Right Bank Revelations: From Pavie to Pomerol

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If you've been following my Bordeaux journey, you already know about our incredible experiences on the Left Bank (which you can read about HERE and HERE) and our first evening on the Right Bank (which you can read about HERE). Our next day would bring even more extraordinary discoveries as we explored some of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion's most prestigious estates.

THE RIGHT BANK HIERARCHY

Over the next two days, we would be tasting at three prestigious Saint-Émilion estates with Grand Cru Classé "A" status - a ranking roughly equivalent to First Growth on the Left Bank. Unlike the historic 1855 Classification we'd learned about during our Left Bank visits, Saint-Émilion's system is reevaluated roughly every 10 years, with the most recent update in 2022. Château Pavie and Château Figeac currently hold this coveted status, while Château Cheval Blanc, fascinatingly, chose to withdraw from the classification system entirely - a decision that would spark an interesting discussion during our visit. We'd also be visiting Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol, where no classification system exists at all.

STARTING WITH A LEGEND

Before heading to our first tasting, Michel made a brief detour at the southern tip of Saint-Émilion to show us Château Ausone, another estate that interestingly enough, like Cheval Blanc, had formerly held Grand Cru Classé "A" status. There would be more to that story later, but for now, seeing the vineyard and château in person was enough - I have their 2018 vintage resting in my cellar, and this view would undoubtedly enhance the experience when I open that bottle, perhaps 10 to 20 years from now when it's ready!

CELEBRATING GRAND CRU CLASSÉ "A"

Our tasting tour began at Château Pavie, again without my wife Dio present as she was still not feeling well. The estate's striking limestone architecture immediately commanded attention. The modern facilities offered a stark contrast to the medieval charm we'd experienced at properties like Château d'Issan during our Left Bank adventures (which you can read about HERE).

Our guide welcomed us in the lobby, where impressive artwork set the tone for our visit.

Having been elevated to Grand Cru Classé "A" status in 2012, the property radiated pride in its achievement. Our guide proudly showed us large format bottles of their special 2012 vintage, featuring a black label commemorating their elevation to Grand Cru Classé "A" status, alongside an impressive displays of large format bottles from that same momentous vintage.

The tour then revealed a stunning two-level vat room, where original wood cases (OWC) of Pavie waited temporarily, before leading us to their impressive two-level barrel room.

In the tasting room, we explored the entire portfolio of Vignobles Perse. Coicidentally, the very first Bordeaux I drank on our trip to Europe was in-flight and it was the Esprit de Pavie!

Our tasting began with two vintages of their second wine. The 2016 Château Pavie Arômes de Pavie and the 2017 Château Pavie Arômes de Pavie showed distinct personalities - the 2016, which had been opened the previous night and kept under vacuum, showed remarkably well, earning 91 points from me, while the 2017 presented as quite tannic, earning 90 points from me.

The highlight was their 2012 Château Pavie, also opened the night before. This beautifully balanced wine with its fine tannins earned 96 points from me - impressive enough that I immediately arranged with Michel to add some to my cellar. If tasting at such a prestigious estate wasn't special enough, getting to experience that historic 2012 vintage, while looking at its commemorative black label bottle, made the moment even more memorable. During our visit, we learned that Château Pavie Decesse would be disappearing as a separate wine, to be blended into the grand vin going forward - a detail that would influence a later purchase at ETS Martin.

As we departed, we witnessed something special - Percheron horses plowing the vineyard. Michel explained that Gérard Perse, because of his considerable wealth, insisted on converting Pavie to horse plowing. Like what we'd seen at Pontet-Canet (which you can read about HERE), these horses are gentler on the soil than tractors. The thin layer of soil they place at the vine's base both smothers weeds and provides protection from heat while maintaining healthy, fertile earth.

A LUNCH WITH A VIEW

Our next stop was La Terrasse Rouge, the restaurant at Château La Dominique. The entrance, elevated to a second level, offered a stunning perspective of the surrounding vineyards. This location proved remarkable - situated among some of the world's most prestigious producers: Cheval Blanc, Petrus, Figeac, La Conseillante, and L'Evangile. The restaurant itself represented an architectural statement, rising from an existing stone barn like a piece of land art.

Michel explained that this spot was a favorite among local wine professionals, which was immediately confirmed when we spotted Guillaume Thienpont inside. Michel mentioned that either Guillaume or his father Alexandre would be hosting us for our tasting at Vieux Château Certan the next day.

