Nose
The delicate, powerful bouquet successively presents notes of ripe fruit (stewed plums) and black pepper.
Scents of candied fruit evoking notes of cherry reinforce the fruitiness of the initial nose against a backdrop of wood and spices. Aeration brings out the mineral character and complexity of the wine.
Palate
With rich, velvety tannins that give a strong, fresh and precise texture, this wine has a dense structure with notes of spices, black pepper and cooked cinnamon.
The fruity finish is lingering and underlined by notes of eucalyptus and camphor that are characteristic of the fine Agassac Terroir.
Growing Conditions
After a very wet spring, the 2013 vintage was hit hard by flower abortion and berry shot on all our plots of Merlot, and in particular the old vines' estate.
There was less of an impact on the Cabernet vines and the quantity of flowering was more even.
The calamitous spring was followed by a hot, dryish summer, fortunately without any hail, providingthe vines with the right climate and growth conditions to build up plenty of sugar and polyphenols.
Harvest
However, we did have to sacrifice a little more of the harvest and remove those bunches that were out of synch in their colour change in order to even out the ripening of the harvest. In addition to that, the efforts put in to spread the harvest out over the vines were necessary to limit the potential risks of deterioration to the maximum, in a year we were expecting to be a late-ripening one.Despite being detrimental to a harvest volume that was already small, that decisions was to turn out to be more than justified...
Appearance
This wine is an extraordinary deep garnet-red colour with purple tints, enhancing its striking appearance.
Food Pairing
Still young, this wine's structure is dense, supple and well balanced. Ageingfor a few years will enhance its smoothness and mellowness. Its very fruity bouquet with notes of black fruits will develop the mentholated mineral character that is typicak of this fine Médoc terroir.
Glazed roasted veal with mild spices,served with roughly-mashed potato and a thyme sauce.