Main characteristics of the vintage
2012 was dominated by the vagaries of the weather.
The winter was dry, especially in the first three months. Very mild weather in January was followed by a particularly cold spell in February.
In a rainy spring, cool and damp weather slowed vine growth. Flowering took place slowly over the first three weeks of June, causing a certain degree of unevenness on the vinestocks. However, the growers’ efforts in the vineyard enabled us to get the vines into very good shape for the development of the crop.
Summer set in at last at the end of July. August was particularly sunny and very dry, with several days of very high temperatures. Mid-veraison was slightly later than the average, taking place around 17 August.
Very fine weather continued well into the following month, raising fears that the ripening process would come to a halt. However, the grapes continued to ripen following the arrival of rain at last on 22 September, a slow and steady process monitored with the utmost care until the end of the season.
The harvest began with the Merlots on 24 September. With the grapes maturing unevenly within parcels, each parcel had to be divided up with scrupulous precision at the start of picking. The Cabernet Sauvignons were picked from 13 to 20 October at full maturity and in perfect health despite spells of rain.
The grapes were fully ripe and the musts showed great richness, with highly attractive fruit and very intense colour.
The maceration period was exceptionally long – 26 to 28 days – since the very thick skins of the Merlots and Cabernets meant that more time was needed in order to extract the quintessence of the vintage.
The result of a great deal of hard work and a certain degree of risk-taking at harvest-time, 2012 ranks among the estate’s excellent vintages in recent years.

Period of Harvest
September 24th – October 20th

Blend

• • Cabernet sauvignon : 57 %
  • Merlot : 37 %
  • Cabernet franc : 5 %

• • Petit Verdot : 1 %

Tasting notes
The wine is a deep, dazzling purple.
Initially rather closed, the nose opens with airing to reveal elegant fresh fruit, blackcurrant bud and eucalyptus aromas.
A fresh, clean attack leads into a full, powerful and silky mid-palate, building to an incredibly long finish on notes of brioche and liquorice.
An intense and stylish vintage to come back to in a few years’ time.