An Education: La Dominique 1989-2015

BY NEAL MARTIN | APRIL 9, 2019 

We all have a handful of bottles that are cornerstones of our vinous education. They are not implicitly the best; instead, these bottles enlighten our palates to the pleasures of a particular region or producer. One of mine is the 1990 La Dominique, which was served at a dinner during an early foray down to Bordeaux. It opened my senses to the joys of Saint-Émilion, its intoxicating bouquet of plush red fruit and velvety palate thrown into sharp relief by the preceding austere Left Bank Cabernets. I visited the property on my next trip and enjoyed a guided tour with winemaker Axel Heinz before he upped sticks to manage Ornellaia. All of this means that I have a sentimental attachment to La Dominique, not unlike the fondness we feel for our favorite schoolteacher or childhood chum. Unfortunately, over the years that followed, I never found a bottle that replicated the thrill of that 1990. Too often I found shortcomings: occasionally overripeness or sometimes perplexing greenness. It was difficult to reconcile a wine that was close to my heart but often left me crestfallen, like falling for the girl who can’t help letting you down.

Earlier this year, the Gwendeline Lucas General Manager at La Dominique, asked if I would revisit the property for a vertical tasting. Despite my recent tepid reviews, I wanted to investigate the reasons for my dissatisfaction. Had I missed something? Or was it something they were missing? I forewarned Lucas that I must be honest about my opinions, and that I approach all tastings with an open mind, so their invitation might simply validate my concerns. Nevertheless, she accepted my terms, and we arranged a date.

La Dominique winery

History

In the 17th century, the Glenne family owned the estate known as Durieu. The original Belleyme maps of 1785 indicate that vines were planted in this location at a time when surrounding land was used for cereal crops and pasture. In 1690 the property was renamed Dominique by Jacques and Isabeau Micheau. In 1841 Le Producteur named the merchants Chaperon as the owners of La Dominique, which is unsurprising given that during this period they also owned L’Evangile, over the border in Pomerol. Henri Greloud added the definite article “La” in the mid-19th century, purportedly because he adored the Caribbean island of Dominica, or La Dominique in French. Greloud founded Château Lafleur in Pomerol and, according to the 1868 edition of Féret, also owned La Closure and Daugay. The Soualle family were proprietors for an interim period, and then from 1933, the de Bailliencourt family presided over La Dominique as well as Gazin. They sold part of Gazin to Pétrus in 1969 and at the same time parted ways with La Dominique.

“La Dominique was purchased in 1969 by Clément Fayat,” Lucas told me before we commenced the tasting. At that time, the estate was ostensibly just a manor home surrounded by a few vines, and perhaps for that reason, along with the fact that Fayat was a very busy industrialist, there was little investment at the property until he was encouraged by other winemakers. I wanted to discover a little more about the Fayat family.

“Clément Fayat is from Corrèze, from a family of six children. He left school when he was 15 and arrived in Libourne as a young man. He was working on the construction of a bridge near the town and saved enough money to buy a local company that specialized in public works. This went quite well, and he kept buying companies. He has 150 companies now, and the group is based in 90 countries, with 20,000 employees. His sons took over four years ago. Jean-Claude Fayat is now in charge of the group, and I work with him. Clément Fayat still works and lives at Clément-Pichon. There is another brother, Laurent Fayat, who is less involved in the business. They are all very passionate about the wine and they want to work with someone they trust.”