Branas Grand Poujeaux 2002-2019
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Ask your common-or-garden Bordeaux aficionado to list the Left Bank appellations, and often they omit Moulis and Listrac. “Oh, yes, of course,” they reply, slapping their forehead. “How absent-minded of me.” Inquire whether they have ever stepped foot within those appellations, and they will probably look evasive, scratch their head and mumble, “Hmm. Not that I can remember.” That’s understandable. I mean, there’s no reason to take a time-consuming detour away from the D2 given the abundance of châteaux that line the banks of the Gironde estuary, located upon its most favorable terroirs… right?
Well, not exactly. Although both Listrac and Moulis (or, to give it its full title, Moulis-en-Médoc) lie inland from the estuary, they have their own unique terroirs, the best of which are capable of producing wines equal to Grand Cru Classés.
Among the most consistently impressive has been Branas Grand Poujeaux. When I visited Bordeaux in June 2021, I took that detour off the D2 and headed into Moulis to visit co-proprietor Arjen Pen. Following a vertical covering the last two decades, we toured his parcels in his 4x4. Pen is a garrulous, clear-minded fellow, extremely focused on what he wants to achieve. His replies to my follow-up questions were so informative and insightful that I have left them almost verbatim. There is ample information here, but it should give readers insight into the background of the appellation and its future, as well as detailing the slightly convoluted formation of Branas Grand Poujeaux.
There is little known about the history of the estate. Old editions of Féret refer to the Dubuc family as owners in the 1940s, and Jacques de Pourquéry was its well-regarded proprietor up until 2002. While the background of the château is rather vague, Arjen Pen offered plenty of information about his own career path, and so I began by asking if he was always interested in wine.
Arjen Pen, taken at the château following my tasting.
Jigsaw Pieces Come Together
Arjen Pen: My Dutch father was born in 1945, and he really learned about wine when working for a Belgian company. Belgians have a long culture of wine, more than countries further north, though that has changed, of course. Belgium was an important market for Branas Grand Poujeaux, and [current co-proprietor] Justin Onclin has Belgian roots. When I was an Erasmus student at Université Paris-Dauphine, my parents gave me a wine tasting course as a birthday present. I think it started there. The first wines that I tasted were those my father brought home from Belgium, such as Côte de Buzet, not really from Bordeaux, but not far away. He was an agronomist, and he moved to France with my mother when I went to university. My parents lived for 20 years in Jurançon, close to the city of Pau. Ever since, I’ve had a weakness for Petit and Gros Manseng, and it’s difficult for me to choose between Sauternes and Jurançon sweet wines.
“Later, our house wine was upgraded to Château Haut-Marbuzet, as my father knew the Dubosq family well. They have always been an inspiration for me in terms of their success and wine quality. When I left the airline industry in 2004, I wanted to become a farmer and winemaker. My family roots were in agriculture. My brother is a biology professor at the University of Groningen. So getting my hands dirty in different Bordeaux terroirs was not an alien concept, more a passion. I am certainly one of the few estate managers in Bordeaux who you can find in the vineyards and on the tractor. My philosophy is that 90% of the wine quality is determined by our work in the vineyard. So, when I am not doing administrative and commercial duties, I go into the vineyard blocks.”
Neal Martin: How did you end up at Branas Grand Poujeaux? You had a very interesting backstory that you were telling me as we toured the vineyard.
AP: In 2004, I decided to pursue my passion for wine and agriculture following a first career in the airline industry, where I worked for Lufthansa, Swiss and KLM as head of the commercial division. I remember my favorite meetings in Switzerland were those where I participated in selecting in-flight wines for Business and First Class. When Air France purchased KLM, there was one commercial director too many, and I decided to leave the travel industry.
“After connecting with Cees van Leeuwen, an oenology professor in Bordeaux and at that time chef de culture at Cheval Blanc, and with Stéphan Derenoncourt, who was a rising star at that time and still had his office at Canon La Gaffelière, I raised the money to purchase a Fronsac estate in 2005, Château Richelieu. Five years later, a Chinese investor managed to purchase the estate when a majority of shareholders accepted his financial offer. Contractually, I was obliged to stay on for two more years. During this period, I also managed a second Fronsac estate, Château Arnauton, for a Dutch group, and started to work in South Africa as well.
