Pick Château Laborde
“Wine, philosophy and resurrection” by Eric Pothier
The Château Pick Laborde (AOC Sauternes) was created in the early 19th century. This makes it one of the oldest vineyards of Sauternes. It was probably created by Mr. Pick who was a wine merchant of the Bordeaux marketplace. From this period until 1922 we will not know much about him.
The story came back to reality in 1922 when the property was purchased by the grandfather of Eric Pothier (the current owner of the house). At the time the area extended over 20 hectares. The game of the legacies and inheritance made the property dived in two in 1980. Since 2001, the property no longer produced wine under its label.
Zoom on the winemaker: Eric Pothier
Son of a winemaker and oenologist Eric Pothier chose to take a different path from his father and went to the university to study history. It was during these studies that history moved him closer to the world of wine and, he ended up choosing to write a thesis on “The perception of wine in the nineteenth century.”
If you ask him about his passion he will tell you that his attraction to the wine is made “consciously” unlike his “attraction for wine which is unconscious” … probably related to family background. It was in 2009 that this wine enthusiast decided to take the family property and to produce wine under the label Chateau Pick Laborde. Despite the fact that it spent much of his life in the vineyard to help his father, he will be various training related to the culture of the vine and the travails of chai. Upon his return to the property, as the winery vineyard was renewed, he creates a policy of gradual modernization of production tools. 2010 was his first vintage.
Where did the idea of “Instant Sauternes of th Chateau Pick Laborde“come from ?
Before this whole concept was born out of a reflection on the Sauternes. In his view, this sweet golden nectar is now “the ultimate wine that compliances with the mythological wine that is inherent in all civilizations.” In many mythologies the wine is synonymous of “transfer, go back in up there.”
Indeed Sauternes is made from a dead fruit, withered. The winemaker will “transcend” the fruit from death to give life to the wine. “You could say that somehow transcends the Sauternes and eternity.” The most important thing is “the moment of return” to life … now Sauternes.
What does Eric Pothier looks for by creating Chateau Pick Laborde wines?
“Make a light sugar wine, fruity wine ‘pleasure’ and ‘spontaneous’. A wine with a little residual sugar “. A that Sauternes is easy to drink, without associating it with changed on the climate. (Especially in the cellar)
Where does the name “Pick Laborde” comes from ?
The name of the property has a double origin. “Pick” is the name of a Dutch wine merchant located in the Bordeaux region in the seventeenth century. He was the founder of this vineyard. As has “Laborde” it is the name of the grandfather of the current owner, Eric Pothier.
What is the signature of Pick Laborde wines ?
The wines of this property are characterized by a lightness in the mouth as well as notes of citrus present in all wines.
Some features:
- 13 hectares
- Product 2 tanks: Château Pick Laborde and “ L’instant Sauternes du Chateau Pick Laborde “.
- 5000 bottles per year.
- in conventional farming.
- not used for breeding barrel.
- grape varieties: 85% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle and 5% Sauvignon Blanc.
- soil: sand, limestone and a little red sand on a plot.
Side project:
Eric would, in a medium term, also produce dry white wine as well as moelleux. For the building, this dynamic winemaker would like to double its winery.
Thanks to Eric Pothier for his hospitality.
Choukroun Chicheportiche Jonathan
Château Pick Laborde
1 le Grand Pick 33210
Preignac
