Chateau de la Dauphine2018

RED WINE

Ageing

Maturing of separate batches in oak for 12 months with 30% of new barrels.

Background

Having virtually drowned the pruning team during the winter and frayed our nerves in the spring with an epic battle against mildew, the vintage then made a 180 degree turn at the beginning of July and the "Bordeaux miracle" occurred once again, with a magnificent summer and early autumn!
The summer of 2018 was the hottest since 2003, but without the latter's excesses and water stress, since reserves had been amply replenished at the beginning of the year and enabled the vines to cope with the lack of rain during July and August. Despite a very serious threat of disease - especially mildew - La Dauphine's organic and biodynamic management came through with excellent results and about 15% of the harvest was lost. As we started picking the property’s 53 hectares at the end of September, the weather remained glorious, enabling the Merlot on the limestone plots and the Cabernet to finish ripening in perfect, warm conditions.
2018 will be remembered as much for the trials of its spring as for the richness of its wines. In addition to being one of Bordeaux’s most structured vintages, 2018 has a surprising freshness: two characteristics that promise an excellent capacity to age.

History

Chateau de La Dauphine has been committed to a very environmentally-friendly approach to winegrowing for some years. The process of conversion to organic agriculture was launched in 2012, with the first officially certified harvest in 2015, and another 13 hectares of very high-quality vines was certified in 2019.
In 2015, the property embraced biodynamic principles to complement its pesticide and chemical-free approach.
In 2018 our general management philosophy was acknowledged and rewarded with EMS and level 3 HEV certification.
Chateau de La Dauphine has thus consolidated its position as a modern property whose practices reflect current concerns and respect both nature and people.

Tasting notes

The vintage produced small berries with thick, ripe skins resulting in richly-coloured wines. The seeds were also somewhat unusual, revealing their advanced maturity with a dark brown colour and very little astringency. During the vinification process, extraction was very gentle, resulting in structured yet silky wines. They offer tremendous aromatic richness, ranging from red and black fruit (blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries) to a hint of liquorice and spicy notes for the Cabernet.

Vinification

Double sorting table before and after destemming, the grapes are gravity fed into tanks Fermentation at 28C. Maceration for 30 days. Vertical pressing with separation of the musts malolactic fermentation in Barrels (30%).