Château
Quinault L'Enclos is a tiny walled
château and vineyard within
the city of Libourne in what was
until 1973 the satellite appellation
Sables Saint Émilion, just
at the outcrop where the River
Dordogne makes a wide curving
arc. Although closer to Pomerol
than to the Saint Émilion
plateau, it is recognised as a
Grand Cru within the St Émilion
classification. Although Château
Quinault can be dated back to
the 17th century, but it only
found its new lease of life when
a German real estate company made
plans to buy the property and
construct a housing development
for the city suburbs in 1997.
Learning of this and recognising
the potential in the property,
Dr Alain Raynaud and Françoise
Raynaud stepped in to save the
property. A former physician and
a one time president of the Union
des Grands Crus, Dr Raynaud is
also owner of the Pomerol estates
Châteaux la Croix de Gay
and La Fleur de Gay and has been
heavily involved in turning around
Château Lascombes in Margaux.
Although Raynaud has recently
sold Château Quinault to
Bernard Arnault, he deserves most
of the credit for turning things
around at the estate, revamping
the vineyard practices and installing
a new cuverie and chai - and adding
the suffix "L'Enclos"
to the name to indicate the vines
reside within a walled vineyard.
Nevertheless, much of the quality
is already in the site. The soil
is mainly sandy gravel with traces
of iron, and the microclimate
in the vineyard is warmer than
its surroundings due to its enclosure
by the town. Like the Haut-Brion
estates in Pessac-Léognan,
this helps the grapes to ripen
earlier in the season than at
most other properties. Meanwhile,
the proximity of the River Dordogne
helps to protect the vines from
frost. The vines, which are 65%
Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
and 5% Malbec, were mostly planted
between 1930 and 1948 following
the earlier acquisition of the
site by the negotiant Baptiste
Mons, which places the age of
the vines at well over half a
century. Little surprise then
that Château Quinault L'Enclos
burst onto the en primeur stage
among the Saint Émilion
microchâteaux emerging in
the 1990s and won considerable
acclaim from some quarters, notably
Robert Parker.
Although the annual production
of about 3,000 to 5,000 cases
of the grand vin doesn't make
it exceptionally small by right
bank standards, Château
Quinault L'Enclos is still not
the easiest claret to find. Our
limited experience with this wine
suggests that it offers a profile
of smoky, pain grillé,
vanilla and some spice accents
over a core of ripe black fruit
on the nose, while on the palate
there is ripe, rounded fruit with
only a slight hint of jam, creamy
notes and hint of green pepper,
underpinned by lovely acidity,
a graceful body and well structured
tannins; but really we're also
looking forward as much as anyone
else to this opportunity to understand
this hidden gem better.
Besides adding some wines to give
this exciting vertical context
(e.g. another St Émilion
wine of similar maturity, and
a Bordeaux white), we're pleased
to have enlisted chef Nicolas
Joanny to design a precise contemporary
French menu to complement the
wines. Nicolas is well-known to
the fine-dining scene in Singapore,
having previously helmed at Intermezzo
and Les Saisons here before a
stint at Le Vendôme in Bangkok.
He now runs his eponymous restaurant
and its larger sister bistro,
Café Les Artistes, a few
doors apart in Keong Saik Road,
and in order to accommodate us
Nicolas has kindly reserved the
Les Artistes space exclusively
for this event.
The Society thus proudly ….
Presents
Château Quinault L'Enclos
Dinner
Date: January 17th 2009 (Saturday)
Venue: Café Les Artistes
Address: 35 Keong Saik Road
Time: 7:30 pm (Aperitif Reception),
8:15 pm (Dinner)
Price: Member (S$160) Guest (S$190)
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Limited to 40 pax
Bookings and reservations: Please
email: C T Chen at ctchen@acieslaw.com
for reservations.
PLEASE NOTE: Reservations WILL
NOT be considered confirmed unless
the Booking Form together with
Payment
is received by 11th January 2009.
Menu Selection:
The chef will be creating and
putting together 2 special menus.
The Meat Option is attached and
the Non-meat Option will be announced
as soon as
the Chef is able to revert on
the same (delays due to the festive
season).
Please choose either the Meat
Option OR the Non-meat Option.
[See Attached Folder]
*For vegetarians, a special menu
can be arranged upon request.
* Please reply with menu preference.
Non indication will be assumed
preference for Meat Menu *
Wine Selection:
Tyrrell's Semillon 1999
Clarendelle Blanc 2005
Château Grand-Pontet 1998
Château Quinault L'Enclos
2001
Château Quinault L'Enclos
2000
Château Quinault L'Enclos
1999
Château Quinault L'Enclos
1998
Château de Jau 'Clos de
Paulilees' Banyuls 2005
