Château La Conseillante 2022

With its striking violet hued capsule and elegant label, Château La Conseillante is a Pomerol producer that can captivate on looks alone.  It is regarded as one of the finest producers in Pomerol, with top tier neighbors like Château Pétrus and Château Cheval Blanc.  Château La Conseillante is a consistently excellent wine that has the rare aroma of violets.  The label of this beautiful bottle is an homage to this striking aroma that is unique to this estate and the precious terroir it rests upon.  Without a doubt, Château La Conseillante is one of the jewels of the Right Bank, hosting enough delicate complexity to please any Pomerol lover.
 
The history of Château La Conseillante is a rich and lengthy one.  It is one of the oldest estates in Pomerol and was founded by Catherine Conseillan.  Catherine was known as, “the Iron Lady,” and was a formidable force in the wine industry.  It was Catherine Conseillan who created the 12-hectare property, choosing only the choicest parcels upon the Catusseau plateau.  She named the property after a feminized version of her last name, and thus Château La Conseillante was born.  The estate changed hands numerous times until it was acquired by the Nicolas family in 1871.  Louis Nicolas was a prominent force in Pomerol, he created the Pomerol Wine Grower’s union to help launch the smaller appellation’s trajectory as a wine producing region.  Amazingly enough, the Nicolas family still owns the property.  They approach the land with reverence, believing that each line of vignerons should have the same goal: to preserve the land and pass it on to the next generation.
 
Creating the grand vin at La Conseillante was a family run operation until 2001, when they hired the hardworking and talented Jean-Michel Laporte to tend to the vines and create the grand vin.  Jean-Michel made the decision to bring on Michel Rolland to consult at the property.  Marielle Cazaux is currently the managing director and winemaker at Château La Conseillante, and she brings her extensive knowledge from Château Petit-Village to this esteemed property.   
 
Château La Conseillante was the first producer on the Right Bank to vinify in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks.  The vat room was renovated in 2011, with 22 new areal concrete tanks an additional underground concrete vat.  The vineyard is a mosaic of different clay soils, ranging from shades of red, grey,  and the famous blue clay associated with Château Pétrus.  Vines of Merlot and Cabernet Franc thrive within this mixture of clays and are 35 years old. If one is fortunate enough to visit this beautiful estate, they will find the majority of the Cabernet Franc vines are planted on more graveled soils, closer to Château Cheval Blanc.  
 
If the wine of Château La Conseillante could be boiled down to one word, it would be, “elegance.”  Though it does require a few years in bottle, one does not have to wait long.  It is truly a perfect wine for those who favor a Pomerol with plenty of finesse.
 

"The 2022 La Conseillante is just as exquisite in bottle as it was en primeur. Wafting from the glass with an exotic bouquet of mulberries, black raspberries and plums mingled with notions of black truffle, burning embers, violets, mint and licorice, it's full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with a fleshy, even unctuous core of fruit underpinned by a broad chassis of sweet, powdery and perfectly integrated tannin. This is the most lavish, sensual La Conseillante of the last decade, with the most texture and density, yet it remains unerringly precise and harmonious. It's a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, (03/07/2025), Ratings: 100

"The best La Conseillante I’ve tasted. Intensely fragrant: blackcurrants, cherries, roses, violets. Juicy, bright and alive, with acidity lifting the expression. Many Pomerols bring power and spice; this is relaxed and silky, with summer berries and a cooling finish of blueberries, liquorice, crushed stones, slate and minty cola. A captivating..." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (03/07/2025), Ratings: 100

"The 2022 La Conseillante is a gorgeous, racy wine. Pliant and super-expressive, La Conseillante is positively stellar. The 2022 is a vertical, statuesque Conseillante. As alluring as the 2022 is at this stage, it also clearly needs cellaring to be at its finest. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, along with brisk acids that keep things in check. Blood orange, lavender, spice, menthol and espresso linger on the sustained finish. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux turned out what is quite possibly the most elegant wine in Pomerol. The 2022 is one of my favorite recent vintages here. The 2022 was harvested from September 5th for Merlots through to the 20th, when the last Cabernet Franc was brought in. It was aged in 70% new wood, 27% once-filled barrels and 3% amphora." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (01/28/2025), Ratings: 98

"The 2022 Château La Conseillante is pure brilliance and is up with the crème de la crème from this estate. Gorgeous blue fruits, sweet cassis, violets, spice, incense, truffle, and blood orange all define the aromatics, and it's a sensationally pure, full-bodied, voluptuous, and perfectly balanced Conseillante that has integrated tannins, a deep, layered mid-palate, and incredible length. A blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new French oak, the 2022 hit 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. It's just about impossible to resist even today, but it's going to take 8-10 years to hit its prime drinking plateau and should see its 30th birthday in fine form." - Jeb Dunnuck, (02/27/2025), Ratings: 98+, Drink: 2033-2073