Husband and wife-run winery tops illustrious Bordeaux neighbours for value

Hélène Garcin and her husband, Patrice Lévêque, the owners of the Clos L’Église winery in Pomerol, on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, have the perfect working relationship.

The Garcin family acquired the property in 1997, dramatically improved the quality of its wines and transformed the winery’s reputation. While Garcin is Clos L’Église’s ambassador, working tirelessly to promote its wines, Lévêque rarely leaves their 5.9-hectare vineyard, which is planted with merlot and cabernet franc.

The vineyard is cultivated organically, the soil, composed of gravel and clay, is rich in iron, and the vines are mature (averaging 35 years), adding concentration and complexity to the wines. Grapes are hand-harvested and manually sorted.

Fruit is fermented in stainless-steel vats with extended oak ageing in 100 per cent new French barrels for 18 months. The wine blend is composed of 80 per cent merlot and 20 per cent cabernet franc. Production is small, with just 15,000 bottles released annually.

As a rule, wines from Pomerol are expensive, with bottles from Petrus and Le Pin fetching stratospheric prices at auction. Clos L’Église, in contrast, offers excellent value for such quality, and the wines are a perfect expression of Pomerol, displaying great purity and elegance. Vintage conditions play a critical role, leaving an imprint on the wine’s quality and style.