Nose
The wine has a complex, precise nose on black fruit, spice and vanilla aromas.
Palate
From a clean, fresh attack, the full-bodied mid-palate reveals ripe fruit flavours and well-integrated oak on fine, silky tannins, leading into a long and elegant finish.
Growing Conditions
2017 started with a dry and mild winter, with 146 mm of rainfall between December 2016 and February 2017.
March was mild, with an average temperature of 11.5° C.
Budbreak took place from 3 to 10 April for Merlot and ended on 17 April for Cabernet Sauvignon, the sign of an early vintage.
Three days of frost on 27, 28 and 29 April hit part of the Château de Sales vineyard.
Flowering took place from 20 May to 3 July depending on whether parcels were frost-affected or not.
June was very warm, with an average temperature of 21.5° C and a heatwave between 22 and 26 June, while July and August were cooler, with little rainfall (46 mm over the two months).
Veraison took place from 21 July to 18 August depending on the parcels and grape varieties, showing a considerable reduction of the difference in the vine cycle between frost-affected and unaffected parcels.
Harvest
Picking took place over 11 days from 13 September to 5 October. Meticulous zoning was performed in the vineyard to ensure that each parcel and grape variety was picked at optimum maturity.
Bottling
The wines are bottled at the Château about 18 months after the harvest.
Aging
15% new barrels
85% 1- to 3-year-old barrels
Appearance
A radiant garnet red.
