You drive, nearly get lost, before you arrive in front of this chateau in the middle of the village. Unconsciously you get the idea that you arrive at the end of arable land, but you don’t. Exceptional terroirs, dominated by clay-limestone with limestone and stony basement, have convinced the Antoine Moueix Properties (Bordeaux subsidiary of the AdVini group) to buy Château Patache d'Aux in 2016. It should be noted that the company Antoine Moueix marketed this wine since 2013. In short, a meeting between a terroir of 57 hectares north of the Medoc and a large house. An estate of high lineage since traces of the Knights of Aux in Begadan have been found since 1660 ... 3 centuries of history and vines have marked the property, and it is from the 18th century that the vineyard took on the name of “Patache”, after the name of stagecoaches of that time, also the name of the future locality in the 19th century.
Listening to general manager Thibaut de la Haye who welcomed Paolo Basso, Best Sommelier of the World, along with Lucie Lauilhé, the technical director, this peculiar name perfectly fits to the search for identity wines that drives the mother house AdVini that has finally been convinced by pedological surveys.
A large part of the vineyard is located on a hard surface limestone plateau, covered with a thin layer of clay. A challenge, it must be said, to ripen the precious Cabernet Sauvignons that has been compensated by the purchase of 10 hectares of gravelly lands bordering the Gironde. The planted grape varieties are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), followed by Merlot (30%) and Petit Verdot (3%). Here too, they remain dubious about the contribution of Cabernet Franc. The new teams integrally work the soil, sowing barley and oat between the rows to incorporate them into the soil. In the next two years, they pride themselves on finally stopping weeding, so typically ‘Medoc’ sometimes, Thibaut de la Haye reminds. The durability of the vine is at stake, so Patache d'Aux abandoned the use of CMR products, and tends to 0 residues in their wines since the 2016 vintage; they engaged in Bordeaux’ Environmental Management System (SME) since 2012 and have been certified HEV3 and ISO140001 since the 2017 vintage. The stakes: clean wines.
The visitor sometimes avoids tedious immersions in the cellars, but for once, the visit was interesting. For a precise by-plot approach, and an increase of concrete vats, the winery benefits from significant investments from the parent company. The sober, ultra-functional appearance of the cellar dominated by a perfectly classy gray anthracite colour is stunning. The technical director strives to harvest whole and mature berries. The punching of the cap and devatting does not alter the fruit. For a soft and preserving maturing, they chose nonaromatic barrels! Paolo Basso was surprised by the organoleptic quality of a Patache d'Aux 2017, not fined, with the smooth aromas of blond tobacco.
Henry Clemens
Château Patache d’Aux 2014, Médoc
Intense nose with beautiful aromas of aging with notes of spices and vanilla. Good ripe fruitiness with berries of good maturity. Beautiful palate with a dense and tasty attack, an acidity that improves the structure, a balanced body, rich tannins. A more discrete finish. A beautiful wine with good value for money. Ageing: 2023.
Château Patache d’Aux 2016, Médoc
An intense nose with ripe fruity aromas of black cherries, laurel, floral aromas of lavender and a light toastiness. Beautiful richness and structure with a distinguished attack, a touch of overripeness, a light acidity, quite tasty. Tight but good tannins, medium long finish. A beautiful product with a potential development in the next 5-7 years. Ageing: 2021-2025.
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