Recommended List Price: £55 Country: France. Region: Lussac Saint-Emillion. Grape: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec. Style: Rich, traditional, rustic. ABV: 14%. Info: New wine for old lovers. When the stakes are as high as they are in Bordeaux for winemakers - high land costs, years of tradition, rapidly changing climates - it can be hard to carve a new path. But some plucky vintners are looking at the situation and making headway for something new employing practices like low sulphur use and unique ageing techniques. This Claret is sympathetic to tradition but making new waves. Here we have a Merlot dominated wine that is made with zero sulphur and half of the wine is aged in wood and half in concrete. When blended you get a complex wine with the hallmarks of great claret but with added depth. This reminds me of a superbly made Black Forest gateaux, with freshly picked hedgerow fruits. Touches of richness from the oak leading to a velvety wine. The wine is aged in new barrels each year. Half in barrel and half in cement vats. Bottled after 15 months’ ageing and blending.
