Château de Sales - Pomerol 2025 (Primeurs)

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

The long driveway leading to this 16th-century château perfectly sets the stage for Pomerol’s most beautiful building, which has been owned by the de Lambert family for five centuries. The family owns the largest estate in the appellation.

Decanter

About the wine:

Fragrant floral and strawberry aromas, with hints of Cabernet, mint, blackcurrant leaf, tobacco, and cola. Ripe and full-bodied, yet with a lovely freshness. Charming elegance and freshness: it is finely structured, with slightly grainy tannins that bring a salty and chalky touch on the palate. I love the fresh notes of blueberry—long on the palate, structured but not firm, not muscular, rather slender and lively. A truly accomplished style that offers everything one could wish for. Perhaps it lacks a bit of complexity for now, but its finesse and drinkability are beyond reproach. pH 3.65. Aging: 15% in new barrels, 70% in one-year-old barrels, and 15% in concrete tanks. Harvested September 5–17. Marie-Laure Latorre (agricultural engineer and oenologist) was appointed general manager in September 2025, after leaving Château Jean Faure in Saint-Émilion, where she led large-scale technical, commercial, and restructuring projects. 2033–2035

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Vincent Montigaud has been the estate manager since 2017, succeeding Bruno de Lambert, who retired. With 47.5 hectares, making it the largest estate in the appellation, Château de Sales has been owned by the de Lambert family for 550 years. The estate is currently headed by a member of the family, Marine Treppoz. Two wines are produced here: Château de Sales and Château Chantalouette, the second wine.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

On the outskirts of the town of Libourne, with its majestic park stretching out before it, Château de Sales has been in the same family for five centuries. Defying the vicissitudes of history and inheritance taxes—which have become confiscatory for many winemaking families—the appellation’s largest wine estate has never felt the need to join the bidding war or the race for roundness and opulence. With its specific terroir of fine gravel, Château de Sales remains faithful to a refined, classic, delicate style, minimally influenced by oak, which is undeniably back in vogue and deserves the full attention of wine lovers. While the stylistic direction seems firmly maintained, 2017 is a vintage of change for this historic estate: a new president of the operating company—which brings together numerous cousins—Marine Treppoz, and a new director, Vincent Montigaud from Libourne.

Wine Spectator

James Suckling

About the wine:

A well-structured, precise, and full-bodied red wine with aromas of red cherries and redcurrants. Medium-bodied, it features fine, firm tannins and lively acidity. Lively, it offers a flavorful finish and excellent length on the palate.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

The bouquet unfolds with subtlety, displaying a delightful attention to detail where the various elements are perfectly balanced! A revealing opening where freshness and fruitiness support one another. The slightly creamy attack heralds a delicate and elegant development. One clearly senses the care taken not to overdo it, to let the wine express itself, and to create a balance between character and vigor. A wine that stays true to its path toward finesse and depth. Aging should help it develop a more robust mid-palate.

Vinum