Nose
Warm, sweet red fruit with a hint of vanilla.
Palate
Cabernet. A slow, regular maturing process gave this year’s Cabernet exceptional concentration. Both Sauvignon and Franc make up a wine that is particularly dense, spiced and complex. A fine vintage. The palate which is plump and fleshy but elegant and sophisticated. It really reminds of a top Grand Cru Burgundy from a great year with its purity and grace.
The Cabernet Sauvignon wines are dense and rich, with spicy and complex aromas. 1996 is a refined vintage. The tannins are delicately discreet.
Growing Conditions
1996 is the vintage of perfection. After an atypical climatic journey, the year ends, against all odds, with a truly successful vintage. January’s exceptionally mild weather ended with an extraordinary storm on February 2nd. A cold spell pursued and delayed the awakening of the vineyard until March 25th. In April, the weather was nice but cold, with a little bit of frost on 4th. However, the land remained dry and no damage was recorded. May was cool and rainy. June was incredibly hot and flowering occurred early, in very good conditions. July and August were very contrasted with high temperatures and very heavy rains accompanied by cooler periods. There was little sunshine in August and maturation was slow. The vineyard still managed to maintain its lead and the véraison began on August 10th. In mid-September the weather deteriorated.
Harvest
We took a risk and decided to harvest as from September 23rd up until October 8th. Our patience allowed us to have an exceptional base from which to make a great wine. The vines’ excellent conditions brought richness to the wines in the way of high sugar levels. The Merlot, and even more so the Cabernet Sauvignon, reached a perfect degree of concentration.
