A Fabulous French-American Tale of Two Vineyards

Elise Stimac2017, Articles, Blog, Our Wines, People, Storytelling, Travel Stories, Wine Tasting

A bottle of Three Feathers Estate Pinot Noir perched on a vineyard wall with the town Saint-Emilion in the background, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Three Feathers Estate Pinot Noir perched on a vineyard wall in Saint-Emilion.
Three Feathers Blanc de Noirs on the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin

Tale of Two Vineyards | Three Feathers Estate, Willamette Valley Oregon visits Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Emilion Bordeaux

Tale of Two Vineyards starts with a neighborly “getting to know you” over coffee in our Normand vacation home, English Channel in the distance.  A dear girlfriend wished to introduce me to two childhood friends of hers, sisters, living in Normandy and vacationing in Bordeaux: “They make wine and so do you, so it should be fun to meetup!” she said, and without further ado, we did. 

Our Normand Shire, Cotentin, France.
Our Normand Shire, Cotentin, France.

In our small home in the Shire (as we have nicknamed our seaside village next to Cherbourg), two worlds connected in coincidental ways; American and French, Bordeaux and Burgundy….  We met Agnès and Cécile Corre, sisters and partners in the family-owned domain of Château Pavie-Macquin in Saint-Emilion and they brought over an extraordinary bottle of their 2006 Château Pavie-Macquin 1er Grand Cru Classé as a hostess gift for dinner.  Mutual plans were laid to sally forth and explore unknown lands with this bunch of merry women.

In the summer of 2017, Agnès traveled to Oregon with her children to visit family in Eugene and made a long detour to Three Feathers on Chehalem Mountains.  Agnès was impressed with our endeavors at Three Feathers, called them “pioneering”, and said our story was reminiscent of her grandparent’s challenges at Château Pavie-Macquin.  Over a glass of 2016 Three Feathers Oregon Pinot Noir in the formal topiary garden, we celebrated our first bottled vintage, shared vineyard lore and discussed terroirs in general knowing full well that Bordeaux and Burgundy are like apples and oranges, not to mention Bordeaux and Oregon Pinot Noir!  

Portrait of Albert Macquin in the family home

Agnès knows all about pioneering. Her great-grandfather Albert Macquin (1852-1911), who purchased about 64 acres from various châteaux in Saint-Emilion from 1887, is famous for saving his own vineyard, as well as that of the entire Bordeaux region, from the devastating vine disease phylloxera that had been wreaking havoc since 1866. Agricultural engineer, Macquin was aware of new techniques involving grafting the phlloxera resistant Vitis labrusca American rootstock onto Vitis vinifera vines.  While other châteaux were looking to cure the infected vines, Macquin proceeded to replant his entire vineyard with more resistant rootstock and was able to rebound quickly from the phylloxera epidemic that was crippling the Bordeaux wine industry. Albert Macquin is hailed as a man of transformation and reconstruction, advocating Vitis berlandieri which is less susceptible to chlorosis – he produced more than 1 million plants in 1887 – and developing scientific vine plot monitoring.

Albert MACQUIN – Saint Emilion owes him the use of the grafted plant which was to save the vineyard ruined by phylloxera

The phylloxera story is a cross-viticultural one that intimately links France and the United States from a rootstock perspective.  Exchange between France and the Oregon is at the root of vine planting in this State since the mid-1800’s when early Oregon vineyards were planted on their own roots, before the arrival of phylloxera, by European settlers. This contrasts with European vineyards, where all wine grapes have been necessarily grafted onto Phylloxera-resistant rootstocks since the nineteenth century. Since phylloxera was discovered in Oregon in 1990, most new vineyards have been planted on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.  Agricultural engineers without borders, in true botanical spirit, have been sharing, comparing, grafting and testing since ocean transportation made it possible way back when.

