Main characteristics of the vintage

« Nature can give you everything, just as it can take it all back and surprise you at the end… »

2018 marks an important step in the conversion of our vineyard to sustainable viticulture. The weather conditions resulted in strong pressure from parasites, requiring extreme vigilance. Vineyard management was complex, therefore, but the direction of our environmental approach was firmly maintained. The fine weather and the heat at the end of summer, comparable to 2009, made the vintage, which expressed incredible potential in the cellar.

The year started with a very rainy winter. Spring was wet and warm and bud burst came late. Early flowering came just before some rainstorms in early June, leading to slight problems with poor fruit set. The very strong pressure from mildew did not distract us from our move towards sustainable viticulture and we accepted the prospect of a significant drop in yields.

The hot and dry summer was marked by strong water stress as from the end of July. These weather conditions tended to limit berry growth but strongly increased their concentration.

Harvest took place under perfect conditions. In the cellar, given the small size of the grapes (20% below average) the ratio of skins to juice was definitely in favour of skins. The first extactions, more carefully controlled than ever, quickly yielded very concentrated juices of exceptional richness. Our meticulous work on the press wine continued : 6 very high quality batches supplemented the 61 batches of free-run and enriched the base for our blends.

The fisrt tastings show the signs of a very great vintage, a subtle combination of the fruity aromatic profile of the 2009 and the precision of the 2016.

Period of harvest

From September 17th to October 5^th

Blending

Cabernet Sauvignon : 72%

Merlot : 20%

Cabernet Franc : 6%

Petit Verdot : 2%

Tasting notes

The colour is dark, a deep and intense ruby colour with incredible density.

The nose is delicate and very complexe. With aeration, the nose reveals aromas of black fruit and white flowers accompanied by subtle smoky notes.

On the palate, the attack is full with exceptional aromatic richness. Powerful and silky, it offers incredible lenght and finesse.

A classy, elegant and very precise wine that perfectly reflects the signature of our terroir.