This will long be remembered as the year of the heat wave. The grapes were fully ripe earlier than ever before. Meticulous work in the vineyard and making sure to pick at the right time (this was the earliest harvest since… 1893!) made it possible to produce a well-balanced wine without stewed fruit aromas that might otherwise have come through in seriously overripe grapes. The deep red colour has dark highlights.

The powerful, complex nose reflects fruit that was just slightly overripe. Fig jam, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Virginia tobacco prevail on the bouquet. There are also some atypical aromas of prune and caramel.

The wine starts out concentrated and complex on the palate. It is deliciously rich and vinous with good body – as befits such an exceptionally hot year. The tannin is ripe and melts in the mouth. In addition, the structure is well-balanced.

This powerful wine is nevertheless slightly weak on the middle palate, which features roasted notes. The aftertaste is quite long and reminiscent of cocoa, coffee, and liquorice. The tail end is a little rigid, but attractive. This very ripe, charming vintage is ageing fairly quickly despite the high proportion of Cabernet Franc – which accounts for the wine’s freshness in a very ripe year.