We decided to schedule a long detour from Paris to Bordeaux to check out the illustrious Château Pavie-Macquin and in the fall of 2019, just after harvest, our schedules coincided and a date was set.  While selecting a couple of bottles (our 2017 Three Feathers Oregon Pinot Noir and 2018 Blanc de Noirs) to bring down with us, the daunting prospect of proposing our wines to taste in a region of such historical reputation began to make itself felt. In anticipation, I boned up on Bordeaux and Burgundy – since, just like Burgundy wine, the Pinot Noirs produced in the Oregon Willamette Valley are single varietals – and learned some interesting things.

Recognized for their fineness and elegance, only cuvées from the same grape are blended to make Burgundy wines; Pinot Noir for reds from northern Burgundy, Gamay from the Macon and Beaujolais regions.  Bordeaux wines (powerful and robust) derive their richness and complexity from savvy multi-varietal blending of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet France, but also in smaller quantities Petit Verdot and Malbec for the reds.

1995 Magnum on display in the tasting room of Château Pavie Macquin.

Why are Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles shaped differently… and why are wine bottles made to contain 75 centiliters?

In the 18thcentury the city of Bordeaux flourished through maritime trade with the colonial world of the time.  Back then, wine bottles did not have a standardized shape and their capacity depended on the manufacturers, making the job of commerce quite confusing. English traders based in Bordeaux had the idea of fixing their capacity at 75 cl to facilitate the calculation of barrels to bottles; a Bordeaux barrel making 225 liters, or 50 gallons, contains therefore 300 bottles and one gallon is equivalent to 6 bottles.  An English innovation that has imposed itself over time to become a mandatory European standard, with a few exceptions.

The English also invented the dark glass bottles and cork stoppers to better preserve the wine.  For exporting Bordeaux overseas, the angled bottles were cut to measure in order to be efficiently stored in the holds of boats. The elbow of the Bordeaux bottle was conceived to prevent the lees of the wine (yeast deposit at the bottom of the bottle) from running out when pouring.

Contrastingly, Burgundians maintain their own traditions – making “pieces”, as they are called – not “barrels”, of 228 liters (300 bottles).  Their king grape varieties, focused on the fruit, are aged in gently sloping bottles, aerodynamic and feminine.  Burgundy vineyards are delimited by “Clos” whereas Bordeaux vineyards are identified by “Castles”.  This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages when the monks in charge of cultivating the vines for the Bishopric surrounded the rows that gave the best wines by small stone walls.  Those areas became the Clos, of which the walls of Clos Vougeot are still visible today.

The town of Saint-Emilion seen from the King’s Tower, Gironde, France
Overview of the the rock-carved sanctuary, or Monolith, carved out in the 11th century, Place du Marche, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.
Collegiale Church of Saint-Emilion at sunset, Gironde, France.

Saint-Emilion is a very beautiful and impressive town with an exceptional 12th century gothic church, the Église Collégiale, and a spectacular monolithic church of gigantic proportions (38 meters long and 12 meters high).  The weather was sparkling and the tourist population was not at its peak, so we were able to stroll around and take photographs without interference.  I was impressed by the careful preservation of the buildings, steep cobblestone passageways and the Middle Ages / Tolkien feeling of it all. 

Family home at The Oaks of Macquin, part of Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin.

We stayed with the Corre sisters in their ancestral home located on Les Chênes de Macquin (The Oaks of Macquin) vineyard, the second wine produced by Château Pavie-Macquin.  The traditional Bordelaise architecture of this stone edifice combined with its aging natural state made the experience all the more profound. A sunrise walk revealed golden rows of vines and a large heap of pressed grapes left over from harvest waiting to be retrieved for recycling. 

Sunrise over The Oaks of Macquin, part of Wine Estate Château Pavie Macquin.
Tractor and leftover pressed grapes at The Oaks of Macquin, part of Wine Estate Château Pavie Macquin.

After breakfast we headed off to visit the vineyards of Pavie-Macquin, situated on the highest and most prominent plateau of Saint-Emilion.  Encompassing 37 acres (15 hectares), average production of Pavie-Macquin is around 65,000 bottles for each vintage (primarily exported to the United States) – a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Century oak trees at the Wine Estate Château Pavie Macquin.

