Nose
The wine has a refined nose with elegant light oak and aromas of ripe fruit, especially blackcurrant.
Palate
Complex on the palate, with black fruit, blackberry and spice flavours, it has silky tannins, good body and lovely balance, ending on a long and harmonious finish of great refinement.
Growing Conditions
A wet and warm January started off the year, with temperatures 2.5°C above the average for the past twelve years.
While February was cold and dry, March saw heavy rainfall, reaching 121mm. Budbreak took place relatively late, from 9 to 15 April depending on the grape variety.
A warm and wet spring encouraged rapid growth of the plants and abnormal threats of mildew.
In line with the usual dates at Château de Sales, flowering lasted from 25 May to 8 June and veraison from 25 July to 14 August.
June and July were hot and damp, with an average temperature of 22°C and rainfall reaching 133mm.
Only 45mm of rain fell in August and September, and none at all between 5 August and 5 September. However, this did not halt the ripening process in the Château de Sales parcels.
The wide temperature difference in September, with an average minimum and maximum of 10.7°C and 28.2°C respectively, helped the polyphenols to reach optimum maturity.
Harvest
The harvest took place from 18 September to 5 October in excellent conditions, heralding a very fine vintage indeed.
Bottling
The wines are bottled at the Château about 18 months after the harvest.
Aging
18% new barrels
82% 1- to 3-year-old barrels
Appearance
A deep garnet red.
