The plot thickens for vine vandalism

Back in November we reported that rare vines owned by winery Liber Pater in Bordeaux had been destroyed by vandals. Subsequently the vineyard's owner Loïc Pasquet was found guilty of fraud by a Bordeaux tribunal for things ranging from not declaring his chaptalisation levels to submitting forged receipts for close to €600,000 in promotional grants. And there are big question marks over their newly-created wine (first vintage 2006) which sells for upwards of €3000 per bottle. Jane Anson from Decanter visited the man to ask some questions. How has the reputation of this wine risen so high and so fast? This week, Morrell & Company at Rockefeller Plaza in New York had the 2009 listed for US$4,000, with three bottles in stock.
The exact amount is off the record for some reason, but it is among the very highest exit prices of all Bordeaux Châteaux, beating even the First Growths in 2010. Pasquet has stated that he wants to recreate the taste of Bordeaux as it was in 1855, and has been busy reviving long lost varieties such as Castet, Mancin, Saint Macaire and Prunelard. But to date the only grapes in the €3,000 AOC Graves are your run of the mill classics such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines made from the rare grape varieties were not available to taste - apparently they weren't ready. But Pasquet assured Anson that the 2016 variety with the rare grapes would be ready to be drunk in 2018.