Chateau Le Pavillon de Boyrein

This large 177-acre estate in the southern Graves area was already under vines in the 16th century and once the property of Pope Clement V. The domaine was divided in 1877 in three smaller properties and the Bonnet family (also owner of Chateau Respide) acquired in 1965 the smaller one, about twenty-two hectares that kept the name Pavillon de Boyrein. The soil is clay-sand mixed with some limestone underground and the estate nicely located on a sunny slope right at the entrance of the Sauternes appellation. The twenty-two hectares are divided into four hectares of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon producing a dry white wine and eighteen hectares of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon producing a soft and round wine. The white grapes are twenty years old and the red ones are forty years old. Only 2,000 cases of white Graves and 4,000 cases of red Graves are produced yearly. Frank bonnet, the current winemaker and owner, is particularly meticulous in preserving his family estate. It’s a long-term engagement into the vineyard environment and he keeps biodiversity by letting grass covering the rows between the vines to enhance nutrients and organic content. A water treatment station has been set up and parts of the vineyards, close to the river, are not planted but hosting men created nests for various birds such as blue tit and passerine which are quite helpful against insects. The winery is not looking for organic certification but aiming at minimizing the needs and use of any pesticides. The classic Sauvignon blanc and Semillon blend white wine undergo a short skin contact to enhance the fruit flavors. This bright, pale yellow colored, fruity and fresh wine exults notes of white flowers, apple and tangs of citrus. The merlot driven red wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks, using oxygenation technics to soften the tannins. It’s then aged for six month in barrels, one third being new before bottling.