The impressive hundred-year-old oak trees that border the property are visible from afar as are the vineyards clearly visible from the town of Saint-Emilion, within walking distance from the Château.  The “Château” is very modest compared to some, in the form of the original Bordelaise house recently renovated with a modern tasting room and accompanying apartment for guests.  

Château Pavie Macquin in Saint-Émilion.

Our visit coincided with the winding down of the harvest and most of the exterior activity had ceased to be replaced by vat work indoors.  Plans to increase the size of the wine production facility are in view, including the replacement of the oak vats for modern concrete ones.  Longtime manager Nicolas Thienpont and consulting oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt are refining and modernizing the Château with new wine making techniques. We ate lunch in a lovely and functional new kitchen facility built next to the winery for the workers and decided to dine that evening in town.

A Fabulous French-American Tale of Two Vineyards.  Three Feathers Estate, Willamette Valley, Oregon visits Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux.
Portrait next to the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin

Visiting Pavie-Macquin with Agnès and Cécile Corre was a moving experience.  The vineyard setting and backdrop are not only noble but familiar and accessible on a human-scale.  The pioneering heritage of Albert Macquin shines through to this day with an eminence and humility right down to the crest that is their logo: two oaks leaves in honor of the hundred-year-old oaks on the property and a hangman’s noose in reminder of the dangers of excess.  (Agnès told me that an earlier version displaying three nooses and one oak leaf was modified by her grandmother who found the triple noose much too sinister!)

Wine labels for Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion.

My tale ends with five of us at L’Envers du Décor (appropriately, Behind the Scenes) around a bottle of Château Pavie-Macquin 1er Grand Cru Classé and a bottle of Three Feathers Oregon Pinot Noir.  If you have ever had the chance to taste the former, you will know that it is an unforgettable experience from beginning to end.  A deep and complex nose, fruity and robust on the palate, long in the finish.  Having recuperated from the emotion of that bottle and commentary subsided, I served a round of Three Feathers Pinot Noir and waited in silence.

Primarily Bordeaux Pavie-Macquin drinkers, Agnès and Cécile raised their eyebrows and Agnès smiled.  She said that the wine had really evolved well since the 2016 vintage but felt that it needed to open up more in the glass.  I served her some more. Cécile drank her taste more quickly and said that it didn’t quite have the depth of a Bordeaux, but that it merited coming back to.  I served her some more and she did. The conversation continued about our wine and I felt myself relaxing. Where there is fire (conversation), there is a flame (spark) and if our Oregon Pinot Noir was good enough to set off a positive and constructive discussion with Pavie-Macquin drinkers, I could feel proud.

Elise Prudhomme with a bottle of 2017 Three Feathers Pinot Noir at L’Envers du Decor, Saint-Emilion.
Agnès Corre grabbing a few bottles of wine at Château Pavie Macquin.

While Pavie-Macquin and Three Feathers are like apples and oranges, a common point can be found in the passion transmitted when talking about our wines and the constant search of solutions to extract the best for our vineyards from the climate and the best juice for our wines from the terroir: rich, elegant and unique.

