Terroir
Soils:
- Alpine Diluvian large round stones (famously known as “galets roulés”)
- Urgonian limestones.
Age of the vines: 65+ years
Exposure: Mostly South-West Altitude: 40-100 meters
Vinification
100% hand harvest into small baskets with thorough sorting of the grapes. The Syrah is harvested twice in order to obtain optimum ripeness, followed by Grenache and then Mourvèdre.
For this special cuvée, the grapes, of first choice, are vinified with the stems left on in a cone-shaped oak vat. Apart from manual pigeage, very little intervention takes place during vinification. The wne then ages 12 to 16 months in vats.
Visits
Colour: Deep garnet with a violet rim.
Nose: Open and generous, bursting with red and black fruit (cherry, blackberry), exotic spice.
Palate: There are not enough superlatives to describe this wine: Intense, powerful, expressive and complex, with an extremely long and fresh finish. The tannins are pure silk. A master of elegance. Almost perfection…
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (2010 vintage)
"It boasts an opaque inky/purple as well as incredibly rich blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of fudge, charcoal, camphor and acacia flowers in addition to sweet, well-integrated tannin. This sensational 2010 Chateauneuf is one of the great classics of the vintage. It should drink well for at least three decades."
To serve
Best served at 18°C.
Aging potential
When drunk young, best decanted 4 hours before serving. With 10 years bottle ageing, best decanted 1 to 2 hours before serving. Above this, you should let the impetuosity and generosity still alive express themselves straight out of the cork.
