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Chateau Croizet-Bages

The Bages plateau, which lies between the towns of Pauillac, to the north, and St-Julien-Beychevelle, to the south, is named for the family that owned this land in the 16th century. The exact details are scant, as it seems there are no original documents pertaining to this great estate, only historical references published much later, in the 18th century. Nevertheless the influence of the Bages family is still very tenable today; just a short walk through the vineyards to the south of Pauillac is the village of Bages itself, situated on a gravelly rise which, although not of great altitude, in this coastal landscape of gently rolling gravel mounds it affords as good a view over the Gironde as you are likely to find. Closely dotted around there are numerous chateaux and vineyards that clearly declare this rare vantage point as their home; Lynch-Bages, Haut-Bages-Libéral, Cordeillan-Bages, Haut-Bages-Averous and, of course, Croizet-Bages.

Although the property began life, as far as we can tell, in the 16th century, it was not until the first half of the 18th century that it came into the ownership of the Croizet brothers. The two were local officials, one a lawyer and the other a court clerk, although with time they both took on roles in local government. With their acquisition on the plateau they brought together the vineyards and land that would form the estate which, taking their name, would eventually become known as Croizet-Bages. They sold the property in the latter years of that same century, around the time of the Revolution, to a Gascon named Jean de Puyterac. He maintained ownership until shortly before the 1855 classification, when it came into the hands of Julien Calvé, and under his directorship the property took on the name Croizet-Calvé.

Now formally classified as a fifth growth, confirming the opinion of Wilhelm Franck who had similarly ranked this estate in 1815, the property next changed hands after World War I when it was sold to Jean-Baptiste Monnot, an American citizen who owned the Klaxon brand, best known as a manufacturer of horn and signalling equipment. He ran the estate until 1942, at which point it was acquired by Paul Quié, a wine merchant from Bercy, which at the time was the focus of the wine trade in Paris. In 1968 he passed the mantle onto his son Jean-Michel and he in turn has, since 2001, gradually been turning over the running of the estate to the next generation, brother-sister duo Jean-Philippe and Anne-Françoise. The pair are assisted by oenologist and technical director Jean Louis Camp, vineyard manager Lucien Cintrat and cellar master Philippe Dorbessan.

The vineyards lie at the heart of the Bages plateau, alongside notable neighbours such as Lynch-Bages and Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The soils here have the typical Médoc gravel but only in a seam one metre deep which lies over a bed of sand, the upper layer of which is an ochre sand rich in iron oxide and minerals, a feature of the Bages plateau, and beneath this the sands are white. There are 30 hectares in all, which are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The vines have an average age of 35 years, are planted at a density of 8000 vines/ha and are harvested at a yield of 55 hl/ha.

Under the direction of Jean-Philippe and Anne-Françoise there has been more attention to detail in the vineyard, and it may be that reported recent improvements in the quality of the finished wine can be traced back to these practices. In particular, much of the vineyard has been re-trellised (this has happened over much of Bordeaux in recent years, sometimes with associated inter-planting to increase the vine density) changing the height of growth of the vine, increasing the foliage surface area to improve photosynthesis. Yields are controlled by appropriate winter pruning and debudding in spring, and the ripening of the fruit is supported by leaf thinning and green harvesting. As I have discussed in my profile of Rauzan-Gassies, the Quié family have been some of the leading proponents of machine harvesting in Bordeaux, and Croizet-Bages is no exception to their rule. The vines are tidied up prior to harvest, sorting through the fruit berry by berry, removing unripe and questionable fruit, before the machine comes through to remove the bunches. With so much attention to detail I am sure that the quality of the machine-harvested fruit is increased as a result, although one wonders if the workers prepping the vines for harvest might not be better employed if given a pair of secateurs so they could just harvest the fruit themselves.

In the chai pictured above (there is no chateau on the property, the family reside at Bel-Orme Tronquoy de Lalande) the harvest goes into cement vats, and up to 10% may be bled off to increase the ratio of solids to liquid, thereby increasing extraction of colour and phenolics. There is a cold maceration for up to 48 hours to achieve this, followed by temperature controlled fermentation. After malolactic fermentation the wine is run off, the press wine and various lots kept separate, and it goes into oak barrels (25% new each year) for up to twelve months. The wine is racked regularly, and midway through the élevage there is an extensive program of tasting, selection and blending. The wines are fined with egg white and subsequently bottled. The grand vin is Chateau Croizet-Bages, and there is a second wine La Tourelle de Croizet-Bages which came into being with the 1998 vintage. Interestingly, most opinions on Croizet-Bages I came across during my research decry the Quié family's failure to introduce a second wine, a valuable measure in improving the quality of any grand vin. Clearly, such profiles are long out of date. Altogether the estate turns out about 12500 cases of the two combined per annum.

