Château Vieux Maillet

The estate

Vieux Maillet stands on the chemin de Maillet at Pomerol, under the motto Secretum sub malleo est, the secret is under the mallet. It is the lead estate of Sarments Vignobles, the family group Frédéric Stévenin founded in 2011, which also holds Cantereau in Pomerol, Saint-Pey in Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Lussac in Lussac Saint-Émilion and Saint-Jean de Lavaud in Lalande de Pomerol. The turn came in March 2023, when the estate bought 3.7 hectares from Château La Fleur Gazin: its vineyard now lies together on the eastern edge of the clay plateau, between Petrus, L’Évangile and Gazin. Anthony Appollot, the vineyard general manager, has looked after the vines since 2011.

The 10.5 hectares are gravel over blue clay, planted 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and in conversion to organic farming, with 2026 set as the first certified vintage. Drones measure the light the leaves reflect to find fungus, and a geolocated tractor treats only the vines that need it. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted berry by berry in densimetric baths, by degree of ripeness; most are fermented plot by plot in small temperature-controlled steel vats, and 20% in 500-liter barrels. The wine then ages 1 third in new 225-liter barrels, 1 third in barrels that have held 1 wine and 1 third in terracotta amphorae.

At a glance

Appellation

Pomerol

Commune

Pomerol, on the eastern edge of the clay plateau

Classification

No classification

Owner

Sarments Vignobles, the family group of Frédéric Stévenin

Direction

Anthony Appollot, vineyard general manager, since 2011

Vineyard

10.5 hectares, 3.7 of them bought from Château La Fleur Gazin in March 2023

Ground

Gravel over blue clay

Grapes

Merlot 85%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%

Farming

In conversion to organic; first certified vintage 2026

Cellar

Picked by hand; densimetric sorting; 20% fermented in 500-liter barrels; 1 third new barrels, 1 third barrels of 1 wine, 1 third amphorae

The house

Also Château Cantereau, Pomerol; Château de Saint-Pey, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru; Château de Lussac; Château Saint-Jean de Lavaud

Sources: Château Vieux Maillet, the estate · Château Vieux Maillet, the terroir · Château Vieux Maillet, the cellar · Château Vieux Maillet, the team · Château Vieux Maillet, legal information · Sarments Vignobles, the group