At the recent APVSA wine tasting in Washington D.C. we had the opportunity to meet Célia Caule, winemaker for Château de Potiron. The Château is located in Côtes de Bordeaux.

Célia was enthusiastic about the wines from Château de Potiron and while tasting a couple of the Château wines we learned more about Château de Potiron.

The first wine we tasted, Cuvée Privilege 2012, was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is the oldest wine that Château de Potiron has to offer and is considered an entry level wine. The wine was a translucent purple color. The aroma was earthy with black fruit notes. The taste included blackberries and black raspberries. The wine had medium tannins. The finish was long.

The second wine, the Cuvée Exceptionnelle 2014, was a high-end wine. This 13.5% alcohol wine was produced by hand. The color was a dark translucent red. The mouthfeel was smooth. The wine was full-bodied with mellow tannins and offered black fruit notes. The finish was long.

About Château de Potiron

Célia said that the Château de Potiron has been owned by her parents for 20 years. Joergen Schmidt purchased  Château Potiron in 2001. Later his daughter Malene Schmidt became involved with the winery. Malene’s daughter is Célia Caule.

The property of Château de Potiron is located in the Côtes de Bordeaux region.  Today the Château has 20 hectares of vineyards. Red grape varieties include: Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. One hectare includes white grapes of Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion.

After the wine tasting in Washington, I emailed Célia with several questions. Below are the questions with Célia’s answers.

1.  What do you enjoy most about winemaking?Célia Caule: What I enjoy most about winemaking is the harvest season which starts from mid-September til end of October. I love the team work involved during the harvest, having my mother, my father and our head of cultivation Philippe; it is a very convivial atmosphere. It is very exciting to see/smell all the harvest coming in the cellar and tasting the juices coming from different area of the chateau. 

2.   How many hectares/acres of grapes are you growing? Which varieties are you growing? 

Célia Caule: We have a total of 20 hectares.

We are currently growing Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a small part of Cabernet Franc. Last year, we planted 1 hectare of petit Verdot .

3. To what do you contribute the success of Château de Potiron ?

Célia Caule: It is mostly because it is a family estate and that we are all passionate about wine. We want Chateau de Potiron to succeed because we know the potential there is in our soil, in our product. My grandfather and my parents worked very hard in order to get the chateau where it is and I’m a very proud to participate to the growth of our vineyard. 

4. What types of foods do you like to pair with the wines produced by Château de Potiron?

Célia Caule: For the white wine, we love to pair it with fresh seafood like oysters. For the red wines, we like it with cheese, some nice red or white meat. 

5. What can visitors to the winery expect when visiting?

Célia Caule: They can expect to have high end rooms as we rent the chateau all year long. We do visits of the vineyard, the cellar and the stock. We do tasting right out of the barrels but also tasting different vintages already in the bottles. And if the people come during the harvest, they can come and help us out if its something they are interested in.

6. How will the winery change and grow in the next five years? 

Célia Caule: First of all we would love to plant new grape varieties in order to make rosé wine or original white wines or even reds. We are also currently trying to get the label HVE3. We really care about our environment so if we can participate in any way we can, we will. We’d love to have more people coming in the chateau to portray our passion for wine.

7. What would you like the public to know about Château de Potiron?

Célia Caule: We might not be a part of a known appellation however I think we are worth being recognized and appreciated.

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Terry and I are looking forward to tasting more of the wines produced by Château de Potiron. 
Cheers!
Kathy