Le Clos du Beau-Père 2014

Clos du Beau Père is another stellar offering from the incomparable Jean-Luc Thunevin – the Bad Boy of Bordeaux.  Thunevin is well known as the godfather of the garagiste movement who revolutionized winemaking not only in Saint-Émilion, but around the world. The garagiste movement is simply small production winemaking, focusing on minimal intervention in the vineyard. This garagiste movement inspired a lot of other winemakers in Bordeaux to follow suit and put many of the traditionalists on their toes.   Their most famous wine, Château Valandraud, epitomizes the style of the garagiste movement. 

Essentially, the winemaking process of the garagiste movement is so small it could fit in a garage – hence the name, garagiste.  The wine typically features riper fruit and greater extraction.  Clos du Beau Père is another exceptional example of the husband and wife team, Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud’s winemaking prowess.  With such a small production, ever increasing scores, and an affordable price, this wine is one that merits any Pomerol-lover’s attention.  Be sure to snap it up before it disappears.

Clos du Beau Père had a sleepy history prior to being purchased by Jean-Luc Thunevin, and it wasn’t until he purchased this property the trajectory of this estate started to turn around.  Before it was acquired by the Thunevin family, Clos du Beau Père was initially owned by the Ratouin family.  Prior to their ownership, the property was named, Château l’Angelus, but the name was changed to avoid any confusion with the famous Saint-Émilion Premiere Grand Crus Classé A property, Château Angelus.  Shortly after purchasing it, Jean Luc Thunevin renamed the estate after the father of his longtime partner and wife, Murielle Andraud.  They changed the name to Le Clos du Beau Père, which loosely translates to, “father-in-law.”

This tiny 4-hectare vineyard is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, as is typical for many producers in the Pomerol AOC.  This Right Bank property was a microscopic 2 hectares when Jean Luc and Murielle Andraud purchased the property in 2006.  Shortly after, this husband and wife team purchased two more hectares of land from another Pomerol property, which allowed them to bring these grapes into the wines of Le Clos du Beau Père.  The majority of the terroir at this estate is a mixture of gravel and sand-based soils, with a smaller percentage that has more significant amounts of clay.  The best vines are planted closer to neighboring estates like Château Bellegrave, just west of the highway.  Clos du Beau Père tends to use older Merlot vines in their winemaking process, as many of these vines are 45 years old, and some are even older than that.  Their Cabernet Franc vines are a bit younger, about 20 years old on average.

The wine of Le Clos du Beau Père needs a bit of time before they can be enjoyed.  With younger vintages, expect to decant the wine for approximately an hour in order for it to reveal its aromas and complexity.   There is a distinctive fresh quality to this wine, with plenty of aromas of licorice, charcoal, and cinnamon stick.

"Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2014 Le Clos du Beau Pere performed well above its showing in barrel. It has a modest bouquet: raspberry preserve, crushed strawberry, cedar and faint pencil box aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and quite strict tannin, matched by a fine thread of acidity. It is very backward as you would expect soon after bottling, however, there is good substance here and there is a very attractive salinity that lingers on the finish. What a fine Pomerol this has turned out to be. Tasted December 2016." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, (2/28/2017, Issue 229), Rating: 91, Drink: 2018-2028