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Polished and ample, with a full-bodied presence and notable confidence. Despite its approachablefeel, there is a lot going on under the surface.Two weeks after the UGC week, there was a buzz going around with the locals that this might turn out to be the wine of the appellation. Only time will tell, but it definitely has excellent potential.
Owned by the de Bouard de Laforest family for years, it is only since the mid 1980s that this château has truly hit its potential. Hubert de Bouard, with the assistance of consulting oenologist, Michel Rolland, is making some of the finest wines in St Emilion. The château is particularly notable for producing excellent wines even in challenging vintages which for many is the true testament of quality.
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.