PRODUCER: Châteaux Moncets & Chambrun
REGION: Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
WINEMAKERS: Michel Rolland, Thomas Duclos, Julien Noël
Nestled in the heart of Lalande de Pomerol, Château Moncets and Château de Chambrun stand as shining examples of tradition, sustainability, and innovation. This ambitious estate is driven by a passion for a refreshingly contemporary, terroir-focused style of Right Bank Bordeaux.
WINERY HISTORY
Nestled in the heart of Lalande Pomerol – the land of the Templars – lie two magisterial Châteaux: Chambrun et Moncets. In the past decade, following their purchase by a young Bretagne family in 2012 and 2015, these Châteaux have undergone a remarkable renaissance. Driven by a passion for refreshingly contemporary, terroir-driven wines on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, switches to lutte raisonée and organic farming practices signal the new path of the properties. Much of this renaissance has been led by managing director Julien Noël, who since joining the team in 2016 has injected a spirit of modernity.
Château Moncets is the oldest site on the combined estates, dating from the late 18th century. Renovation and rehabilitation have been the name of the game at Moncets, with the vineyard now yielding fresh, fruity Merlot and Cabernet Franc from its 19ha of fruit. Château de Chambrun is relatively newer, its origins dating to the interwar period. Now the flagship vineyard of the estate, the 13.80ha of Merlot is entirely Selection Massale.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
Work in the winery has been led by renowned consulting oenologists Michel Rolland and Thomas Duclos. Their expertise has been essential in propelling Moncets & Chambrun to create wines of indelible character and finesse. Updates to the winery have included the adoption of a gravity-fed system focused on protecting the highly selected, hand-harvested fruit. Unsulfured winemaking and integral vinification in French oak permit a more pronounced extraction of Merlot’s aromatic character. Château Moncets is the entry level wine, sourced from 40-year-old vines planted in clay soils and spending sixteen months in French oak barrels. Château Chambrun comes from a smaller 6.8-hectare vineyard and is aged for twenty-four months in entirely French oak. This vineyard is planted on the sandy, gravelly soils with clay subsoil synonymous with Pomerol. The pinnacle wine is Le Bourg, a very limited bottling sourced from a tiny plot located just 500m from Château Pétrus.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
