2011 Château La Confession

Château La Confession is a Grand Cru estate in St.-Emilion. The seven-acre estate is owned and operated by Jean-Philippe Janoueix. Janoueix is the son of Joseph Janoueix, owner of numerous Bordeaux estates, including Châteaux Haut Sarpe, La Croix and La Croix St. Georges. The Janoueix family has been making wine in Bordeaux since the late 19th century, but Jean-Philippe acquired La Confession only in the late 1990s. The 2001 was his debut vintage. He previously was winemaker at several of the family’s other estates. Château La Confession is planted to 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. About 9,000 bottles are produced annually. The second label is Château Barreau. Robert M. Parker Jr. called the 2001 vintage “impressive” and wrote that “judging by the consistently topflight wines made by Jean-Philippe Janoueix, one can suppose La Confession will maintain high standards, and even improve, if ever that is possible.”

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

From Jean-Philippe Janoueix