Château L’Enclos

The château

L’Enclos lies on the western slope of the Pomerol plateau, and it has held its place for a long time. In Les vins de l’arrondissement de Libourne of 1897, Édouard Féret listed L’Enclos Pomerol among the second growths of the commune under Pierre-J. Larroucaud, at 20 tonneaux (the old Bordeaux measure of a crop, 900 liters, or 4 barrels), and it stood there still, under the same owner and at the same figure, in his Saint-Émilion et ses vins of 1908 and in the edition of Cocks and Féret of 1922. Denise and Stephen Adams bought it in 2007, through SAS Château L’Enclos, and they present it with the wines of Château Fonplégade, their Saint-Émilion estate. Stéphane Derenoncourt is the consulting winemaker.

The soil is gravel over a subsoil of blue clay with traces of iron, and the vineyard, 9 hectares in 2010, falls on 3 terraces. The vines are worked by hand and by plot; the estate began its conversion to organic farming in August 2014 and was certified by Ecocert in 2017. The blend is mostly Merlot with Cabernet Franc and Malbec; the 2022 is 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. The wine is made in wooden, steel and concrete vats and aged 16 to 18 months, 40% in new French oak barrels and 60% in barrels of 1 year.

At a glance

Appellation

Pomerol

Commune

Pomerol, on the western slope of the plateau

Classification

No classification

Owners

Denise and Stephen Adams, since 2007, through SAS Château L’Enclos

Consultant

Stéphane Derenoncourt

Vineyard

9 hectares on 3 terraces

Soil

Gravel over blue clay with traces of iron Terroir of Pomerol →

Grapes

Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec; the 2022: Merlot 88%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Malbec 2%

Farming

Organic; conversion from August 2014, certified by Ecocert in 2017

Cellar

Wooden, steel and concrete vats; 16 to 18 months, 40% in new French oak, 60% in barrels of 1 year

The house

Also Château Fonplégade, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

In history

A second growth of Pomerol under Pierre-J. Larroucaud, 20 tonneaux, 1897 to 1922