Les Varennes du Grand Clos AOC 2019

Les Varennes du Grand Clos is a vineyard located between the left bank of the Vienne and the Clos de la Dioterie. The rather flat vineyard is partly sandy-loamy, partly sandy-gravelly over limestone. Some of the vines were planted between 1962 and 1976, but some are 40 years older. The Cabernet Franc from Les Varennes du Grand Clos receives a cool pre-fermentation at 10 °C for ten days. The maceration in wooden vats lasts about four weeks at temperatures of 21 °C at most. Once the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the blending of the pre-fermentation wines and the best pressed wines for the malolactic fermentation takes place. The French oak barrels are partially renewed each year, so that about one fifth of the barrels are new and one to four years old. The vintages then mature for 15 to 16 months in wood, another six months in tank for harmonisation, and are then bottled.

Deep, slightly transparent garnet red

The Les Varennes du Grand Clos 2019 captivates from the start with a very clear, unadulterated Cabernet fruit. It smells of juicy red berries, cassis and peppers, tomato leaves, herbs and some blond tobacco.

On the palate, there are chewy, almost biting tannins - that's how young the cru is - next to a clear acid structure. The Chinon appears straightforward, stringent and has a beautiful depth of fruit on the palate with a very light extract sweetness. It can already be drunk excellently with meat, as a soloist it is still a little too young.