Palate
1986 wines have beautiful tannins and are rich and fruity. They need to be preserved so as to allow them to reach their perfect balance and develop charm and elegance. 1986 is a great vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Its nose is delicate, mineral and complex. Its palate is smooth, round, silky and gentle.
Growing Conditions
Nature works its magic. After three months of record-breaking drought, perfectly timed rain in September gave the grapes a quick boost. The result? Grapes harvested fully ripe and a vintage with great ageing potential.
1986 is a vintage that, at first glance, recalls that of 1985. However, the randomness of hot and cold spells and of wet and dry weather, defines, for each of the two vintages, its own characteristics. January was rainy and cold and February was exceedingly cold. March and April weren’t great and were very wet. The vines’ progress was behind schedule. The buds burst around April 14th. April 1986 was one of the rainiest and coldest of the preceding two decades. The vines labored on and a very beautiful month of May made up for lost time. Flowering was homogeneous. Full bloom was recorded on June 13th. A hot and very dry summer followed on. At the end of August, drought records hit a new high after three months without a drop of rain. Fortunately, two spells of heavy showers in September allowed the grapes to ripen and harvesting to begin, during a beautiful month of October, when the vines were at their best.
Harvest
The Merlot were picked as of 4th. The Cabernet Sauvignon contributed to perfectly rich and beautifully concentrated
wines.
