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Château de Sales is located in the north-west of the Pomerol appellation. With 47.6 hectares (117 acres) under vines out of the 90 hectares (222 acres) that make up the property, it is the largest vineyard in the Pomerol appellation. Except for three hectares (7 acres) lost during the French Revolution, the property limits are the same as in the 16th century.
The majority of vines are Merlot (73%) which, combined with Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Cabernet Franc (12%), finds its full expression in a terroir of gravel and heat-retaining sand which also contains iron oxide.
The vines are grown in the traditional way: the soil is regularly ploughed, vineyard practices are environment-friendly, leaves are removed and clusters are thinned meticulously and the grapes are harvested by hand at optimum maturity for each parcel.
Château de Sales, which has had HVE High Environmental Value certification since 2020, promotes virtuous vine-growing practices which incorporate and enhance biodiversity (no chemical weedkiller, sexual confusion against grape berry moths).
The grapes are sorted on arrival at the winery, where they are carefully destemmed and lightly crushed then left to ferment in temperature-controlled concrete tanks. Alcoholic fermentation is followed by a period of maceration, for a total vatting time of around three weeks depending on the lots and grape varieties. Tastings take place after malolactic fermentation in order to select the lots for the first wine, Château de Sales, and the second wine, Château Chantalouette.
Château de Sales is matured for 12 months in oak barrels, 15-20% of which are renewed each year. Château Chantalouette is matured partly in oak barrels, partly in tanks. The wines are bottled at the Château about 18 months after the harvest.
« Château de Sales has an extensive vineyard with remarkably consistent geological characteristics that give it a strong identity. The winemaker humbly seeks to express those distinctive qualities so that the wine continues to be true to itself, telling its own story and bringing pleasure to winelovers. » by Jean-Claude Berrouet, Consultant Winemaker for Château de Sales
THE ECOSYSTEM
Unique in Pomerol, the ecosystem at Château de Sales comprises a wood, a bamboo plantation and a park spanning over 42 hectares (104 acres).
Locally protected species like the lax-flowered orchid (Anacamptis laxiflora) have been identified in an environment highly conducive to the development of fauna and flora, as well as at least twenty species of bird, some of them quite remarkable, like the black kite, the European serin and the European greenfinch.
A dozen bat species have also been counted. At the top of the food chain, they eat moths and mosquitoes and help to control vine pests.
Awarded HVE High Environmental Value certification in 2020, Château de Sales has long taken an environmentally conscious approach to vinegrowing which includes integrating and encouraging biodiversity, banning chemical weedkiller and using the sexual confusion method to combat grapevine moth.
A mix of annual and biennial nectar-producing flowers has been sown in the small garden at Château de Sales, not far from the four beehives installed in 2021, in order to form an ecosystem for pollinating insects, including bees, and birds.
IN THE VINEYARD
Cover crops - Field beans have been sown in the rows of some parcels of the estate to improve the soil’s microbial life and fertility and protect it in winter.
Grass cover - In certain parts of the vineyard, permanent grass cover has been introduced in all rows or alternate rows to help the soil flourish and encourage auxiliary fauna.
Grape-stem compost - Compost made from the stems of Château de Sales grapes was used for the first time in 2021 to add organic matter to the soil, supplementing cattle manure (2/3 manure – 1/3 grape-stem compost).
AGROECOLOGY
The team at Château de Sales is working on an agroecology plan with three strands: agroforestry, cover crops and polyculture. Embracing the entire estate, the plan aims to enhance biodiversity, increase soil fertility and ensure that the vineyard passed down to the next generation is in good health.
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