Ric re-visits Château Guadet

At the edge of the little town of Saint-Émilion, towards the north, is the road Rue Guadet, named in honour of Château Guadet which is sited there and which has been in existence since the 15th century, coming under the ownership of the Lignac family since 1844. The estate was one of those to be listed under the inaugural 1955 classification of Saint-Émilion wines. Nowadays, Vincent Lignac (truly a Mick Jagger lookalike) runs the 4.5-hectare estate that is managed biodynamically but still utilising traditional tools such as the basket press in its very modest chai. The wines are aged in 30% new oak. Only 20,000 bottles are produced annually, all sold through direct private sales which is why you are most unlikely to encounter Château Guadet at your local retailer. Vincent, who has worked at various estates in France (with Dider Dagueneau), USA, Chile and Australia, is more intuitive rather than scientific in his methods. The wines are dark and robust and well-endowed although there is always a bit of rustic tint towards the finish. They can certainly age. When the Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour visited again on 05 June 2023, we had the privilege of tasting its 1971 that was still showing well, just as an ex-château 1962 had been when I had it in December 2020. There is quite an extensive cold dark underground cave system beneath the château housing decades of library stocks. Merci, Vincent, for your time and generosity.

2008 Château Guadet. Good color. Rosy hues of red cherries. Medium weight. Good presence of fruit with a dominant plummy tone underscored by earth, briar and bramble. Very fine acidity, imparting crisp intensity. A little stern and dryish at the finish. Tasted June 2019 at the château. Consistent with a previous encounter in November 2018 in Singapore, also ex-château.

2011 Château Guadet. Deep purple. Rather reticent on the nose though the palate is well-layered with supple black fruits and dark currants within a slim profile, displaying fine presence that tapered to a dryish finish. Tasted June 2019 at the château.

2016 Château Guadet. Still pre-release. Deep purple. Faint rosy hues with overtones of vanillin. Full, expansive presence. Quite generously endowed with darkish ripe fruit, structured with early detailed tannins. Good integration, finishing with a tinge of austerity. Tasted June 2023 at the château.

1971 Château Guadet-St Julien. Poured from magnum. Tasted blind. Clearly evolved in colour though still darkish at the core, evoking distant roses with earthy overtones. Barely autumnal on the palate, still imbued with excellent freshness and very fine intensity of cool darkish characters within a frame of dryish tannins. Minty finish. Very impressive. Tasted June 2023 at the château. The St Julien suffix was dropped in 2005.