2017 Château La Cabanne

Château La Cabanne lies on the Pomerol plateau, close to estates such as Trotanoy and Clinet. Pomerol is a small Right Bank appellation defined less by monumental château buildings than by a compact mosaic of vineyards, where subtle changes in clay, gravel, sand and iron-rich subsoil can produce markedly different expressions of Merlot.

La Cabanne’s clay and gravel soils are particularly well suited to Merlot. Clay stores water and releases it slowly, helping the vines maintain continuity through dry periods, while gravel improves drainage and contributes warmth. The resulting wines combine ripe, rounded fruit with the earthy, truffled and mineral character traditionally associated with Pomerol.

Pomerol has no official classification of its estates. There is no equivalent here to the Médoc’s 1855 growths or Saint-Émilion’s Grand Cru Classé hierarchy. La Cabanne’s standing therefore comes from the position of its vineyard, the character of its wines and its accumulated reputation rather than a formal cru rank.

The vineyard and wine are based on 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Vinification takes place in small temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, with malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine matures for 15 months, with 60% new French oak.

In the glass, La Cabanne shows black cherry, plum and raspberry, with anise, cocoa, toasted spice and freshly turned earth. The palate is medium-bodied and polished, with supple fruit, lively acidity and a fine mineral finish.

La Cabanne 2017 is now entering an expressive phase in which Pomerol’s primary plum fruit begins to meet more developed notes of tobacco, truffle and forest floor.

Roast duck, beef fillet, roasted lamb, mushroom pasta, or aged cheeses.

Serve: 16–18 °C
Drink: 2025–2035