Château l'Apolline

Chateau l’Apolline is a tiny grand cru vineyard in Saint-Emilion, located in the small commune of Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens. It is here that proprietors Philippe and Perrine Genevey have made their lovely red, in the most classic Saint-Emilion style, since 1996. The beautiful name “Apolline” belongs to their third daughter, and this family property exudes their care and attention.

The excellent soils and special microclimate are ideal for the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes used in Chateau l’Apolline. The average vine age is 35 years, and no chemicals are used in the farming process, which enables the wine to truly reflect the terroir of St. Emilion. At only 2.8 hectares it is a very small vineyard, which in a vintage of relatively high yield still only produces 1,500 cases of the grand cru. The practices of severe pruning, bunch thinning, and leaf thinning are regularly used, keeping yields low, and all picking is done by hand. The soils are gravelly, holding the sun’s warmth at the roots and allowing the grapes to reach full maturity. No irrigation is permitted in Saint-Emilion, which often results in small but concentrated crops.

American influences have had the effect of changing the production styles of some Saint-Emilion producers, who have been increasingly striving to create wines of great extraction and high tannin levels but lacking, perhaps, in the trademark finesse and grace that Bordeaux is known for. At Chateau l’Apolline, however, a very traditional vinification process is used; it respects the terroir.

In its most basic definition, terroir means the situation in which wine is made. It refers to all of the qualities that characterize the place: topography, bedrock, sediments and soils, temperature, and rainfall. And some believe that viticultural practices, and the influence of the winemaker, play into the overall picture, as well. The story of any bottle starts with the history of the land itself, and ends with how the winemaker asserts that sense of place into the crafting of the product.

The goal for Chateau l’Apolline is to have wonderful fruit and drinkability now, yet still have great aging potential. Winemaking is adapted to the intrinsic qualities of each vintage, with grape sorting, maceration time, and barrel aging being a few of the variables that are modified each year to achieve the purest balance in the wine. It does not attempt to be an imitation of any other wine, but is a wonderful example of what can happen when Saint Emilion is allowed to be itself. À ta santé!

 

Château l’Apolline
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2005

While not everyone may follow the hype associated with certain wines and vintages as much as we do, the talk of the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux has been hard to overlook, indeed. Called “the vintage that you don’t want to miss” by one of the country’s premier wine merchants, Morrell & Company in Manhattan, the 2005 is a truly fantastic vintage with great quality across the board on both the Left and Right Banks.

It certainly appears at this point to be a legendary vintage, with initial reviews surpassing those of previously-named “Vintages of the Century” in 1982, and more recently, the brilliant 2000. There is a density, fullness, and weight to the fruit that has resulted in the red wines from 2005 to be considered unmissable, and the Right Bank wines,like those from St.Emilion, consistently garner point ratings worldwide in the mid-90’s and above.

Philippe Genevey has produced a wine that possesses exceptional longevity and aging potential, as well as outstanding fruit concentration, balance and freshness.  
As a general rule, this vintage has no shortage of legendary wine. And although many came out at very high prices, no one has complained, except those who did not buy them!

Quantities are of course limited and, despite our requests, could only be supplied based on what we had planned to import long before learning of the excitement surrounding the 2005 - when it is gone, it will be gone for good.

From Philippe Genevey:
“The 2005 berries are the most beautiful that I’ve harvested since being in the business.  The fresh acids combined with the massive concentration and higher than normal alcohols make a vintage that will probably be one of the longest-lived that I have ever produced.
 The blend is quite classic for Chateau l’Apolline: 65 % merlot and 35 % cabernet sauvignon, though aging has been a bit longer with18 months in 100% French oak barrels, 30% of which were new.

The wine reveals a Burgundy-like nose of black raspberries and flowers.  A black purple color hints at the wine's richness, massive concentration and bold tannins.  The complex aromatics are followed by an enormously rich, pure, full-bodied wine with a fabulous texture and length.  Excellent acidity gives precision to this big but impeccably well-balanced 2005. 

Club members will be able to enjoy the 2005 l’Apolline in 4-5 years, but could also hold it for at least 2 decades.
Frankly speaking, I’ve kept 15% of the crop for the family's personal consumption and for the château library.  I’ve also bottled some of the wine in big bottles to pass along to the next generation.”


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