The nose is elegant, fruity, and offers delicacy, a slight depthness as well as a beautiful finesse of the grain. It reveals notes of fleshy blackberry, small blue fruits and small notes of cassis associated with fine touches of wild raspberry associated with discreet hints of cornflower, discreet toasted hints as well as a very discreet hint of Sichuan pepper and an imperceptible hint of spices. Producer Information Château Gombaude-Guillot is a family owned property that goes back 5 generations. All begins in 1860 when Pierre DARBEAU, a teacher, weds Marie BELIVIER who receives as dowry from her father – himself the owner of a property in Néac – this beautiful vineyard set in the middle of the Pomerol plateau. In 1898, when the new church in the village of Pomerol is completed, a pub with a large terrace is built just in front and neigbouring Marie’s vineyard. In 1921, her son Amédée buys the pub and builts a cellar. Childless, Amédée gathers into one his three brothers’s inheritance and buys a plot of lands called La Gombaude from Sir GOMBAUD – born into a well known family which goes back to the IX century. Today, the 8 ha vineyard is owned by Claire LAVAL, Marie’s great granddaughter. Having spent 6 years away in Franche-Comté (East of France), Claire comes back home in 1983, together with her husband and children , to take over the property from her parents Suzanne and Henri. Her début will be marked by a calamitous year that will see a hailstorm reduce the crop volume to a third. Point taken. Farming is a rough but so compelling a job. It takes more to discourage Claire. By 1988, after 5 years of observation, the decision is taken to stop using chemical treatments – unless utterly necessary – over such beautiful Pomerol soil. Château Gombaude-Guillot has turned towards organic farming without actually knowing it, as like Molière’s Monsieur Jourdain who spoke prose unknowingly. In 1995, Claire’s husband Dominique gives up his computer scientist job, takes his Agricultural technician diploma on winegrowing and oenology to join Claire in the vineyard. They have a firm belief that quality winegrowing will come without pesticides and based on natural methods of farming. This enables them to sign, in 1997, the charter that turns the property to Organic Farming/Biological Agriculture. The Château Gombaude-Guillot 2000 vintage is the first Pomerol organic wine, together with Clos Plince – a small property bought in 1996 and farmed as Château Gombaude-Guillot.
