Chateau des Laurets Baron (Baron Edmond de Rothschild) - SELECTION PARCELLAIRE Puisseguin Saint-Emillion Bordeaux 2016 750ML (14.5% abv)

we only got 6 bottles of Baron's top end SELECTION Parecellaire bottling (Selected of the best 4 hectares of Merlot from Chateau des Laurets property. Before 2015, this wine was labeled as 'Les Laurets') from the exceptional 2016 vintage! a rare gift.

The wine itself comes from a selection of around 4 of the 40 hectares of the estate’s best Merlot plots circling the Château itself.  The vines are, on average, of 70 years of age and are planted on an exceptional argilo-calcaire terroir at around 80 metres of altitude (the most elevated part of the vineyard).  The wine has been aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels.

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Built circa 1860, the Chateau des Laurets featured on the label, is still the pride of the property with an octagonal tower positioned perfectly to overlook the grounds. The vineyards are planted on south-facing slopes with limestone outcrops. The excellent clay-limestone soil gives this Merlot Saint-Émilion wine its distinctive taste. Baron Benjamin de Rothschild acquired this superb property in 2003, aiming from the beginning to achieve its finest potential.

Since the purchase, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild wanted to reveal the quintessence of this estate by making a special cuvée from the best plots of Merlot. The grapes are picked and sorted by hand, then fermented with all the care and attention worthy of a great-growth. This rare wine, only produced in the best vintages, reflects all the quality of a great Saint-Émilion made from Merlot— a subtle combination of elegance and character.

 a classic Right Bank from a well-regarded estate. a perfect gift.

Deep ruby-red color. Showing tremendous balance and freshness, the nose displays intense aromatic complexity with plenty of blackberry with spicy nuances followed by hints of vanilla and red fruit (morello cherry) with cedar and dark chocolate. The wine reveals subtle, well-integrated oak on the palate, along with exquisite elegance and great length with refined tannin. lovely tension. more red fruit with herbs and plenty of structure on the full bodied palate.

we got 6 bottles of the stellar 2016!

• “An outstanding vintage with unprecedented weather!” – Fabrice Bandiera, Technical Director

  The winter was exceptionally wet and wild. Temperatures were unseasonably balmy and dry until the end of December. January and February were also clement but accompanied by significant precipitation. In fact, it rained nearly every day during those months. There was 193% more in January and 108% more in February at the estate compared to the 15-year average. Spring was cool and wet, but frost free. Flowering was even and took place the first 10 days of June. This was followed by a very hot and dry summer. 2016 has all the hallmarks of an outstanding vintage because yields were generous and quality of fruit was superlative.

region: Bordeaux, France

varietal: 100% Merlot

style: bold red

farming/cellar: sustainable farming, hand picked and sorted, Cold soaking and fermentation in oak and stainless steel vats with automatic temperature-control. Post-fermentation micro-oxygenation during maceration and malolactic fermentation in oak and stainless steel vats, matured in premium French oak barrels (100% new) . Aging duration is 16 months.

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