Château Pas de l’Ane
Château Pas de L’Ane was built in 1999 from a 1-hectare plot and has never stopped expanding since then. In 2006, Pas de L’Ane’s vineyard settled in the former Château Cros-Figeac, also called Château Cros-Saint-Emilion (Edition de Féret de 1998). Château Pas de L’Ane is located just a few steps away from world-famous neighbors, between Château Cheval Blanc and Château Figeac, in the iron-rich upper plateau of the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation that’s home to not just the best wines of that AOP, but some of the best wines in the world. The now 13-hectare vineyard covers five of the 8 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation areas. This plot diversity ensures a remarkably varied geology and enables the winery to produce five Saint-Émilion Grands Crus wines, of which this is the very top end.
Wines from Château Pas de l’Ane
Château Pas de l’Ane Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Blend: 55% Merlot 45% Cabernet Franc
Aging: 18 months in new French oak barrels, then 24 months in bottle before release.
A rich and full-bodied wine with aromas of berries, black fruits, tobacco, roasted coffee, and spicy and woody notes. On the palate it is well-balanced and velvety, with refined power coming from concentration rather than weight and sweetness. Rich blackberry fruit and layers of texture are a great combination for this wine that has profited from the quality of the Cabernet Franc in this vintage. It has plenty of fruit and acidity, as well as firm, still-toasty tannins that lend a hand extending the clean, floral finish. That this is composed of nearly 50% of some of the best Cabernet Franc in the world is vividly, startlingly evident from start to finish. Drink within the next 15 years.