the château still visible today. It was she, “the iron lady” as she was known in her day, who gave her name to the estate in 1754. After several changes of ownership over five generations, the estate was bought in 1871 by the brothers Louis and Nicolas Nicolas, merchants who founded their trading company “Nicolas Frères”, to give the estate a new lease of life. On their death, Louis' eldest son, Louis Nicolas, took over management of the château. In 1960, the “Société Civile des Héritiers Nicolas” was founded to better support the destiny of the estate. It was Henri and Louis (the 3rd generation of Nicolas) who brilliantly developed the reputation and excellence of the cru, which their family had already ensured for over 50 years. In 1971, Bernard and his cousin Francis Nicolas both became managers of Château La Conseillante, thus reuniting the “Louis” and “Henri” branches of the family. At the same time, Francis and Bernard undertook the construction of a new winery, providing La Conseillante with a more modern, better-thought-out infrastructure, always to the benefit of the wines produced, which are increasingly gaining international renown.

The property remains in the Nicolas family to this day, since in 2003, the fifth generation, embodied by Jean-Valmy and his cousins Bertrand and Henri Nicolas, manages the family estate. In 2012, as part of their ongoing quest for excellence, Jean-Valmy and his family decided to build a new 100% parcel-based vat room in order to achieve greater precision and personality in the wines. In 2015, management was taken over by Marielle Cazaux, oenologist, aided by the advice of renowned consultant oenologist Michel Rolland, who had already been following the estate for many years. The arrival of Jean-Valmy Nicolas also reflects a new, more environmentally-friendly approach to viticulture, which is more sustainable and therefore more responsible.

La Conseillante's environment and vineyards.

The exceptional Château La Conseillante is located on the famous Pomerol plateau between Pétrus and Cheval Blanc, and neighbors another exceptional Pomerol, Château L'Evangile. The vineyard's 12 hectares (a structure unchanged since 1871), planted with 20% Cabernet Franc and 80% Merlot, are managed using integrated farming methods and straddle the border between Pomerol and Saint-Emilion in terms of soil characteristics, giving it a unique character. Covering every nuance of soil, with gravel to the southwest and clay to the northeast, all under a subsoil of iron dross, 16 different parcels make up the mosaic with no less than four different soil types. The average age of the vines is 35 years, with one plot (the oldest) planted in 1958. Here, in Pomerol's temperate, oceanic climate, rainfall and plot exposure enable grape varieties such as Merlot to thrive in the clay soil, while Cabernet Franc thrives in the gravelier soils. It's hardly surprising, then, that this cru has been producing exceptional vintages and wines on a regular basis for a very long time. The vineyards have remained unchanged since 1871, and this is a major factor in the consistency of the wines' quality. Since 2016, the château has set itself the goal of reducing its carbon footprint through initiatives in this direction, notably by promoting biodiversity on its plots. Controlling biodiversity, managing fertilization, preserving water resources and the phytosanitary strategy (80% of products used are organic, while trying out biodynamics and phytotherapy), all these key points have earned it the ISO 14 001 and HVE 3 certifications.

The impact of the new vat room on La Conseillante wines.

With the new plot-based vat room built in 2012, the hand-picked grapes arrive at the vat room on four sorting tables to remove as many undesirable elements as possible. The vat room, circular and very practical for handling and the various vatting operations, is equipped with 22 small concrete vats (for better inertia) reflecting the typology of the different parcels (16 micro-parcels) and soil profiles. La Conseillante uses cold pre-fermentation fermentation (for fruit expression) lasting from 48 to 96 hours, followed by alcoholic fermentation lasting from one to two weeks. The pomace is then pressed to obtain the “press wine”. In the cellar, the batches are matured separately before being blended in January or early February, and then put into barrels for an average of 18 months' ageing, of which 50-70% is new. This proportion of new barrels and “one wine” obviously varies according to the profile of the vintage. A special feature of La Conseillante is that 3% of the wine is aged in amphorae for testing purposes. The result is a wine of remarkable brilliance. 

La Conseillante: traditional Pomerol wines with a modern flair.

Each vintage of Château la Conseillante is a guarantee of great promise, which places this Pomerol among the most consistent wines in any type of year, exceptional, very great, great, good or difficult. Both in the first label (the Grand Vin) and in its second wine born in 2007, Duo de Conseillante, this quality offers both suavity and finesse, with noses that are always expressive and delicate. The estate does not fail to display both classicism and modernity - in an appellation that doesn't always take this mixed direction - in the elegant, powerful wines it produces. It is often said that this Pomerol breathes violets and truffles, although it is not an isolated case in the appellation. Generally speaking, to sum up its wines, La Conseillante displays pure fruit (notes of violet and truffle), a velvety, silky structure, ample volume with freshness, energy on the palate, all in a rather “flamboyant” style.

La Conseillante 2020

This wine was partly aged in 70% new barrels, 27% “one-wine” barrels and 3% amphorae. Made from a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, La Conseillante 2020 is an astonishingly aromatic wine with a very fine character. On the nose, notes of peony, black fruit, cocoa and spices support the violet. The palate has a lovely attack with a creamy texture, freshness and very silky, supple tannins. The finish is very long, with hints of crushed blackberry and truffle. A wine with great ageing potential, very modern and with lots of character. Magnificent!

Duo de Conseillante 2021

Created in 2007, Duo de Conseillante is a second wine made from two separate plots of land slightly sandier than those used in the Grand Vin. In other words, three-fifths of the plots are planted in grey clay, the other two-fifths in sandy gravel, all under a subsoil of iron dross. In this vintage, where conditions were more demanding than in 2020 or 2022 (“easier” vintages), Duo de Conseillante 2021 is less opulent and less concentrated, while still offering aromatic brilliance, which we find delightful. The red fruit is fresh and greedy, with a delicate floral expression. The palate, with its sapid finish, is quite creamy in its tannic structure, while displaying a little graininess that will soon disappear. Less voluminous and concentrated than a 2020 or 2022, Duo de Conseillante 2021 remains a pleasant approach at a gentler, less demanding price, pending its consumption between now and 2025 or 2026.

Château La Conseillante's great vintages :

1928-1929-1945-1947-1949-1953-1959-1961-1970-1975-1978-1981-1982-1985-1988-1989-1990-1995-1998-2000-2001-2003-2005-2009-2010-2015-2016-2018-2019-2020-2021-2022-2023