Goulee

Further north from St-Estephe, the soils are transitioning from the gravel which is famous for producing the good quality wines on the left bank, to the clay and marshland of the generic and uninspiring Medoc appellation. Even though the region is rich in old vines, many of the vignerons are facing daily struggle to make ends meet, trying to sell the wines that no one seems to buy.

Many had decided to quit, with only a few that continues to do well, developing wines as a good value alternative to grander names, with the example of Chateau Potensac, run by the Delons of Chateau Leoville Las-Cases. Another focus is Goulee, created by Jean-Guillaume Prats during his time as manager of Cos d’Estournel.

During the revitalization of the famous deuxieme cru, Jean-Guillaume and owner Michel Reybier planned to find and own a small area in Medoc, to produce a new style of wine that is concentrated, dark and rich in both texture and fruit. However, those styles are not readily associated with Bodeaux’s most northerly vineyards.

The wine would serve as a good value alternative with the same attention to details as the wines of Cos d’Estournel. There were obstacles because of the restrictions on the Medoc appellation, and Jean-Guillaume needed to obtain special derogation to legally transport the fruit out of Medoc to St-Estephe, as they want to keep the winemaking closer at hand.

With that Goulee was born, with the first vintage being 2003. The vineyards are located near Goulee, the origin of the name of the wine, not far from Jau-Dignac-et-Loirac, once a small island surrounded by water. The higher land, blessed with gravel, is distinguished from the surrounding silted-up and low-lying land.

The climate is naturally cool and breezy, with the Gironde about one kilometer to the northeast and the Atlantic Ocean only 15 kilometers away. The vineyards now cover 28 hectares, all located on the slopes of the island, with larger gravel than one find further south, more similar to the galets in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

The planting density was low, but now has increased to about 5700 vines per hectare. Conventional viticulture is practiced, with both red and white varieties planted. For the red, it is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, and for the white it is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. The white varieties are only just for Goulee Blanc but also Cos d’Estournel Blanc.

The fruit, once picked, is transported south to Chateau Marbuzet in St-Estephe, under the special derogation from INAO. The wines are fermented in stainless steel vats and then see elevage in oak, with the recent years a higher percentage of new oak, like in 2012 it was up to 40%. The grand vin is Goulee, with also a white (Goulee Blanc), without a second wine.

I have recently tasted the 2008 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, the wine is of deep intensity ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity of black fruit such as blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, herbal notes of black tea, some maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing. 

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin, supple but a bit grippy on texture. It has medium alcohol and medium body, showing medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and blackcurrant, oak notes of vanilla, herbal notes of black tea, sweet spice of nutmeg. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Medoc with a fairly intense nose showing reasonable complexity, the wine has a ripe, juicy palate, but weirdly feeling a bit of petillance on the tongue. It is in balance and well-structured, with reasonable length on the finish, this wine is ready to drink now and can further develop for another 1-2 years.