Pommard, a taste of Burgundy

October 1, 2010

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The glorious history of the Château de Pommard commenced in 1726. It was in that year that a certain Vivant Micaut, a squire under King Louis XV, decided to construct a castle around vines planted by Cistercian monks. In 1763, the estate was purchased by the Marey brothers, belonging to a large family of traders from the canton of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The hedonistic Claude Marey, an enthusiastic reveller and traveller, journeyed through Europe, bringing wines from Beaune along with him. He thus developed his first business links with numerous buyers.

But taking fright during the Revolution, the brothers decided to sell the château, keeping only the vines. Several years later, Claude Marey attempted to purchase the château miraculously spared by the Revolution… In vain. So he decided to build a second castle just next door, and also stood at the altar a fourth time – his three previous wives had all died! – this time marrying Émilie Monge, daughter of the renowned scientist Gaspard Monge. The Marey-Monge family ended up selling the estate, in 1966, to psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche and his wife Nadine, who in turn handed over the estate, in 2003, to Maurice Giraud, an entrepreneur with a passion…

The Grand Vin du Château de Pommard

Château de Pommard’s activities are divided amongst two companies SCEA Château de Pommard, owner of the vines and buildings, and SAS Caves de la Propriété, which commercialises all production (85% of which is sold directly to the public). With 20 hectares in vines, Château de Pommard is the largest private wine-growing estate in all of Burgundy. In all, 8 different climates have been identified on the estate. “We harvest, make and produce wine from each plot separately,” explains Cécile Lepers, the Château’s Managing Director. “With the help of Claude Bourguignon, pedologist, who analyses soil quality, we produce the Grand Vin du Château de Pommard by assembling different climates.” Both silky and powerful, this wine is derived from a single grape variety, Pinot Noir (explaining the distinct red fruit tones) and is made over 18 to 24 months, primarily in new barrels (between 60 and 70%). Every year, the estate produces a different Grand Vin, according to the vintage. The vines are relatively old (averaging 60 years) and the yield is deliberately low (40 hectolitres per hectare).

A maximum of 90,000 bottles per year

The price of a bottle of the Grand Vin du Château de Pommard wavers between

48 and 53 euros including tax, according to the vintage. Production is limited to

a maximum of 90,000 bottles per year. The Grand Vin du Château de Pommard makes up 70% of sales, the rest being composed of two other wines baptised Château de Pommard or Pommard. The Château not only produces red wine, but also white, rosé, and various spirits (marc, liqueur brandy, ratafia…). “So that we can offer a very wide range of products, we also carry out activities in purchasing harvested grapes. But in all, we never buy more than 3,000 bottles per year,” specifies Cécile Lepers.

A list of specifications is signed with the vineyard owner and Château de Pommard takes charge of producing the wine. The name Pommard on the label endows a certain prestige and is a gauge of quality for these wines that will never be found on supermarket shelves. Export represents no more than 2% of production… In other words, if you want to taste this prestigious wine, your best bet is to visit the Château (the magnificent cellars are well worth seeing…).

Since June 2008, following around six months of renovations (carried out on the Château’s ground floor, and its rooms), the Château has enriched its offer by making itself available for seminars and receptions, with a total of ten rooms and salons: Vatel (72 m2), Micaut (90 m2), Dali (66 m2), Chateaubriand (21 m2), Vinci (36 m2), Vivaldi (40 m2), Rimbaud (26 m2), Chantreries (33 m2), Grandchamps (33 m2) and Pomona (70 m2).

With a 350 m2 terrace overlooking the vineyard, the Château can host up to 250 persons, who can also enjoy the French-style garden and the rose garden. Some prestigious clients have already organised events at the Château, including the Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d’Entreprise (Centre for Young Business Leaders), EDF, Guerlain, Indesit, Le Bien Public, Mitsubishi Electric, Pierre Fabre, Reckitt Benckiser, Université pour Tous de Bourgogne, Velux…

Turnkey formulas are offered to companies: the Château commissions a well-known restaurateur to cater for the event, and in the late afternoon, a guided tour is followed by a tasting.

A new art gallery

In the space of a few years, a visit to the Château de Pommard has become a real must on the Burgundy wine tourism circuit; it is recommended by tourist offices, for example… This new popularity is largely due to the efforts of Maurice Giraud: when he purchased the Château seven years ago, it received “only” 3,000 visitors per year. Thanks to effective communication and a constant presence in wine and wine tourism salons, things have now changed. In 2008, the number of the Château’s visitors jumped up to 21,000, and in 2009, up to 34,500.

Last year’s impressive performance comes thanks to the opening of the Château’s art gallery in 2009. From 25 April to 15 November (from 10 am to 6 pm), the gallery hosted a superb exhibition of Salvador Dali’s sculptures and engravings. Organised on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Catalan artist’s death, the exhibition was immensely successful. For those who may have missed it, two original bronze sculptures by the master, part of the Château owner’s private collection, are on permanent display: The Unicorn and Saint George Striking the Dragon. There is no shortage of reasons why one should not deprive oneself of a visit to the Château de Pommard.

Source: http://www.actu-cci.com/?pg=mag_article&id_m_a=3220&ver=en

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