The Winemaker Who Beat Château Latour
2017 Domaine de Pallus Les Pensees de Pallus Chinon
At age 25, Bertrand Sourdais did the impossible. In a legendary blind tasting organized by critics Michel Bettane and Jose Peñín, Sourdais' Spanish wine (Dominio de Atauta) tied the 1994 Vega Sicilia and beat the 2000 Château Latour. He became an overnight superstar in Spain, but his heart remained…
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Winemaker beat Château Latour in blind tasting.
Flagship "Premier Cru" bottling of the estate.
Wine Spectator: 92
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Tasting notes
Aroma
A sophisticated, brooding nose of black cherry, graphite, violet, and a distinct note of "Palo Santo" wood smoke
Palate
Silky and savory. The texture is polished and "nervous," with fine-grained tannins supporting a core of blackberry fruit and crushed rock. It finishes with a long, salty mineral kick.
Red Wine Body Profile
Light
Bold
Body Profile
Lifted
60/100 Intensity
Feather-light
Delicate
Lifted
Structured
Deep
Grapes
100% Cabernet Franc
ABV
14.0%
Serving
53–58°F
Window
2025–2040
Product Description
Bertrand Sourdais’ flagship Chinon. "Grand Cru" limestone soil quality for under $20
At age 25, Bertrand Sourdais did the impossible.
In a legendary blind tasting organized by critics Michel Bettane and Jose Peñín, Sourdais' Spanish wine (Dominio de Atauta) tied the 1994 Vega Sicilia and beat the 2000 Château Latour. He became an overnight superstar in Spain, but his heart remained in the Loire.
Sourdais returned to his family's estate with a single mission: to give his native Chinon the same "First Growth" treatment he mastered abroad. Les Pensées de Pallus is the flagship result. Sourced from the "Golden Mile" of Cravant-les-Côteaux (the region's finest limestone slope), this wine undergoes a shocking 40-day maceration and is aged in used barrels from elite Burgundy estates.
The 2017 vintage is not a rustic bistro wine; it is a polished, intellectual masterpiece. It offers the silken texture of a top Saint-Émilion with the graphite-driven perfume that only Chinon can deliver.