I enjoyed their roasted chicken alongside the 2019 Château Pavillon Beauregard that Michel selected. The wine proved to be quite young and tannic, though it opened up nicely toward the end of the meal, earning 88 points from me - a decent wine, though not one I'd actively seek out again.

CONNECTIONS COME FULL CIRCLE

Our afternoon visit to Château La Fleur de Boüard had come about through a serendipitous meeting at the High Museum Wine Auction in Atlanta just two months earlier. My wife Dio and I had met and spent time with owner/winemaker Hubert de Boüard and estate director Emmanuel Teillet, tasting both their La Fleur de Boüard wines and a spectacular 2003 Angélus. When they learned of our upcoming Bordeaux trip, they immediately extended an invitation to visit.

As it turned out, Michel and Marla had already been in talks with Emmanuel about adding La Fleur de Boüard to their future tour itineraries, making this the perfect opportunity to explore the property. With some minor schedule adjustments, they arranged for us to visit between our Pavie and Cheval Blanc appointments.

The La Fleur de Boüard property immediately stood out as the most modern building we'd seen in all of Bordeaux, aside from the wine museum.

The tour started in the Vat Room. Unfortunately, Emmanuel Teillet was away that day, but we were warmly welcomed by Benjamin Pognant who showed us their innovative setup. The lower level revealed Hubert's innovative hanging, reverse, stainless steel, conical vats. We could actually stand beneath these impressive vessels, learning about their unique approach to pump-overs - instead of traditional methods, they empty the vats into containers and use an elevator to transport the wine to the upper level.

On the upper level, we saw how they complete this process, using the large containers to return the wine to the vats from above.

The barrel room initially seemed conventional, until our Benjamin made an unexpected announcement - he would leave us alone for about ten minutes to "enjoy an experience." What followed was unlike anything we'd encountered in Bordeaux. After days of solemn, traditional tastings on the Left Bank, we found ourselves in the middle of what felt more like a rock concert than a wine tour. The immersive sound and light show transformed the barrel room into something magical, making those ten minutes the most surprising of our entire Bordeaux trip.

THE WINES SPEAK

The tasting showcased their impressive range. The 2021 Hubert de Boüard Le Chardonnay impressed with its balance, earning 89 points from me, while the 2021 Hubert de Boüard Le Sauvignon Blanc showed even better, earning 91 points from me. Moving to reds, the 2014 Château La Fleur de Boüard had been opened 45 minutes prior, showing nicely integrated tannins and good balance, earning 92 points from me.

Their premium offerings demonstrated clear ambition. The 2016 Château La Fleur de Boüard Le Plus clearly targeted the American market with its extracted style and extended barrel aging, earning 93 points from me. With some bottle age behind it, it had mellowed beautifully. Even more impressive was how well the 2013 Château La Fleur de Boüard Le Plus showed - earning 91 points from me despite coming from a challenging vintage.

This time, I made sure not to repeat my oversight at Vignobles Arbo (which you can read about HERE) - I purchased a bottle of 2005 Château La Fleur de Boüard Le Plus before leaving, along with some of their special spice blends for my mom.

A LEGENDARY AFTERNOON

Our next stop would prove to be one of the absolute highlights of our entire Bordeaux trip - Château Cheval Blanc.

Our guide, Stéphanie Duhar met us in the lobby and then began our tour with a walk around the historic château before heading into the vineyards, where we saw some of the estate's oldest parcels.

In the tasting room, Stéphanie opened and decanted the 2011 Château Cheval Blanc that we would taste later, allowing us to continue our tour while the wine breathed.

Adjacent to the tasting room, the modern winery showcased their commitment to precision winemaking - we even spotted our first computer screen of the tour, displaying detailed wine status information.

At the crush pad, we watched the team setting up to box wines from the 2021 vintage, and they pointed out the sophisticated security devices embedded in the boxes to prevent counterfeiting.

After touring the barrel room, we returned to the tasting room, adorned with an impressive display of historic bottles. The 2011 Château Cheval Blanc absolutely sang, earning 97 points from me and proving to be the best wine I'd tasted during our Bordeaux trip... so far. It was so exceptional that Marla broke with typical Bordeaux tasting protocol, declaring "I'm not spitting this" - high praise indeed from someone who had tasted with us at every château!

