The weather has been overcast and rainy in Bordeaux recently, so Mariette Veyssière seems sanguine about the sunshine vaporising dew from vine leaves in the fields that sweep around Saint-Émilion like a green ocean. As we pass the battlements of the Tour du Roy – The King’s Keep – Veyssière gestures to the Dordogne Valley spread below us: “25 million years ago, much of this would be submerged, and we’d be standing on a limestone promontory looking out over the water.” We continue to walk southwards away from the natural amphitheatre of the medieval village toward Château Quintus, where Veyssière is the estate manager.
Similar to the plants growing in the vineyards, Veyssière has deep roots in the region. “This was my grandfather’s house,” she says as we pass a pretty limestone building. In fact, she is a member of the fifth generation of her family to work in the wine business on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. Her great-grandmother was a trailblazer and the first woman to run a wine shop in the village of Saint-Émilion. This enduring connection to wine, spanning generations, is a testament to both the passion and expertise that Veyssière brings to bear as the estate manager at Château Quintus, and one that’s shared with the ownership at Domaine Clarence Dillon.
Sun over the vineyard
Michaël Boudot
What’s in a name?
All roads lead to Rome, as they say, and this was patently the case with the viticultural inroads made into Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion during the 1st century AD, when Gallo-Romans planted the first vineyards in the region. It was common at that time in antiquity for the fifth child in the family to be given the name Quintus, and this is what Domaine Clarence Dillon had in mind when they purchased and renamed the expansive property in 2011.
Founded in 1935 by its namesake Clarence Dillon, the company has since passed through four generations into the hands of Prince Robert of Luxembourg, who has stewarded it from strength to strength and created one of the most prestigious wine estates in France. Château Quintus joins Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion as Domaine Clarence Dillon’s fifth property. Hence, Quintus, as the Gallo-Romans might have said of the vineyard.
The bronze statue made by artist Mark Coreth has a six-metre wingspan
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However, the name also alludes to the five different slopes and plots of vines that comprise the property, which Veyssière points out as we walk beyond windmills along ochre-coloured, poppy-lined country lanes. The plateau levels out at just over 200 feet in altitude, with 111 acres of land stretching out and sloping downwards in all four cardinal directions. The topography is ideal for growing excellent grapes, with an abundance of microclimates and terroirs.
The fields
When walking through the fields around Saint-Émilion, it’s easy to see why the region has been given Unesco World Heritage status – they are arrestingly bucolic, particularly those around Château Quintus itself. Being situated above the plains gives us the opportunity to look out across the storybook landscape onto nearby vineyards and wineries such as Château Angelus and Château Fonplegade, but it also protects the grapes from late frosts, which have been known to seriously challenge, if not wipe out, a year’s harvest. Because Quintus is located at a greater height than the valley, there tends to be more circulation of air, which helps to prevent frost and protect the crop.
Its situation on the limestone prominence largely defines Château Quintus. “Saint-Émilion’s wide variety of soils have developed on two geological formations that gave the region its characteristic relief in the Tertiary period,” says Veyssière. But what are the terroirs? “Clay-silt, and very often limestone. Marine sediments from this period are the source of Asteria limestone.” But what does that mean in practice? The soil and land are ideally suited for growing two types of grapes: merlot and cabernet franc. You won’t find any other varietals grown under the Saint-Émilion appellation. However, Veyssière mentions that they are turning more to cabernet franc due to climate change, which dovetails with the wine world’s reinvigorated interest in the grape.
The vineyards at Château Quintus
F. Poincet
Veyssière is quick to champion the work that takes place in the fields and to highlight its primacy in Château Quintus’s winemaking approach. You can’t make good wine without great grapes, and she is laser-focused on growing them to the highest standard. Every day, the grapes are hand-picked to test for quality, and the leaves pruned or bound to ensure that they are getting the right amount of sunlight. She takes pride in the fields as we pass through them. Low-stone walls weave through the property. The fresh, green leaves of sessile and holm oak rustle and susurrate as they catch the morning breeze. Hedgerows are buzzing with bees and other insects, and the rows between the vines teem with biodiversity: oleander, honeysuckle, daisy, yarrow, clover and a wide variety of grasses.
“We had a doctor of entomology visit recently to conduct a study,” says Veyssière of a scientist who studies the relationship between humans and insects. “Over 800 types of fauna were gathered, with 200 different species and 80 varieties of wildflowers.” All of this life works together to help the vineyards prosper. The trees, walls, and hedgerows provide shelter for animals like insects and bats, which protect the vines from parasites. Spend ten minutes walking through its fields, and it’s clear to see just how central biodiversity is to Château Quintus’s mission.
The wine
At the end of the walk we encounter a dragon. It crouches on a limestone plinth in front of the winery; its wings spread out twenty feet, claws outstretched, fearsome maw hanging open, ready to breathe fire. While Game of Thrones initially comes to mind, it’s more Smaug from The Hobbit. Created by prominent British artist Mark Coreth, the sculpture symbolically protects the treasure of the estate. It’s some of the most expensive wine country in the world, and this is some of the best of it in the area.
Having worked up a thirst along the walk, we enjoy the fruits of Veyssière and company’s labour in a stunning tasting room overhung with an ornate chandelier. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view into the ageing rooms, where barrels are neatly lined up. We taste the vintages of 2017 and 2018, starting with Dragon de Quintus, which is the second wine of the estate and inspired by the Coreth’s sculpture. The 2017 has a deep, intense colour in the glass and strong, complex aromas on the nose. Made with 87% merlot noir and 13% cabernet franc, it feels more subtle when compared with the 2018, which is more opulent, packing in 75% merlot noir and 25% cabernet franc with a beautiful crimson colour. Both feel ready to drink now – a good entry point for those who want an introduction to Quintus.
The Château Quintus seal
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Prince Robert himself designed the bottle for Château Quintus, inspired by Château Haut-Brion’s antique mid-19th-century bottles. This is the estate’s first wine, made with grapes taken from the choicest pure clay and limestone plots. In the glass, both the 2017 and 2018 exhibit an intense, dark, arterial-blood colour. The 2017 is 54% merlot and 46% cabernet franc, while the 2018 is 72% merlot and 28% cabernet franc. Both are incredibly well-structured with tight-knit tannins that promise ageing potential, and both persist in the mouth with a strong finish and lovely aftertaste that tantalises the taste buds.
One of the best things about travelling to a vineyard is that you get the feeling that you’re tasting a place, downloading everything from its history to its terroirs to the many minds and hands that have stewarded the grapes through the fields and the vinification process. This is the sense I get with Château Quintus washing around my palate. It’s a special wine from a special place – a multi-sensual memory that I’ll retain for years to come.
