Nose

The nose is intense, of ripe fruit, with delicate woodiness which is surprisingly discreet, so powerful is the fruit. Spicy, it evokes freshness.

Palate

In the mouth, the attack is powerful and mouth filling, lively, already creamy. Next comes a dense volume in a swirl of rich aromas. The finish lengthens the ensemble with tannins of great quality, which are at the same time powerful and elegant.

Growing Conditions

The 2018 cycle saw two very different meteorologic conditions : first there were six rainy months, up until mid-July (a year’s worth of rainfall in just the first six months of the year), then the situation was radically inverted with a hot and dry summer, with maximum sunshine in August and September.
January, which was very mild, also set a record for rain. After two cold months of February and March (2.7°C and 1°C below normal, respectively), April was very mild; warmth in the second half of the month lead to a rather precocious and rapid bud break.
In May, there was a succession of storms with alternating rainy and dry periods. Flowering started on May 24th, slightly later than in 2017, and continued during rainy periods which caused a certain amount of flower abortion, but by chance our vineyards escaped the heavy hail storms of May 26th. June and the first half of July were hot and rainy, which made the fight against mildew more difficult.
Summer arrived in mid-July with warm temperatures (+1°C in July, +0.3°C in August, above normal), dry conditions (42% hydric deficit in August, and a 77% deficit in September), but without excessive heat, and remarkable insolation (18% above normal for July, August and September). The amount of sunshine, from April to September, was by far the most seen since 2008 with 179 hours, higher than the norm (2010 : 111 hours, 2005: 111 hours). September, in particular,
had only three cloudy days. Starting in August, morning temperatures were cool (14°C the morning of August 10th) and the daytime temperatures high, this fluctuation favoring perfect grape maturity, while the dryness of the soils worked to slow the plants’ metabolism. The favorable conditions allowed us to harvest slowly, following the maturity of each individual block, in this way the harvest lasted from October 1st to the 23rd, and brought in perfectly ripe and healthy grapes. At the beginning of aging, all the wines had remarkable color, the Merlot had full-bodied tannins, beautiful aromas, high alcohol but lots of freshness which we weren’t expecting at the time of the harvest. The Cabernet Franc was seductive, balanced, with wonderful aromatic complexity. The Petit Verdot was massive, with lovely tannic finesse while the Cabernet Sauvignon appeared fresh,delicate, and pure, with a procession of aromas leading to a very long finish.

Appearance

The wine is showing very beautiful color, dense and young.