L'Hêtre 2020 3000mL

2020 was an important year for L'Hêtre marked by the arrival of Professor Axel Marchal from ISVV as an oenologist/consultant, the decision to invest in a new cellar which we hope will be operational for the 2022 harvest and the purchase of an additional 5ha on the limestone plateau of Saint Genès which we are converting to organic in order to be able to integrate it into our L’Hêtre production in the next few years. After a dry summer in 2020 and an early September without any rain, the grapes gradually reached maturity, slowed by the lack of water. Their skins remained thick for a long time and the average number of seeds was higher than usual, so the grapes had significant tannic potential. Fortunately, the rain just before the harvest made it possible to correct the risk of over-ripeness, refine the skins and fine-tune the maturity of the tannins. As always, we harvested manually starting with the young vines on September 14th and ending with the Cabernet Francs on September 28th. The wines fermented at 25°C and then macerated for 30 to 40 days before being aged in oak barrels (one third new) for 15 months before bottling. Tasting notes "Dark, glossy purple colour; good intensity on the nose with floral and spicy aromas ; on the attack there are appetising notes of mint, autumn fruit, and pepper. The texture is silky and energetic, reflecting well the limestone soils of the plateau. The tannins, while quite present are fresh and lively and lead to a spicy, racy finish." Fiona Morrison MW "Intense in color with purple reflections, this wine releases intense aromas of fresh plum, but also violet and old rose from the first nose. After aeration, notes of liquorice underline its freshness and reinforce its complexity. The attack is soft, with a full mouthfeel and a tasty texture. The finish is marked by a salinity typical of the clay-limestone terroir which gives it a lot of length." Axel Marchal