Winegrower Bordeaux
Vines, winemakers and the work of timeat Château des AnnereauxThe winegrowing area of Lalande de Pomerol has undoubtedly undergone many trials and tribulations over the course of the past three centuries, but one estate here has managed to make a fresh start by banking everything upon the quality of its natural environment. Château des Annereaux, one of the oldest domains in this appellation, has continued to augment the quality of its wines since Dominique Hessel took over the management of this estate in 2004. Production equipment in good condition but requiring modernisation, a vineyard located on one of the finest terroirs in the Bordeaux region and an unshakeable determination to revive the family legend after the direct succession of twenty generations... All the conditions were perfect for the worthy descendant of the Ponsot family to set this domain back on track, with the aim of producing wines for pleasure and ensuring their organic approval label by 2010.
Four centuries of history on the lands of PomerolWe are in the Libourne area, in the western-most part of the Lalande de Pomerol appellation. In a place named “Les Annereaux”, which takes it name from the family that lived in this hamlet many years ago, stands the imposing construction of Château des Annereaux, whose history dates back to the 16th century.
Inscriptions engraved in the stone of the chateau’s rose coloured façade clearly show the estate’s historical origins, proudly announcing the eminent predecessors of the Hessel family: the names Soehnée, Malescot and Ponsot, ancestors of the current proprietors, whose nobility was at times acquired rather indirectly. Twenty generations and a wealth of strong characters have followed on from one another at an estate which, over the years, has become one of the essential references of this appellation. Shortly after the French Revolution, Charles-Frédéric Soehnée made a name for himself in the sphere of surrealist art, painting numerous watercolours that are still honourably rated today; several can be seen on exhibition at the Louvres Museum in Paris. A pupil of Girodet, he made his mark upon the history of art by his year of work accomplished in 1918, before he chose to turn his talents to an industrial career, which would in fact serve the interests of other artists (he invented Soehnée varnish). At the beginning of the 19th century, Jean-Michel Soehnée was an inspector for the Banque de France in Paris. A spirit of enterprise was prevalent amongst members of this family, whose portraits have pride of place in the chateau’s main reception hall, hanging alongside photos of children and grandchildren...
Later, as the phylloxera epidemic wreaked havoc in Bordeaux’s winegrowing area, the widow Mrs Caroline Ponsot published, in 1891, the results of her research in a book devoted to her experience of growing American vines. This modern lady was Dominique Hessel’s great, great-grandmother. Along with her son, Armand Ponsot, who had relinquished his opportunity to enter the elite Polytechnique in order to manage the family business, Mme Ponsot had set her heart upon ensuring that the heritage of this wine estate should be passed on to the family’s future generations. When the phylloxera disaster was surmounted, she devoted her efforts to developing the estate, leaving Armand Ponsot to modernise the chateau, regroup the various parts of the 35-hectare vineyard and renovate the production installations, which he succeeded in bringing to a condition almost on a par with those that existed in 2004.
Once these major reforms had been achieved, the worldwide post-war economic situation made business very difficult. Encouraged by bonuses granted by the State, the family was forced to uproot its vines. In 1956, vines were no longer grown and the land was used for raising livestock and growing crops. To confront this economic crisis, the family had to make the decision to sell the estate. Several attempts failed and since no agreement could be found (in particular, in 1960 the Town Hall of Libourne wanted to set up an agricultural school here), it was decided to sell half the estate to Mr Milhade, a winemaker and wine merchant who succeeded in completely re-establishing the vineyard during the 1970s. When in 2004 Mr Milhade’s heirs made a proposal to Dominique Hessel to buy back their part of the estate held in joint property, he jumped at the chance and threw himself into this venture which would at last enable him to write a new page of history for this estate unified once again. He treasured this triumph against adversity and the project he had in mind was extremely clear: to produce quality wines whilst bestowing the greatest care and attention on the natural environment.
When the value of wines does not depend on the number of years...
If Dominique Hessel presents himself as an extremely traditional man (mentioning, for example, his choice to maintain the style of label that dates back to 1920), it is undoubtedly to introduce the fact that his wines, in keeping with their maker, are equally so. He intends them to be pleasant, delicious, but refuses to yield to a certain trend for intense extraction and excessive woodiness.
“I want to preserve the fruitiness and pleasant character of Merlot, whilst making wines suitable for ageing” he confirms. No excessive concentration, carefully proportioned use of wood and a return to the flavour of origin: in short, authentic, light wines that do not overwhelm the palate and which, throughout the course of a meal, develop all their qualities of delicacy and fineness.
On this terroir comprised of sand, gravel and pebbles, whose wines are reputed for their delicacy and roundness, Château des Annereaux’s vineyard has the advantage of possessing mature vines, on average more than 25 years old. The Merlot variety is planted in majority.
Since he took over the management of this estate, Dominique Hessel has used supervised growing techniques for treatments in his vineyard, for which it received certification in 2005. Rapidly he oriented his efforts towards organic methods, encouraged by his experience in Moulis, in the Médoc area, where he owns Château Moulin-à-Vent. He is not daunted by hard work and was satisfied by his first results in 2007. “After you get past the most difficult stage, which is stopping weed killing and chemical treatments, it seems quite logical to get involved in converting to organic methods” he tells us.
His philosophy is quite simple: he gives a minimum amount of treatments to his vines, develops the natural qualities of the terroir and grape varieties, and does not seek to make competition wines. This vine growing specialist has always been extremely careful in his use of vine treatments, a sphere he knows well because he began his career as an agronomist working in the plant pharmaceuticals industry.
The future is secure
His mother was amongst the founding members of the “Baillis de Lalande Pomerol”, one of the most active wine brotherhoods of the Bordeaux area. Dominique Hessel belongs to two wine circles: the “Club des vignerons lauréats”, a nationwide club which meets once a year in the month of November in Paris, and the “Assemblage in Bordeaux”, an association that works in favour of protecting terroirs. This is a subject dear to Dominique Hessel, who we know is always present during primeurs week and at wine tastings in general.
Having been involved for many years in responsibilities for trade association (he was President of the Conseil des Vins du Médoc for twelve years and President of the Syndicat des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc for seven years), Dominique Hessel is now concentrating his efforts on running his own estate.
The sales strategy has been reinforced: via Bordeaux wine merchants, 70% to 80% of production sold for export. The bottle’s pink capsule makes it stand out from the crowd, ensuring good renown for this wine.
Alongside his production policy, he is preparing the renovation of his cement tanks, which date from 1911; he is also reconverting the barrel storehouse and planning the construction of several buildings to ensure a better organisation of bottling and storage. Projects that are quite typical of any wine estate, but essential activities Dominique Hessel continues to undertake regularly.
With his vineyard once again unified, Dominique Hessel is a happy man: glad to be an additional link in this long chain of history and to contribute to its continuity in the future; happy too to be able to leave a viable wine estate to his own children, if by chance they may wish to follow in their father’s footsteps...
Christelle Faure-Némery
Château des Annereaux
33500 Lalande de Pomerol
Tél. : 05 57 51 03 01
ou 05 56 58 15 79
Fax : 05 56 58 39 89
E-mail
www.annereaux.com
