Chateau Bonalgue 2015, Pomerol

Description

Chateau Bonalgue is a located in the  Pomerol wine-growing appellation of Bordeaux. During the French Revolution, the first reference to vines in the “Graves de Bonalgue” area appeared in local archives. A veteran from Napoleon’s Grand Army, Captain Rabion, inherited the land and built a handsome residence. The building housed his regimental arms, and the garden was filled with magnificent Lebanese Cedar trees; Chateau Bonalgue was born.

The Bourotte family bought Chateau Bonalgue in 1926 and it remains in the same family today. The vineyard today is in excellent condition, and the property continues to improve and to refine its methods, while always paying tribute to the exceptional terroir of Bonalgue. As well as Bonalgue, the Bourotte family also own Clos du Clocher and Château Monregard La Croix in Pomerol, Château Les Hauts-Conseillants in Lalande de Pomerol and Chateau du Courlat in Lussac Saint-Emilion amongst others.

The vineyards of Chateau Bonalgue are planted with 90% Merlot, with Cabernet Franc completing the other 10%. They comprise a surface area of 7.55 hectares on gravel and sandy-clay soils, with a subsoil of gravels and alios – the rich band of iron-ore that so distinguishes the Pomerol terroir. These qualities make this a heat-retaining soil, that means grapes ripen early and evenly, reaching perfect maturity. The vines have an average of 25 years old, and the precise and meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard means they produce quality grapes year after year.

Great care is taken in the vineyard with pruning, leaf thinning, debudding, green harvesting. Grapes are harvested by hand into small-sized trays to ensure against crushing or damage. There is also an initial hand-sorting in the vineyard, bunch by bunch, then berry by berry, to ensure that nothing gets missed and that the grapes are in the very best condition when they arrive at the vineyard. The wine is vinified plot by plot with manual pumping over, punching of the cap and unballasting if necessary. There is a period of maceration for around one month followed by a gentle pneumatic press and malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine is then matured for  18 months in fine-grained French oak barrels (50% new, 50% second fill). Chateau Bonalgue is usually a blend of around 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Annual production around 35,000 bottles. Michel Rolland’s team consults with wine-making.