charles joguet les varennes du grand clos 2004

"at the foot of the gravelly terrace formed in part by the erosion of the limestone hill, this particular silico-clay and silico-limestone terroir is located on the left bank of the vienne, in sazilly. these four and a half hectares of vines planted between 1962 and 1976 have an average yield of 40 hl/ha. cold pre-fermenting maceration (10°c) for 10 days, minimum of 4 weeks of vatting, vinification temperatures below 21°c and many well adapted windings (watering of the marc cap) and pigeages (pomace cap formed in the upper part of the tank pushed into the liquid part) are necessary to reveal the complexity of this cuvée. from the end of the alcoholic fermentation, gout wines and the best press wines are assembled for malo-lactic fermentation in barrels. the french oak barrels that accompany the ageing of the varennes du grand clos are renewed each year partially to obtain a melted and integrated ageing. the barrel park is composed of some new barrels and barrels of 1 to 4 wines. this cuvée continues its ageing in our cellars, in oak barrels for 15 to 16 months depending on the vintage. after racking and once the final assembly between the barrels, les varennes du grand clos will be raised in bulk (the wine will rest in vat) for 6 months, before being bottled and then marketed. the 2018 offers a deep, pure, intense and fine bouquet of dark fruits, crushed stones and lemons as well as raw meat. silky fresh and elegant on the first palate, this is a concentrated, fleshy and firmly structured cabernet franc with an impressive bead of mineral acidity and ripe, crunchy tannins that give energy and tension and a long and intense finish. this is a great chinon for cellaring even though it already tastes impressively. this is an absolutely juicy cabernet franc that i’d age for at least 5-10 years, just to be amazed."