Description
Château La Cabanne, Pomerol
How different the wine world would be if Pomerol were just a bit bigger. If there was a smidge more of its famous blue clay to go around, a little more room for the big-name châteaux to expand, maybe Pétrus, Le Pin, and Lafleur wouldn’t command four-figure price tags. But then, you wouldn’t have the marvel that is Château La Cabanne, a tiny estate perfectly situated in these legends’ backyard, growing the same Merlot in the same soil, producing wines with the same care…just somehow coming in at a fraction of the price.
A whopping three-minute drive separates Cabanne from those aforementioned titans. We firmly believe Bordeaux offers incredible values up and down the price ladder, if you know where to look. And it’s genuinely hard to dream up a better example than this sumptuous, polished, fantastically regal bottle from the most coveted plateau in the Right Bank’s most coveted appellation. Cabanne’s 2017 is blockbuster Pomerol, albeit one where price hasn’t yet seemed to catch up to reality. Grab six or even a case—this has the legs to go 10-15 years or more in your cellar—and revel in the beauty of Pomerol greatness without the Pomerol price tag!
While there’s no formal classification in Pomerol, there is an unofficial one: the châteaux on the plateau, and then the rest. In most other regions, the barely perceptible 40-meter rise above sea level that constitutes this plateau would just be a little hill. But here it makes a world of difference: This is where you find the dense blue clay soil that underpins a great bottle of Pomerol, imbuing Merlot with a sultry depth and concentration not found anywhere else on the planet. It’s no surprise, then, that all of the greatest and most famous names in the appellation are perched on this plateau. And sitting virtually in the center of them all is Château La Cabanne.
In fact, La Cabanne was once a sister estate to some of Pomerol’s biggest names. In the 15th century, the vineyards that now constitute the estate were part of a much larger château that included neighboring Clinet and Trotanoy. Merlot makes up 92% of the vineyards, with Cabernet Franc constituting the remainder. The name itself most likely reflects the presence of small huts or cabins (cabanes) used by vineyard workers in the field during that time. The château changed hands multiple times in the ensuing years, and in 1956 was purchased by the Estager family. Current proprietor François Estager took over in 2001. A fire in 2010 sadly destroyed the entire 2008 production and most of the wines from the legendary 2009 vintage. But it also allowed François to completely revamp the cellar, upgrading every barrel and tank and introducing temperature control for every vessel. Despite the destruction, Château La Cabanne has never been better.
In 2017, La Cabanne is 100% Merlot, aged in 60% new oak. This is serious stuff to lay down, and as such, a good hour-long decant is recommended if you open it soon. Fresh, ripe black cherries, Damson plum, crushed blackberry, candied pomegranate, and blood orange lead the nose, backed up by pencil lead, truffly earth, forest floor, green peppercorn, and clove. The palate is plump, yet focused and polished, with acidity and lithe tannins. Sweet, dark fruits continue on the palate, blackberry and raspberry preserves commingling with mint and cedar savor. It’s truly Merlot at its headiest, plush-yet-serious best, and I’ll personally be stashing away quite a few bottles of this. There’s always room in my cellar for a bottle this classic and this affordable. I suggest you do the same!
