Even on holiday, Tanner's staff never really stop thinking about wine. Welshpool Shop Manager Phil Taylor recalls his visit to Château Mazerolles, Blaye, Bordeaux.
Having driven through the pretty town of Blaye, with its impressive Vauban-built citadel guarding the right bank of the Gironde estuary, we were on our way to meet Paul Guillet from Château Mazerolles. I’ve been visiting this lesser-known area for a few years, so a new property to visit is always fascinating. Wines from Blaye AOC are always excellent value but can be overshadowed by the more famous right bank appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. We showcased Château Mazerolles on our Welshpool Christmas tasting last year and it was probably the most popular wine of the night.
Approaching the property, a lone armchair positioned at the end of the driveway was occupied by Paul’s father-in-law, Troels, basking in the sun. After being introduced, Paul gave us an introduction to the property which he bought two and a half years ago. Having previously worked for Vivino and set up plenty of wine-related e-commerce projects, the search for a site lasted several years until he found Mazerolles. Originally in the more prestigious Premières Côtes de Blaye, until the appellation rules were changed in 2007, it has great terroir with a mix of clay, limestone and gravel. The vineyard is split into 19 different plots and is planted with 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Paul inherited a vineyard that the previous owners had looked after well and used multiple organic processes and eschewed the use of weedkiller and fertiliser. He is continuing in this vein and looking to create wines with less intervention as well as utilising organic treatments as much as possible. This is still a region where mildew can cause issues during rainy times of the year, so it can be difficult to commit 100% to organic principles. Once the grapes are picked, a mix of both machine and hand-harvesting, each plot is vinified separately before being put into barrel. The majority of the oak barrels are one year old and have been acquired from a prestigious Pauillac property across the river. The cellars are full, and this is something which Paul wants to expand, so there is potential to extend the barrel ageing of the wine before blending.
Following the barrel tasting of the 2024 vintage, we were kindly invited to stay for a fantastic lunch with Paul’s family where we enjoyed a magnum of the 2020 vintage. It was superb and with notes of plum and spices it was primed for drinking. It was interesting to compare alongside some Left Bank wines from Château Haut-Marbuzet 1996 from Saint-Estèphe, Haut-Bailly 1986 from Pessac-Léognan, as well as dipping into the cellar for a half bottle of Château Mazerolles 1990 which shows that there is plenty of ageing potential for wines from this region, especially from this up-and-coming producer.
So, when next perusing our Bordeaux section, it’s worth looking at the lesser-known regions such as Blaye as well as the nearby Côtes de Bourg and Castillon. From the latter region I’ve recently drunk the Montlandrie 2021 from the Durantou stable, which is already approachable with lots of dark berries and cherries. These are areas where producers are investing, developing and ultimately making top quality, good-value wines which are worth seeking out.