Château Haut-Caillou 2012

One translation of Château Haut-Caillou is ‘The House of the High Bald Head’ which, in our admittedly warped imagination, conjures up a slow-speaking, Lurch-type character, swaying unsteadily up to the door to greet any unfortunate visitors. However, another translation is ‘the house of the high pebbles’, which makes a bit more sense, as this is the preferred terrain of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that contribute to this Merlot-dominated blend. The net result of these high-pebbled vines is a wine that’s deep in colour, with flashes of crimson and a rich, clean nose, combining aromas of redcurrant and subtle oaky notes. It is full-bodied, with fine tannins and a markedly soft texture.

A small estate spanning some seven hectares, Château Haut-Caillou in Lalande-de-Pomerol was taken over in 2002 by Laurent Rousseau, a seventh generation wine grower. An extremely talented winemaker, Laurent Rousseau is well-respected among the wine trade and has won a number of awards in this field. Since 2007, the Château has been equipped with a water-treatment plant made with 100% natural materials and constructed entirely from bamboo, to date the only one of its kind in south west France. Any waste is removed, degraded or stored by the plant, without harming the environment in any way. In the winery, Laurent Rousseau focuses on vinification techniques which enhance the true character of the grape and are entirely natural, resulting in a Lalande-de-Pomerol wine of great roundness and balance, with appealing aromatic complexity.

Laurent is committed to ‘respecting the full extent of the vine’s potential’ and he was one of the first to make the environment a firm priority, having set about implementing the most stringent guidelines to adhere to these principles. In 2009, he achieved the Terra Vitis certification for sustainable agriculture and, in July 2012, was one of the first five properties to be accredited with High Environmental Value certificate. Achieving HVE level three, the highest award, is a rare accolade, and is the only one that can be communicated to the public.

The grapes are harvested by machine, with an integrated separator. The wine is vinified in the traditional method, in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks.

The wine has a deep colour, with flashes of crimson. The rich, clean nose combines the aromas of redcurrant and subtle oaky notes. It is full-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins and a markedly soft texture.