Château La Dominique Winery
"A quest for precision."
Jean-Claude Fayat
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North-west of Saint-Émilion, on the edge of the Pomerol appellation, lies Château La Dominique, which has been owned by the Fayat family since 1969 and has Grand Cru Classé status. Its plots border on those of the most famous houses in the region: Cheval Blanc, Figeac, La Conseillante and L'Evangile.
Jean-Claude Fayat and his team cultivate 29 hectares of vines in the Rive Droite vineyard, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and is a veritable mosaic of soil formations. To the north are the clay and gravel plateaus of Pomerol.
Here, on the heat-retaining gravel, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon is grown. "In the south, the clay and limestone subsoils typical of Saint-Émilion and the famous blue clay give the Merlot and Cabernet Franc wines planted here tension, finesse and minerality."
La Dominique sees itself as an "agricultural business" and strives for sustainable farming practices "to move away from the logic of monoculture" This includes careful soil cultivation and other measures to protect biodiversity.
The pursuit of precision dominates the vinification process. For example, Yann Monties, the technical director, relies entirely on ceramic amphorae for fermentation, the size of which is adapted to the plots.
"Increasing the proportion of Cabernet Franc should lead to more finesse and elegance." Barrel ageing lasts 16 months and takes place in new wood (60%), one-year-old barriques and amphorae.
photos: Château La Dominique