Clos Hédoné (2019) Saint Emilion

In an established, historic region like Bordeaux, it’s very rare to find an exciting, new winery that will challenge the existing names, but here's one from St. Emilion. The winery’s name is Clos Hédoné, and it’s the project of two friends, Arnaud Lagardère and Christophe Pavageau and 2019 was their first vintage.

But, with a tiny production of just a few thousand bottles, quantities are still seriously limited. This is one to get hold of, before the secret gets out.

Arnaud Lagardère is cellar master at Guillot-Clauzel in Pomerol, the tiny, cult-like estate now managed by Guillaume Thienpoint of Vieux Château Certan and Christophe Pavageau is a fifth generation winegrower from St-Christophe-des-Bardes, a tiny commune in the St-Emilion appellation.  Here, these two friends decided to start farming a tiny 1.8 hectare plot, before crafting a wine in a miniscule cellar with just 4 stainless steel tanks, and a single row of barrels: this couldn’t be further removed from the huge chais that you might associate with Bordeaux. In a region where large estates remain the norm - even on the Right Bank - Clos Hédoné is just 1.8 hectares in size, with a single vineyard planted on limestone soils, with a small layer of clay that runs over the top. 

The 2019 is a blend of 78% Merlot, with 22% Cabernet Franc, with the latter giving a beautiful floral lift and a savouriness to the finish. Arnaud and Christophe are looking to make a fresher, more mineral style of St-Emilion: they even named the estate Clos Hédoné in order to reference that they wanted to craft wines that they enjoy drinking. In 2019 they’ve really succeeded, with fresh plums, silky tannins, and just a hint of toasty oak adding complexity and their desire to do things differently doesn’t stop with the wine: the bottles, too, are a shape that died out in the 19th century. 

We’re sure that this is an estate destined for greatness. Perhaps the next "Le Pin"??

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