March 2nd: Thienpont with François Thienpont and Eloïse Maurel
At Vinonueva | 5582 NE 4th Ct, Miami, FL, 33137 | 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
GUEST LIST IS CLOSED
Joining François in the special tasting is Eloïse Maurel, Export Manager at Wings Wine. Eloïse is dedicated to traveling the globe to connect with customers and spread her profound knowledge and passion for the wines of Bordeaux's Right Bank.
François Thienpont and Eloïse Maurel
BACKGROUND
The Thienpont family, rooted in Etikhove in the Flemish Ardennes of Belgium, has been prominent in the wine industry since Camille Thienpont founded a wine merchant business in 1842. By the early 20th century, Georges Thienpont expanded the business, purchasing Château Troplong Mondot in 1921 and Vieux Château Certan in 1924. Economic challenges of the 1930s forced the sale of Troplong Mondot, but Georges continued producing wines at Vieux Château Certan.
Upon Georges' death in 1962, his son Léon took over Vieux Château Certan. The family remained involved in the wine industry, with Georges' other sons managing different aspects of the family's wine interests. Today, the legacy is carried on by Georges' grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The Grandchildren
Alexandre Thienpont runs Vieux Château Certan, with his son Guillaume recently joining him.
Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont
Jacques Thienpont acquired Le Pin in Pomerol in 1979 and took over the Belgian wine merchant business.
Fiona Morrison and Jacques Thienpont
Nicolas Thienpont took over the wine-making at Château Puygueraud.
Nicolas and Cyrille Thienpont
François Thienpont founded the négociant Wings Wine in 1995 as a way of standing on his own two feet. Wings Wine specializes in selling Bordeaux Grands Crus.
François Thienpont
The cousins work closely together; Nicolas' son, Cyrille, manages the L'If estate in Saint Emilion (which Jacques Thienpont purchased in 2010), and Guillaume oversees the vineyard at Le Pin.
THE FAMILY WINES
Vieux Château Certan
It is one of Pomerol's oldest known crus. It was founded in the early 16th century by the Demay family. In 1924, Georges Thienpont bought the property. This was the starting point for the family's establishment in the Bordeaux region.
The 14-hectare Vieux Château Certan vineyard is now in the hands of Alexandre Thienpont and his son Guillaume. The vines are divided into 23 independently managed plots according to soil type, grape variety, and age. The combination of the microclimate of the Pomerol plateau and the age of the vines ensures optimal ripening of the different grape varieties. The estate is planted with 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vineyard also produces a second wine, La Gravette de Certan, from the estate's young vines. This is a very precise wine, remarkably faithful to the vineyard's pedigree.
L'IF
It's a wine estate located in Saint-Emilion, close to the prestigious Troplong-Mondot vineyards and Château Valandraud. Acquired in 2009 by Jacques Thienpont, this château is a fitting return to family history for the Thienpont family, who had already made a name for themselves in 1921 when Georges Thienpont bought Château Troplong-Mondot in Saint-Emilion.
For several years now, and with the help of his nephew Cyrille, Jacques has put his heart and soul into shaping this 8-hectare vineyard. Dominated by an inherited clay-limestone terroir, this estate is planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard also produces a second wine, Les Collines de l'IF, its name echoing the hilly slopes where the vines for this second wine are planted.
Château Pavie Macquin
It's a wine estate located in Saint-Émilion in Gironde, France. This red wine was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé by the Saint-Émilion wine classification in 2006. The vineyard also produces a second wine, Les Chênes de Macquin, in reference to the hundred-year-old oak trees that line the property.
The estate was founded by Albert Macquin (1852-1911), an agronomic engineer who had successfully developed the revolutionary grafting technique that saved the Bordeaux vineyards after the phylloxera crisis. He is also an ancestor of the current owners, the Corre and Charpentier families. Since 1994, Château Pavie Macquin has been managed by Nicolas Thienpont and, more recently, also by his son Cyrille.
The vineyard is characterized by its plateau location. It is surrounded by three Premiers Grands Crus Classés in an exceptionally high-quality area. The 15-hectare vineyard is 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. The dominant terroir is clay-limestone on the asteriated limestone plateau.
Check out the lineup for this tasting:
- Vieux Château Certan – Grand Vin Pomerol 2015
- La Gravette de Certan - Pomerol 2018 | 2nd wine of Vieux Château Certan
- L’IF– Saint-Emilion 2018
- Les Collines de l’If – Saint-Emilion 2018 | 2nd wine of L’IF
- Château Pavie Macquin – Saint-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé 2018
- Les Chênes de Macquin – Saint-Emilion 2019 | 2nd wine of Château Pavie Macquin
Photo Credits: Wings Wine