Vineyards and century oaks of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.Vineyards and century oaks of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Looking down on the Place du Marche, in the town of Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Looking down on the Place du Marche in the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Below the Brunet Gate, the Fongaban Valley hosted in the gardens of Saint-Emilion and many water mills in the Middle Ages, Gironde, France.Below the Brunet Gate, the Fongaban Valley hosted in the gardens of Saint-Emilion and many water mills in the Middle Ages, Gironde, France.
Topping off stainless steel tanks at Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Topping off stainless steel tanks at Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Vineyards in the Bordeaux wine region of Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Vineyards in the Bordeaux wine region of Saint Emilion with the town and collegiale church in the background, Department of the Gironde, France.
Tasting room inside Château Pavie Macquin overlooking the town of Saint Emilion.Tasting room inside Château Pavie Macquin overlooking the town of Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Admiring the century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Admiring the century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
The town of Saint-Emilion seen from the King’s Tower, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Sunset overview of the town of Saint-Emilion as seen from the King's Tower, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
The town of Saint-Emilion seen from the King’s Tower, Gironde, France.The town of Saint-Emilion with the Collegiale Church and spire as seen from the King's Tower, Bordeaux, Region of the Gironde, France.
Wooden shipping boxes in stock for Wine Estate Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Émilion, Gironde France.Wooden shipping boxes in stock for delivery at Wine Estate Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Émilion, Department of the Gironde, France.
Large flock of grey herons flying in V formation over the town of Saint Emilion, Gironde, France.Large flock of grey herons flying in V formation over the town of Saint Emilion, Gironde, France.
Group portrait next to the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Group portrait next to the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.
Portrait next to the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Group portrait next to the stele of Chateau-Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Soon to be replaced wooden fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Soon to be replaced wooden fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Winery and vineyards at Chateau-Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, Gironde, France.Winery, chai and vineyards of the famous Chateau Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Looking down on the Place du Marche, in the town of Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.View looking out over Saint-Emilion and beyond, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Concrete fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Concrete fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Looking out to Chateau Pavie Macquin from the ancient Brunet Gate, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Looking out to Chateau Pavie Macquin from the ancient Brunet Gate, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.
A clay-limestone bordering wall in the vineyards of Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.A clay-limestone bordering wall in the vineyards of Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Vineyards at Chateau Canon 1er Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux wine region, Gironde, France.Vineyards at Chateau Canon 1er Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux wine region, Gironde, France.
Below the Brunet Gate, the Fongaban Valley hosted in the gardens of Saint-Emilion and many water mills in the Middle Ages, Gironde, France.Below the Brunet Gate, the Fongaban Valley hosted in the gardens of Saint-Emilion and many water mills in the Middle Ages, Gironde, France.
Doors and portico marking the entrance to the rock-carved sanctuary, or Monolith, carved out in the 11th century, Place du Marche, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.Doors and portico marking the entrance to the rock-carved sanctuary, or Monolith, carved out in the 11th century, Place du Marche, Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.
Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Sunset view of the winery and chai of Wine Estate Chateau Pavie-Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux wine region, Department of the Gironde, France.Sunset view of the winery and chai of Wine Estate Chateau Pavie-Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux wine region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Vineyards at Chateau Canon 1er Grand Cru Classe, St Emilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France.Vineyards at Chateau Canon 1er Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux wine region, Gironde, France.
Large flock of grey herons flying in V formation over the town of Saint Emilion, Gironde, France.Large flock of grey herons flying in V formation over the town of Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
Daylight shining through stained glass onto the Joan of Arc statue in the Collegiale Church of Saint-Emilion, Gironde, FranceDaylight shining through stained glass onto the Joan of Arc statue in the Collegiale Church of Saint-Emilion, Gironde, France.
Topping of in the stainless steel tanks at Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France.Topping off stainless steel tanks at Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Discussing the vines at Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, Gironde, France.Discussing the vines in the vineyards of Château Pavie-Macquin, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Tasting room in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint-Émilion, Gironde, France.Tasting room in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Portrait in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Émilion Gironde France.Oak barrel portrait in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Émilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Tasting room in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, St Émilion Gironde France.Tasting room in the barrel chai of Château Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Tasting room interior of Château Pavie Macquin overlooking the town of St Émilion Gironde France.Tasting room interior of Château Pavie Macquin overlooking the town of St Émilion Gironde France.
Cloister of the Eglise Collegiale in Saint-Emilion, Gironde, FranceInterior cloister, columns and walls of the Eglise Collegiale in Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux region, Department of the Gironde, France.
Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.Century old oak trees at the Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.
View of the wine production facility standing over the concrete fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.View of the wine production facility standing over the concrete fermentation tanks for Merlot wine, Wine Estate Chateau Pavie Macquin, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux region, Gironde, France.