I will draw this profile to a close as I have done for my Rauzan-Gassies profile, by disclosing that I have eaten as a guest of the Quié family. This sort of thing isn't unusual when visiting Bordeaux, although it isn't that commonly you see critics putting their hands up and admitting it unprompted, no matter how much of a consumer "watchdog" they may think themselves to be. I believe I have scored the wines described in my tasting notes below fairly despite that gratuity, but now you, the reader, at least has the necessary information to decide for yourself. As a broad statement on the wines, they do suffer by comparison with other successful Pauillac estates, including some also ranked as fifth growth properties, such as - most notably - Pontet Canet. Perhaps this is an unfair comparison, but even when tasting the wines against "value" Pauillacs such as Haut-Batailley or Grand-Puy-Ducasse, the wines still struggle to make an impact. Nevertheless I should also stress that with a new generation on board, and many recent improvements, this estate is full of potential for the future. I look forward to tasting the wines of the coming years. (18/2/09)

Contact details:
Address: Domaines J-M Quié, 135 rue de Paris, 94220 Charenton le Pont
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 81 04 20 56
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 88 71 88
Internet: www.domaines-quie.com

Chateau Croizet-Bages - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2009: This wine has a very dark and concentrated hue. The fruit on the nose is rather reticent, although with some sweetly ripe berries. A fresh character with slightly crunchy fruit on the palate, placed around a nice tannic core. The fruit has a soft style, and the tannins build through the palate to coat the mouth. A slightly bold substance, only moderate acidity, overall a good effort for Croizet-Bages, although not a contender within the context of commune and vintage. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15.5-16.5/20 (March 2010)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2008: Rather withdrawn fruit here, but it has a nice freshness. The palate starts in a bright fashion, with a firmer midpalate, bright and textured. A slightly oily texture, with slightly harder tannins than some wines. There isn't the fruit sweetness I would like to provide balance in view of that. Good acidity though. Certainly a step up from the 2007. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2007: Dark fruit, nutty oak, slightly hot, although the complete package isn't totally unattractive. Supple palate, fleshy, gentle and accessible. Even a little plumpness, but with plenty of acid too. Spicy and peppery tannins at the back of it. Overall easy, somewhat attractive in parts, but unfocused in others. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 14+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2007: A sweet, light and lifted nose here. It is quite rounded and supple, although not showing a lot of direction or vigour here. Softly composed on the palate, with ripe and gentle tannins with a balanced undercurrent of acidity. Soft and sweetly attractive, but it lacks precision. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 12.5-13.5+/20 (April 2008)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2006: There is some residual sulphur showing on the nose here, the aroma of freshly struck matches obscuring the cherry fruit beneath. Supple, fairly reserved and subdued wine, lacking in midpalate vigour. Although there is also a note of sulphur on the palate it has a fresh finish, and a nicely integrated composition. Some good points here. From a tasting of 2006 Bordeaux at two years of age. 14.5+/20 (October 2008)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 2002: From a dinner at Bel-Orme Tronquoy de Lalande with the Quie family. A surprisingly evolved nose, showing some perfumed and aromatic notes with the tobacco and tea leaf characteristics of maturing Pauillac. Gentle, balanced, showing some structure and peppery grip beneath the fruit, and plenty of acidity. Sweet and rather gritty fruit at the finish. This has appeal despite a rather spiky, peppery flavour and a lack of vigour or definition. 15/20 (April 2008)

Chateau Croizet-Bages (Pauillac) 1996: An appealing colour here, a nice depth at the centre, fading a little at the rim, and certainly showing maturity. This comes through on the nose also, as it offers up fairly classic bloody iron notes that characterise ageing claret, peppered with little notes of spice and cumin. Quite lean on entry, showing the barest amount of flesh through the midpalate, but with a very nice character, and more than a lick of peppery tannin on the finish. Very traditional style which certainly holds some interest for me. Disappointing when viewed in the context of the vintage, but intrinsically fairly good, certainly drinkable, and should improve over the next 3-4 years. From a 1996 vintage ten years on tasting. 15.5+/20 (December 2006)