Château Quinault
Encyclopedia
Château Quinault is a winery
from the appellation
Saint-Émilion
within the city of Libourne
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
". The estate also produces a second wine
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
, and his associate Albert Frère
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
, 20% Cabernet Franc
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
and 5% Malbec
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
Château Quinault is a winery
from the appellation
Saint-Émilion
within the city of Libourne
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
". The estate also produces a second wine
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
, and his associate Albert Frère
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
, 20% Cabernet Franc
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
and 5% Malbec
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
Château Quinault is a winery
from the appellation
Saint-Émilion
within the city of Libourne
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
". The estate also produces a second wine
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
, and his associate Albert Frère
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
, 20% Cabernet Franc
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
and 5% Malbec
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
within the city of Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
Garagistes
The garagistes refers to a group of innovative winemakers in the Bordeaux region, producing "Vins de garage", "Garage wine". A group emerged in the mid 1990s in reaction to the traditional style of red Bordeaux wine, which is highly tannic and requires long ageing in the bottle to become drinkable...
". The estate also produces a second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
History
A walled vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
Alain Raynaud
Upon learning that a German real estate company planned to buy the property and construct a housing development, Dr. Alain Raynaud and Françoise Raynaud acquired Quinault for USD$3.4 million. Dr. Raynaud, a former physician and president of the Union des Grands Crus (1994–2000), is also owner of the PomerolPomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855...
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world...
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
Sale
In September, 2008, Quinault was sold to Bernard ArnaultBernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault is a French business magnate who is best known as the chairman and CEO of the French conglomerate LVMH. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault is the world's 4th and Europe's richest person, with a 2011 net worth of US$41 billion.-Education and business career:Arnault was born...
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
, and his associate Albert Frère
Albert Frère
Albert, Baron Frère is a Belgian businessman and the richest man in Belgium....
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc , is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine is one of only two to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine of 1955, along with Château Ausone.The estate's second wine is...
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
Production
The vineyard area extends 15.6 hectares (38.5 acre), and is composed of 65% MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, 20% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and 5% Malbec
Malbec
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in the South West...
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
External links
- Château Quinault official site (several languages)
Château Quinault is a winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
within the city of Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
Garagistes
The garagistes refers to a group of innovative winemakers in the Bordeaux region, producing "Vins de garage", "Garage wine". A group emerged in the mid 1990s in reaction to the traditional style of red Bordeaux wine, which is highly tannic and requires long ageing in the bottle to become drinkable...
". The estate also produces a second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
History
A walled vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
Alain Raynaud
Upon learning that a German real estate company planned to buy the property and construct a housing development, Dr. Alain Raynaud and Françoise Raynaud acquired Quinault for USD$3.4 million. Dr. Raynaud, a former physician and president of the Union des Grands Crus (1994–2000), is also owner of the PomerolPomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855...
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world...
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
Sale
In September, 2008, Quinault was sold to Bernard ArnaultBernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault is a French business magnate who is best known as the chairman and CEO of the French conglomerate LVMH. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault is the world's 4th and Europe's richest person, with a 2011 net worth of US$41 billion.-Education and business career:Arnault was born...
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
, and his associate Albert Frère
Albert Frère
Albert, Baron Frère is a Belgian businessman and the richest man in Belgium....
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc , is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine is one of only two to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine of 1955, along with Château Ausone.The estate's second wine is...
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
Production
The vineyard area extends 15.6 hectares (38.5 acre), and is composed of 65% MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, 20% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and 5% Malbec
Malbec
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in the South West...
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
External links
- Château Quinault official site (several languages)
Château Quinault is a winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
within the city of Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
, producing Quinault L'Enclos, a Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
counted among the Bordeaux Right Bank "supercuvées" or "vins de garage
Garagistes
The garagistes refers to a group of innovative winemakers in the Bordeaux region, producing "Vins de garage", "Garage wine". A group emerged in the mid 1990s in reaction to the traditional style of red Bordeaux wine, which is highly tannic and requires long ageing in the bottle to become drinkable...
". The estate also produces a second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
, Lafleur de Quinault, and a special cuvée called L'Absolut de Quinault.
History
A walled vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
in the Libourne suburbs, located in what was until 1973 the satellite appellation Sables-Saint-Émilion, the past of Château Quinault is largely unknown but believed to have originated in the 17th century.
In 1930 it was bought by the négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
Baptiste Mons, while the estate lost 8 hectares expropriated for use as a cemetery. Quinault was inherited by his son-in-law Henri Maleret in 1948, who ran the estate until the 90s.
Alain Raynaud
Upon learning that a German real estate company planned to buy the property and construct a housing development, Dr. Alain Raynaud and Françoise Raynaud acquired Quinault for USD$3.4 million. Dr. Raynaud, a former physician and president of the Union des Grands Crus (1994–2000), is also owner of the PomerolPomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
estates Château La Croix-de-Gay and Château La Fleur-de-Gay and supervises production at Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855...
, while he is often exemplified by media as a friend of Robert Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...
, and has a reputation as a "Bordeaux maverick".
The Raynauds made substantial investments to the estate while applying some techniques considered unorthodox to the winemaking. Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland
Michel Rolland is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world...
and Denis Dubourdieu are retained as consultant oenologists.
While Quinault L'Enclos remains among the world's more expensive wines and has a reputation for its repeated price increases, reactions among consumers and wine critics have been conflicting. Raynaud was among the wine personalities satirised
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.
Sale
In September, 2008, Quinault was sold to Bernard ArnaultBernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault is a French business magnate who is best known as the chairman and CEO of the French conglomerate LVMH. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault is the world's 4th and Europe's richest person, with a 2011 net worth of US$41 billion.-Education and business career:Arnault was born...
, head of luxury goods empire LVMH
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
, and his associate Albert Frère
Albert Frère
Albert, Baron Frère is a Belgian businessman and the richest man in Belgium....
, adding to their portfolio of Saint-Émilion properties Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc , is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine is one of only two to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine of 1955, along with Château Ausone.The estate's second wine is...
and Château la Tour du Pin Figeac. At the time of the sale, Raynaud stated he did not have the means to continue improving the estate, citing the frost in 2002, the heat wave in 2003 and the hail in 2004 as problematic factors, but pledged to remain with Quinault as a consultant.
Production
The vineyard area extends 15.6 hectares (38.5 acre), and is composed of 65% MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, 20% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and 5% Malbec
Malbec
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in the South West...
, with a large portion of the vines planted between 1930 and 1948, and another between 1957 and 1961. Of the Grand vin there is typically a production of 3,000 to 5,000 cases.
External links
- Château Quinault official site (several languages)