90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.
D‘ Aiguilhe is the Castillon of Stephan Count Neipperg. The appellation has had a breathtaking career over the past ten years. So has Stephan Neipperg with his d’Aiguilhe. Castillon has become a direct contender to Saint-Émilion. And rightly so. Predominantly limestone soil and Merlot-based wines.
35 hectoliters yield per hectare. Aged 30 percent in new barriques. 14.3 percent alcohol by volume. Harvested from September 5 to 22. Followed by 32 days of fermentation.
Flavor here again fully in licorice, violet, and black fruit. Blackberry and mulberry, sweet and rich. A dense velvet carpet, orange zest, and beneath that a fine exotic note with passion fruit. Chic nougat note as well. On the palate with lots of sloe, also cranberry, somewhat dry, sour cherry, and red currant. Lots of red fruit pressure and freshness. Chic salty note, the tannin is polished.
Not quite a great wine, but an extremely chic, tasty, and fine Castillon, with astonishing freshness despite the alcohol.
Most winemakers compare 2022 with 2018, but 2022 was mostly still significantly more concentrated and richer in fruit, more vibrant, creamier, and despite the extreme richness surprisingly fresh, silky, and harmonious, also reminiscent of the dream year 2016.
2022 is not as extremely spicy as the blockbuster year 2019 and not quite as delicately nuanced as 2020. Winemakers with long experience speak rather of a distinctly more perfect reincarnation of the vintages 1982, 1961, and 1949.
This was the driest summer in France since records began and overall the hottest year since 1947. Not as extremely and suddenly hot as 2003, rather harmoniously evenly warm and very dry.
After heavy rain fell in November and December 2021, the following months remained dry and warm. The vines could thus slowly adapt to the dryness with even flowering. The terroirs with the best water retention properties and the very deep-rooted old vines could relatively easily use the winter and spring water reservoir after early and sunny flowering through the dry summer.
Rain only returned in June and then again in the second half of August with 30 to 50mm. Afterwards, it remained sunny and dry with a long "Indian Summer" well into October and even November. Everyone could wait for the perfect harvest time, especially since there was no sugar-alcohol pressure thanks to summer stagnations.
Those with old vines and perfect terroirs, then still affected by the annually increasing April frost and the all-too-frequent hail of early summer, Those spared could especially, as organic winemakers, rejoice over the complete absence of rot and fungal diseases. No one had to spray anything at all.
For organic winemakers with old vines and superb terroir, 2022 was an unprecedented, perfect year. Especially since over the past 10 extreme years, they have become accustomed to better-adapted canopy and soil management.
Saint Emilion's and Castillon's limestone cliffs, Pomerol's and Fronsac's clay soils, and the thick gravel lenses of Médoc, with very old vines, had hardly any worries except for a slight reduction in yields.
Just 20 years ago, the wines from the region "Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux" were virtually unknown. Stephan, Count von Neipperg, a native German from Württemberg and owner of Canon la Gaffelière and La Mondotte, was one of the first to recognize the potential of the region.
Due to this potential of the region, Count von Neipperg decided to acquire Château d’Aiguilhe in 1998. The Château, dating back to the 13th century, is located in a prime spot in Castillon. The limestone plateau on which the vineyards are situated is an almost perfect terroir, very similar to the Cotes of Saint Emilion. The topsoil consists of limestone with clay and loam; the deeper you go, the higher the limestone content becomes, and after a few meters, you find almost only these wonderful limestone soils. The drainage is excellent, so there is no waterlogging even in wet years. However, the limestone retains enough water to avoid drought stress in warm years.
Due to the southern orientation of the vineyards, everything ripens beautifully; the location of d’Aiguilhe is nearly perfect. 80 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet Franc are grown, and the white wine is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
The vines of Château d’Aiguilhe are already relatively old at nearly 30 years and have deep root systems, which is incredibly important for supporting the vine with minerals, especially due to the weather extremes of recent years that make it difficult for the vines. Of the 140 hectares that belong to Château d’Aiguilhe, only 90 hectares are used for viticulture.
The price-to-enjoyment ratio at Château d’Aiguilhe is particularly high – you get so incredibly much wine for your money.
Journalists also praise the wine year after year. With the support of his brilliant oenologist Derenoncourt, Stephan Count von Neipperg acquired very interesting locations and invested heavily in the quality of the vineyards.
However, the style of the wines is more akin to the limestone slopes of Saint Emilion, as experienced in perfection at Larcis Ducasse and Pavie. Despite all the class of Château d’Aiguilhe, this comparison would still be somewhat presumptuous.
Opening hours of the Enoteca:
Tuesday-Friday 14:00 - 19:00
Saturday 11:00 to 16:00
