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Chateau Bourdieu 2018

Blend
8% Cabernet Sauvignon
3% Malbec
89% Merlot
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Blaye
UPC
0 15643 67003 9
Red Wine
Verified Stock
13929-18
Product Ratings
Decanter 97pt

For the second year running, Blaye has come storming into our Best in Show selection, and on this occasion with a Value wine from the exciting 2018 vintage. It was a warm and generous year, and you can read that generosity in the deep colours and vivacious aromatic ripeness which lifts from the glass. The wine is deep, round, ample and approachable on the palate, the primary plum and damson fruits just beginning to soften into something a little more savoury and meaty. There are, though, firm shaping tannins behind those prominent fruits; while the acidity is supple and fruit-packed. This sturdy Value Best In Show will certainly continue to evolve for another half-decade yet, and would show convincingly among peers of loftier price.

by Decanter, 2023

Vinification

Prestine grapes are harvested at high phenolic maturity to obtain the silkiest possible tannin. Once at the winery the grapes are sorted to ensure only the top quality grapes are processed. After a long maceration, around 4 weeks, in temperature-controlled vats color extraction is encouraged by regular punch downs. This adds to the enhancement of the phenolic richness and complexity of the terroirs. The final wine is then aged in French oak to add an additional layer of elegance and complexity to this pretty wine.

Tasting notes

Rich and generosity, Bourdieu No 1 offers a beautiful gamut of colors with intense reflections. Its expressive and complex nose, composed of over-ripe black fruit: blackcurrant, blueberry, fresh red fruits strawberry, red currants and vanilla notes. The palate is rich, structured and full thanks to round and silky tannins.

Estate

Since 1464, the Château Bourdieu vineyard has flourished on the terroirs of the right bank of the Gironde. Now owned by the Schweitzer family, it covers 75 hectares of AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux. Luc and his two sons Ludovic and Richard have the culture of Lavigne deeply rooted in their genes and the taste for meticulous work. This is why each cuvée is made with the same attention and the same passion. We thus find in each wine of Château Bourdieu the richness of the terroirs and the quality of the great wines of Bordeaux. The estates vineyards are an average of 35yrs old and grow on a mixture of clay, limestone and gravel soils.

Ageing

Long ageing period, partly in oak. Quality control over the duration. Few racking and manipulation before the bottling. The objective is to preserve all the aromantic complexity.