Haut Médoc AOC Cru Bourgeois 2016, Chateau du Retout

89-92 in Wine Spectator

“Tangy red currant and damson fruit, lingering through the finish. Very solid, with good typicity.”

Rising star Helene Soual-Kopp and her husband Frederic work her ancestral vineyard on the border of Saint Julien, and on a similar terroir, made up of white pebbles on clay and chalk with deep Pyrenees gravel. She only uses the best grapes out of 32 hectares to produce 90,000 bottles annually. The vines are worked entirely by hand. Grass grown between the vines and minimal human intervention including compost made from old vines, horse manure and natural fertiliser. No chemicals are used. Grapes are selected on the table, and traditional temperature-controlled maceration takes place over 4 weeks, with stirring as slow as possible. Only the first juice from maceration is used. Light, slow filtration by drawing off. The wine is aged in fine grained French oak.

Deep ruby colour with violet tinge. Very expressive, elegant, wild blackberry, prune and griotte cherry character.  Superb balance with a concentrated and dense finish along with fig, sweet spices, and a marshmallow and liquorice touch. Long, dense finish with soft and complex black fruits and hints of spice. Exceptional value for money.