Our conversation then turned to Cheval Blanc's controversial decision to withdraw from the classification system. They had taken issue with the increasing emphasis on marketing, tourism infrastructure, and media presence in the evaluation criteria, feeling these elements had begun to overshadow more fundamental aspects like terroir, viticulture, and wine quality. While they felt the system no longer aligned with their philosophy, their standing in the wine world remaines unquestioned. Tasting their wine today only confirmed their position among Bordeaux's elite, regardless of classification status.

As the tasting concluded, I received a text from Dio saying she was finally feeling better and was out exploring Saint-Émilion. Things were looking up!

TREASURE HUNTING AT ETS MARTIN

Michel had suggested waiting until we reached Saint-Émilion for serious wine shopping, specifically recommending ETS Martin. Now I understood why. While Michel searched for wines to use as gifts during their upcoming travels, I consulted my carefully curated "bucket list" - a project born from a long journey with wine.

While my appreciation for fine wine began in 2006, my budget at the time didn't allow for serious collecting. I spent those early years learning through more affordable bottles, local wine tastings, and farmer's market discoveries. It wasn't until about 10 years later that I could finally begin building a proper collection. In 2017, I made two significant investments: my first First Growth (a 2005 Mouton Rothschild) and my first wine cooler for proper storage.

That same year, I discovered Robert Parker's "Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines". While written in 2003, the book's insights proved invaluable, particularly his modern reclassification that approached Bordeaux from a fresh perspective. For example, where the historic 1855 Classification had recognized only four First Growths (with Mouton being promoted much later) and completely excluded Right Bank properties, Parker's "First-Growth Quality" tier included eleven Left Bank and nine Right Bank producers - a dramatic reimagining of Bordeaux's hierarchy!

In that book, Parker ranked 182(!) properties from all Bordeaux appellations based on their performance from 1982-2001 into five Growth Quality tiers. That list led to what has became one of my life goals: to taste exceptional vintages from every single one of those châteaux!

If you are interested in checking out his full list, it starts on page 1156 of his book. You can grab it from Amazon using the above link!

This quest has proven challenging. Some châteaux no longer exist, others command astronomical prices (I'm looking at you, Petrus and Le Pin), and many smaller producers' wines simply can't be found in the U.S. Now, whenever I travel internationally, I'm always hunting for elusive bottles.

Prior to this trip, I'd shared with Michel a list of about 50 wines from this bucket list that I was still searching for. Now, walking through ETS Martin's incredible cellar, Michel and Ben from ETS Martin were able to help me secure several of these coveted bottles. Namely: 2014 Château La Grave à Pomerol Trigant de Boisset, 2020 Clos La Madeleine Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 2014 Château Destieux Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 2014 Château Clos St. Martin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 2010 Château La Clémence Pomerol

And finally a bottle of 1990 Château La Tour Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan. La Tour Haut-Brion is an “extinct” estate and 1990 is a fabulous vintage - what a find!

I also picked up the 2016 Château Pavie Decesse, knowing this wine would no longer be produced separately from Pavie, and a 2016 Château Moulin de la Rose from Saint-Julien (a recommendation from Ben) for our upcoming road trip.

Other purchases, mostly of the "you can’t usually find this in the US” variety, were made as well! Having recently discovered the rare treat of still red wine from Champagne, I secured a 2018 Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois Rouge from Ambonnay and also a sparkling from the same region: a 2016 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru l'Esprit - a recommendation from Michel.

I rounded out the haul with some special Burgundies, also recommended by Michel: 2017 Rapet Père et Fils Corton Grand Cru, 2015 Henri et Gilles Remoriquet Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes and 2019 Clos du Moulin aux Moines Pommard 1er Cru Clos Orgelot

Feeling better, Dio also joined me for the wine treasure hunt at Martin, and afterwards we explored Saint-Émilion together before dinner.

DINNER WITH A VIEW

We concluded our evening at L'Atelier de Candale. The drive there took us past Château Tour Saint-Christophe, one of my favorite quality-to-price ratio (QPR) producers in Saint-Émilion. Seeing the estate in person only deepened my appreciation for these wines.

ANTICIPATION BUILDS

As we headed back to our hotel that evening, we could hardly contain our excitement about tomorrow's visit to Vieux Château Certan. After a day that included legendary estates like Pavie and Cheval Blanc, along with innovative producers like La Fleur de Boüard, we wondered what VCC might bring. One thing was certain - our journey through the Right Bank was proving every bit as memorable as our Left Bank adventures.

For my complete tasting notes from this remarkable day: