Winemaker

Everyone will remember the outstanding feature of this year: the drought. The grape bunches came out quickly, so the vine-control work (bud removal, leaf stripping, green harvesting) was essential to the quality of the grapes. Following the heat-wave, the flowering period was explosive and rapid. Irrespective of the terroir and the grape variety, the water stress that set in very early in the year pointed to a very high potential of the grapes and confirmed that this vintage would be an exceptional year.

Life at the winery
The exceptional quality of the merlots was immediate proof of the incredible year we had just experienced. The sugar concentrations were of unhoped-for levels (with natural alcohol contents higher than 13% vol) and the excellent acidity levels showed the vines were developing perfectly and the wines would boast magnificent balance. The skins were thick and rich in phenolic compounds, and the phenolic potential was the highest it had been over the last 20 years. The musts showed incredible aromatic power (black fruit and ripe fruit)

The oenologist's tasting notes
Very intense cherry-red colour.
Very complex nose of ripe fruit mingling with lightly smoky notes.
Suave in the attack, powerful development with fine tannins.
Gentle, very pleasant finish.